Racing Newcomer Edge Trying His Hand at Newly Formatted PCA Club Racing Trophy East Series - Speedway Digest

Richard Edge first got his need for speed, when he started washing his dad’s Ferrari 308 GTS in his driveway as a kid.

Edge’s father, began taking his Porsche 997 GTS to Porsche Club of America’s (PCA) High Performance Driver’s Education (HPDE) program more than six years ago. As a result, Edge got a taste of experiencing driving at track events.

In 2014, Edge got his first 991 GT3 and spent the next three years getting his car on track wherever and whenever he could, while gaining valuable lessons from instructors and friends alike along the way.

In 2018, Edge will have his first career start in the semi-professional PCA Club Racing Trophy East Series.

When Edge met fellow PCA Club Racing Trophy East Series competitor and 2017 Champion Curt Swearingin, he had completed more than 10,000 miles at tracks across the country. Swearingin was in the middle of putting together his team – Advanced Collision Inc. (ACI) Motorsports – and Edge was quickly learning the appeal of showing up at the track and driving.

“Like many PCA enthusiasts, I liked to trailer my GT3 and change my own pads, rotors, and tires; however, my proficiency was certainly limited when compared to having a team like ACI Motorsports for car setup and support,” Edge said. “Most importantly, Curt and his mechanical team led by John Memmer know race cars and provide first-class service.”


	Edge’s car at Daytona

Edge started tagging along with Swearingin to different races within the Trophy East series as a DE driver and gained valuable knowledge from ACI Motorsports and its primary coach – professional driver Cass Whitehead. He even got the opportunity to drive Swearingin’s GT4 Clubsport at VIRginia International Raceway in June.

“The GT4 felt as if it was glued to a train track around corners,” Edge said. “Without even pushing the car – after all it wasn’t my car – I remember running a 2:02 lap at VIR by the second lap; not as fast as the race pace for the Trophy East drivers, but a decent lap nonetheless.”

The rookie driver got a call in summer 2017 about buying a 991 Cup car for the newly formatted Trophy East Series in 2018. With ACI Motorsports’ help, Edge used the PCA Club Race event at Daytona International Speedway in October 2017 as his rookie platform races for the provisional competition license. Edge competed successfully in PCA’s GTC 6 class in his 911.1 entry.

Edge said his goal for the 2018 season is to have fun and finish the season with everyone safe – including the cars. He’s most looking forward to iconic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and experiencing Monticello Motor Club, a private country club track, about 90 minutes from New York City.

“As a newcomer, I am looking forward to honing my driving skills in a competitive yet respectful and safe environment,” Edge said. “I’m also looking forward to meeting new drivers who have a passion for cars and racing, and working with my friends at ACI and learning from our pro coaches – Cass Whitehead and Andrew Davis.”

The Roswell, Georgia native is married to his wife Laura and has two kids – Walker, 14, and Laurel, 12. He works as a financial adviser with JP Morgan, and is a member at the private Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP) track where he keeps several fun race cars.


The Edge family

“While some may use racing as a reprieve from the stresses at work, my passion for managing money is as deep as my love for cars – and I enjoy both equally,” Edge said. “Racing and driving close to the limit forces you to only think and concentrate on what’s around you – that ‘escape’ relaxes me.”

“My love for everything Porsche is genuine. My daily driver is a Panamera GTS. I also have a 991.2 GT3 and a 991 Targa 4 GTS that my wife has all but taken over – and I can’t blame her for that! Most exciting is that the Nurburgring record-breaking GT2-RS should be in the garage in the coming months thanks to my good friends at Porsche Atlanta Perimeter.”

For more information regarding series participation, please contact Series Coordinator West Dillard at [email protected].

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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.