Sebastian Ray Serpa, a 16-year-old high school student from Volusia County, has often passed by the Daytona International Speedway, hearing the sound of race cars from outside, but had never been inside the iconic venue.
After participating in an event organized by IMSA for talented STEM students on Friday, Ray Serpa is now excited to return for the Rolex 24 at Daytona next week — his very first motorsports event.
IMSA invited 27 high school students excelling in STEM subjects to visit the speedway to learn about the many opportunities in motorsports related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Ray Serpa, who is passionate about mechanical engineering, was amazed by the experience.
Although he initially thought he would pursue a career in studying human joints, after visiting four stations and touring the speedway and cars, he now sees motorsports as a potential career path.
“This has been a real eye-opener for me,” Ray Serpa told The Associated Press. “I knew that behind almost every concept out there, there were opportunities, but I never realized how wide that actually went.
There are so many applications that require STEM skills. I heard from marketing people who went to school for mechanical engineering, and then ended up getting greater satisfaction from marketing. Or, they still work hand-in-hand. I would really like to get to a point where I can say the same.”
This program is new to IMSA sports car racing, but John Doonan, the IMSA president, had previously organized a similar STEM experience when he was at Mazda. It took sponsorships from Gainbridge, Konica Minolta, and EVERFi, which is developing the curriculum, to launch the program in IMSA.
The students visited four stations around the track: “Tires, Traction and Tread” at the Michelin Tire Center, where they learned about physics and engineering; “Data-Driven Racing” at the IMSA Engineering Center, to understand data, science, and technology; “Engineering Safety” at the IMSA Tech Inspection Area to learn about material science; and the “IMSA Technology Lab” at Action Express Racing, where they explored physics and engineering through the IMSA GTP Hybrid Electrified Race Car.
Students from high schools get an immersive experience at Daytona International Speedway1“What we’re doing here is a laboratory. It’s a laboratory for the automakers. It’s a laboratory for Michelin on the tire front. It’s a laboratory for all these teams,” said Doonan. “For the students to be able to see what they’re doing in the classroom, be applied in a real-world environment, that gives me and all of my IMSA teammates a lot of satisfaction.”
Doonan went on to explain the significance of applying classroom concepts to real-world problems. He mentioned that he told the students, “Look, algebra, calculus, physics, chemistry, as much as you may dislike it at the moment, it’s being applied here real-time.” The goal is for students to understand that their academic subjects have real applications in motorsports.
Amy Monahan, a K-12 STEM Specialist for Volusia County Schools, explained that the students selected for this program were chosen by their teachers for their dedication to learning. One student shared that before attending the event, he was considering joining the military after high school, but now he’s curious if there’s a future for him in motorsports.
“This whole program is educating them that many opportunities are out there, and this one is in your backyard. Some of them think the military or trade jobs are all that’s available to them,” Monahan said. “They don’t know. Most of them have never been to a race, so seeing this and understanding that there are plenty of things to pursue is just a wonderful gift for them.”
The event not only opened students’ eyes to the vast career possibilities within motorsports but also highlighted the local opportunities that exist in the STEM fields related to racing. It is a significant step in encouraging young people to explore new career paths and consider how STEM skills are used in industries they might not have previously thought about.
