Operation Motorsport Wins Veterans Race of Remembrance

The six-hour CrowdStrike Veterans Race of Remembrance powered by AWS featured down-to-the-last lap racing and an unforgettable Remembrance Service at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday.

At the end, it was Operation Motorsport who took the checkers in the Freedom and Honor categories after early on-track incidents set the pole-sitters back, while Resilience Racing earned the title in the Remembrance class.

Newly crowned GT4 America Silver class champion Kevin Boehm drove the No. 22 Operation Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 across the line in first in the Freedom class with Bruno Colombo right behind him in second in the sister No. 11 Operation Motorsport BMW – both supported by Random Vandals Racing.

For Boehm, a long-time supporter of Operation Motorsport, the race was both a meaningful tribute to veterans and those who have given their lives for their countries and a fun race to participate in with team owner Paul Sparta, C.J. Moses and Colombo.

“The yellow flag restart where we changed drivers for the last stint put us right back next to each other (after Sparta had built up a lead), but it was just a fun job,” Boehm said.

“It was great to see everybody out on track. It was fun to race with everyone and everyone was so respectful. This was a great event. I’m so honored to be here for the inaugural CrowdStrike Race of Remembrance powered by AWS.”

After a poignant opening ceremonies that included grand marshal Grier Martin, an Operation Motorsport supporter and former North Carolina state representative; color guard, chaplain (Michael Washington), bugler (Brad Rimmer) and National Anthem singer (Cadet Chimdindu Nnamani) from Hargrave Military Academy; and Honorary Starter Tom Sullivan, motorsports marketing manager, Michelin North America, the field took the green paced by the pole-sitting No. 16 Skip Barber Racing School Aston Martin, eventual category winner Resilience Racing and No. 68 TWOth Autosports Mazda Miata MX-5.

It was a rough opening segment for the leaders in the Freedom and Remembrance classes.

Before the first hour was up, the No. 68 TWOth Autosport Mazda Miata MX-5 (Remembrance) had been towed back to pit lane with a ruptured fuel line after opening the race with a healthy three-second margin on the rest of the field.

Two hours in, after the poignant Remembrance Service honoring all those who have given their lives for their countries, the pole-sitter in the Freedom category, the No. 16 Skip Barber Racing School Aston Martin GT4, spun under the regulation full-course yellow before the restart and was sent back to pit lane for a diagnosis.

Once the race resumed, the No. 22 Operation Motorsport BMW paced the race’s quickest class with team Sparta in the seat. He held the lead through the three-hour mark. Operation Motorsport’s American team was victorious in the Honor Class as well, winning with the No. 022 Mazda Miata MX-5 supported by Powersports Garage.

The race has long been a goal for motorsport non-profit Operation Motorsport, which works with medically released-retired military veterans in the U.S. and Canada through its Operation eMotorsport (iRacing) League and Motorsport Immersion program, where veterans are paired with professional racing teams in SRO, IMSA, FEL, NASCAR Canada and more. Operation Motorsport’s four-car team competed with names of military heroes submitted by supporters on the hoods of their cars.

Teams who competed in the race are largely owned or operated, crewed and driven by veterans or those who support them. Tickets were free for Active Duty military and half-off for veterans courtesy of VIR.

Teams and drivers traveled in from across the U.S., Canada and the UK to participate – with one driver for Operation Motorsport, Ben Norfolk, crowdsourcing the funding for his trip.

The race was inspired by the Race of Remembrance, hosted by Mission Motorsport in Wales this same Veterans Day (U.S.)/Remembrance Day (global) weekend. The two races were simulcasted on YouTube for a portion of the day.

“I’ve been involved with Mission Motorsport since before I left the military, when I was medically discharged in 2017,” said Norfolk.

“I know how important motorsport can be in terms of what it can give somebody who is leaving, to give purpose and direction and as an engineer, this is really, really good for me to be around cars.

“I’ve always raced myself, with my own back, and this helped me to explore the bigger opportunities and the confidence that comes with that.”

Team BRIT, the world’s only competitive team of all-disabled racing drivers, came to the U.S. to compete with Resilience Racing, an all-volunteer veteran-led organization committed to advancing adaptive hand control technologies and using the benefits of ‘motorsports therapy’ for disabled veterans through competitive racing.

“It was gratifying to see each and every team, driver and crew supporting veterans and spending time to remember those who have given their lives for their countries,” said Operation Motorsport co-founder and board chair Diezel Lodder.

“This has been a dream of ours for such a long time because we see how impactful an event like this is in the lives of our veterans. We are grateful for everyone who gave their time and donated resources.”