Fourteen Drivers Awarded Support from PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship
Written by I Dig Sports
CHARLOTTE, N.C. With this years racing season set to kick off later this week at Sebring (Fla.) Intl Raceway, Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) has named 14 drivers to its 2025 class for the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship.
Fulfilling the companys purpose of enabling racing dreams, the scholarship will provide assistance to drivers competing in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship (F-4 U.S.), Ligier JS F-4 Series (JS F-4) and Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA).
Were excited to help another group of drivers with the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship this season, said Tony Parella, Founder of PMH. With the addition of this years class, weve helped upwards of 30 drivers advance their motorsports careers. Weve watched several of those drivers not only use the scholarship support to win championships, but also go on to move up the ladder.
I say this every year, but I cant wait to see what this years class goes on to achieve in their racing careers.
In its fifth year, the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship looks to create a more diverse field while empowering drivers from a variety of backgrounds to participate in PMH-owned race series. In addition to providing recipients with benefits such as free entry fees or test days, the program aligns recipients with a team of executives and mentors to assist them in their career development with educational opportunities and training, as well as increasing their exposure through media and fan engagement events.
Included in this years class, five Trans Am Series drivers will benefit from the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship, assisting them as they continue their careers in North Americas longest-running professional road racing series. After winning last years SGT championship, Kaylee Bryson will move up to the faster, more competitive XGT Class with Sam Pierce Racing. Two-time TA Champion Amy Ruman will mentor several of the younger drivers, as she once again returns to the Trans Am Series TA class with her family-owned Ruman Racing team.
In Trans Ams CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, Silver Hare Racings Rafa Matos will serve as an additional mentor for the younger members of the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship class after winning last years TA2 championship. Nitro Motorsports teammates Julian DaCosta and Tyler Gonzalez will both utilize support from the scholarship to fight for more podiums and search for their first wins in the TA2 Series.
After becoming the second woman to podium in FR Americas history, Canadian Nicole Havrda returns to the grid in search of her first-career win. With four third-place finishes and a sixth-place finish in the championship point standings, Havrda will once again join Kiwi Motorsport to make a run at the title.
In F-4 U.S., Alex Popow will take advantage of the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship in his bid for the championship. The Venezuelan American made his F-4 U.S. debut with MLT Motorsports during the 2024 season finale at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), winning two of the weekends three races. Moving up to F-4 U.S. after making his JS F-4 debut at COTA, Connor Grant will use support from the scholarship to contest for the title with his Scuderia Buell team.
In JS F-4, five drivers will benefit from the scholarship, including Ava Hanssen, who joins the JS F-4 grid after competing in Formula Race Promotions last season. After earning his first-career podiums last season, Harbir Dass returns to JS F-4 for Berg Racing to compete for the championship. Zach Fourie will also return to the series after making his debut at COTA. The South African-born driver joins JENSEN for his first full-time season. Scuderia Buells Augusto Paschetta and Champagne Racings Gaston Irazu will both benefit from the PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship as they embark on their rookie campaigns.
Rounding out the list of scholarship recipients is Amandeep Pothani. Immigrating to the United States from India with his parents, the Arrive Drive Motorsports racer will compete in SVRAs Group 9 this season.