December 12th 2022 – Denver, CO.
Kenny Schmied and AOA Racing have announced their 2023 TC America entry and Schmied’s upcoming professional racing debut. After three years of successful amateur endurance sportscar racing, Schmied takes the next step in his career to campaign his first full season of professional competition in SRO North America’s prominent touring car series. The season will see Schmied and AOA Racing tackle fourteen 40-minute sprint races at seven of the nations most challenging race tracks, including Road America, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Sonoma Raceway. Schmied joins the series in the top TCX class piloting the #14 AOA Racing BMW M2 CSR Cup.
“I’m really excited to announce my plans for 2023” said Schmied. “John De Barros (team owner at AOA) and I started talking a few months back about putting together an entry for next year, and I’m just so glad that we were able to bring the season together. I’m confident that our combined drive, passion, and experience will result in a competitive season. I’m excited to be sprint racing again, I’m excited to be visiting some new tracks, and I really look forward to the challenge of coming up to speed with the team and in the series.”
Kenny began kart racing in 2018 driving KA100 in the Colorado Karting Tour. The following year Kenny drove double-duty in KA100 and LO206, securing his first KA100 victory and his first of back-to-back wins in the Colorado Karting Classic 4-hour endurance race.
Kenny attained his competition racing license in 2019 and joined W2W Racing in 2020 for several World Racing League events, winning two of seven races entered and helping the team secure their first WRL GTO national championship. A breakout year in 2021 saw Kenny score a historic overall victory at the first ever 24 Hours of Sebring, a win in the eastern and mid-west championships, and back-to-back WRL GTO national championships.
Returning with W2W Racing for a third year, Kenny has scored two podiums in 2022, and currently sits sixth in the WRL national championship standings going into the final round at Circuit of the Americas in early December. After three years with the team, Kenny is joining AOA Racing in 2023 to mount his professional racing debut in TC America.
“It’s kind of bittersweet to be racing with a different team in 2023 because W2W Racing has been a huge part of my life for the last several years” said Schmied. “I’ve spent more time with the crew and the team than I have with most of my family and friends. We’ve accomplished so much and so many of the best days of my life have happened in the last three years. But at the same time I’m very excited for the future. It’s a tremendous honor to join AOA Racing and the SRO paddock next year, and it’s a real opportunity to take my career to the next level.”
AOA Racing was established in 2017 by John De Barros. AOA has entered cars in multiple amateur and professional series over the years, including IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge, SRO’s TC America, World Racing League, SCCA, and NASA. AOA Racing has scored multiple top-10 finishes in IMSA competition along with an SRO TC America podium in 2021, and swept the WRL season podium by taking first, second, and third in the 2020 GP3 national championship. No strangers to competing at a high level, 2023 will mark AOA Racing’s first full season of professional competition.
Schmied and AOA Racing head to Road Atlanta in February for several days of pre-season testing before the first round of the 2023 TC America season kicks off in late March at Sonoma Raceway.
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Information about AOA Racing can be found on Facebook here or at the website here.
Information about TC America an be found on Facebook here or at the website here.
Information about SRO Motorsports Group can be found at the website here.