Patel, W. Ducote Earn 2015 Yokohama Hard Charger Award - Speedway Digest

Kelly-Moss Motorsports teammates Jay Patel and Wayne Ducote each earned the Yokohama Hard Charger Award for their deft overtaking skill during the 2015 Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup USA by Yokohama season.

The Yokohama Hard Charger Award is presented to the Platinum Cup and Gold Cup drivers who advanced the most positions through the field, cumulatively, throughout the 16-round season in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned Single-Make Series.

Patel, from Crown Point, Indiana, earned the award in the Platinum Cup class in the No. 00 Kelly-Moss Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Ducote, from New Orleans, won the award in Gold Cup in the No. 70 Kelly-Moss Motorsports Porsche.

Jay Patel

Wayne Ducote

“Jay and Wayne both enjoyed very strong seasons in 2015, and we’re pleased to celebrate their skilled racecraft and accomplishments through the Yokohama Hard Charger Award,” said Duane Sampson, motorsport manager at Yokohama Tire Corporation. “Drivers such as Jay and Wayne are a great example of what can be achieved through excellent driving on Yokohama tires.”

Patel and Ducote each produced outstanding seasons. Patel finished a career-best second place in the Platinum Masters standings, with a career-high nine podium finishes in 16 starts. The ageless Ducote recorded two Gold Cup and Gold Masters podium finishes during a season in which he turned 70.

Yokohama has served as the marketing and technical partner for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama since 2009. Yokohama Tire Corporation and IMSA recently reached a multi-year agreement to extend their partnership, with Yokohama continuing as the official tire provider and series sponsor for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.

A Yokohama Hard Charger Award also is presented in each round of the championship to the driver who advances the most positions in the race, with a Platinum Cup driver earning the award in the first race of the event and a Gold Cup driver in the second race. Each winner receives a set of Yokohama ADVAN ENV-R2 tires to use on their Porsche race car.

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.