Shea Holbrook to Pilot Florida Tech Jet Dragster
Melbourne, Fla. (January 9, 2015) – Shea Holbrook, a Florida native and seven-year motorsport participant, will pilot the Florida Institute of Technology jet dragster in the 2015 Nitro Jam Drag Racing season, Larsen Motorsports announced today.
Larsen Motorsports, a multi-team national professional racing organization specializing in turbine powered high performance vehicles, and Florida Tech announced their affiliation late last year.
“The opportunity to collaborate with Florida Tech in areas of research and education is incredibly empowering,” said Elaine Larsen, co-owner of Larsen Motorsports. She said Holbrook, 24, will represent Florida Tech in a unique way in the motorsports industry and to students seeking to further their education, Holbrook concurred. “I’m proud to represent Florida Tech and have an influence both on and off the race track that will further the objectives of the university and strengthen my opportunities to be a liaison between future students and Florida Tech.”
A Tier One Best National University according to U.S. News & World Report and a top 200 university in the 2014-15 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Florid Tech is working with Larsen to open a new high performance vehicles facility that will contain full design, engineering, training, fabrication and day-to-day operation capabilities for Larsen Motorsports and the university’s students.
Holbrook began racing as a teenager. Her first mark in history was when she became the first woman to win in the Touring Car division at the 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix. She’s been a featured athlete on Yahoo.com, Teen Vogue, NBC Sports Motor Sports Talk, CNN Live, and Racer.com. She was also a recipient of the Lyn St. James Foundation Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Scholarship and earned a grant through the Women’s Sports Foundation ‘Women in the Winners Circle’ Project Podium Grant program.
“Over the past few months we have fast-tracked Shea to prepare her for what it will take to understand and drive a jet car at speeds approaching 300 mph,” said Larsen Motorsports co-owner Chris Larsen. “We are pleased with her progress and positive she’ll make a fantastic driver and spokeswoman on behalf of LMS and Florida Tech.”
About Shea Holbrook
Shea is the only 24-year old spokeswoman and professional female racecar driver with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Marketing that co-owns and operates her racing team in the Pirelli World Challenge. Her first mark in history was when she won the Long Beach Grand Prix becoming the first female to win a major Touring Car race at the venue. She’s been a featured athlete on Yahoo.com, Teen Vogue, NBC Sports Motor Sports Talk, CNN Live, Racer.com, and many others. A recipient of the Lyn St. James Foundation Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Scholarship and the Women’s Sports Foundation ‘Women in the Winners Circle’ Project Podium Grant. Shea finished 2nd in the Pirelli World Challenge TCA Championships in 2014. There’s no middlemen with Shea, she works directly with her team, sponsors and supporters. Her compassion towards others allows her to connect with people on all levels. Shea an advocate for boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy as it affects her family. Shea is desirable because of her work ethic and commitment to under promise and over deliver. She’s real, sophisticated, outspoken and fun. In 2015, she’ll be competing in the IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series in a 280+mph Jet Dragster and in one of the Touring Car divisions of the Pirelli World Challenge.
About Larsen Motorsports
Larsen Motorsports is a multi-team national professional racing organization specializing in turbine powered high performance vehicles. A key goal of the company is to help introduce motorsports career opportunities to talented young individuals within the motorsports industry. For more information about Larsen Motorsports schedules and their teams please go to LMSJets.com.
About Florida Institute of Technology
Founded at the dawn of the Space Race in 1958, Florida Tech is the only independent, technological university in the Southeast. The university is ranked in the top 200 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014-15, has been named a Barron’s Guide “Best Buy” in College Education, is designated a Tier One Best National University in U.S. News & World Report, is one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the 2015 Fiske Guide to Colleges and is recognized by Bloomberg Businessweek as the best college for return on investment in Florida. A recent survey by PayScale.com ranks Florida Tech as the top university in Florida for mid-career salary potential. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. Fields of study include science, engineering, aeronautics, business, humanities, mathematics, psychology, communication and education. Additional information is available online at www.fit.edu.
