Young Guns Learning Fast at the Podium Club in Arizona

One of the primary reasons the Podium Club was created was to make on-track practice more accessible to the next generation of racers. Seat and saddle time is the only way drivers and riders can improve their skills, increase their speeds, and pursue success in professional motorsports.

It’s now clear we’re succeeding, as more and more ‘young guns’ are racing, practicing, and testing at Arizona’s only motorplex featuring a professional road racing circuit designed to meet FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) and FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) safety specs at buildout. Plus a high-performance racing Academy.

Here’s a brief list of the rising young stars who are Podium Club members, visitors or guests: 

Gordon Branson is a 13-year-old motorcycle prodigy whose passion for two-wheel racing was inspired by his off-road riding father at age five. He began competing on dirt bikes with success and soon transitioned to road racing, recently winning the CVMA 350 Supersport championship at Chuckwalla Valley. Now riding for the JPR team with support from Speedcell, Evan Steel Performance, and MP13 racing, Gordon is preparing to move up to the Supersport category on a factory-supplied Yamaha R6 next season.

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Kaylee Countryman is a 16-year-old racer with her sights set on the pinnacle of open-wheel competition. Despite only starting in karts at 12, she began winning quickly and three years later, earned her SCCA competition license and started racing RUSH SR and Porsche GT3 sports cars. After one season in the USF Juniors series, Kaylee was selected to race in the international F1 Academy series, in conjunction with TGR Haas Formula 1. She is also competing in the USF2000 series for Jay Howard Driver Development.

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Parker Delong is a 17-year-old multi-time national and world karting champion who has successfully transitioned into professional sports car racing. Competing for his family’s Glendale-based PDL Racing team, Parker earned his first MX-5 Cup victory at the 2025 Road Atlanta season finale. He currently balances a schedule in the Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Trans Am TA2 Series, proving that a dedicated independent team can consistently challenge the sport’s larger organizations.

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Kyle Drysdale began racing karts in 2016, when he was 5 years old.  He has won several club karting championships and several national level races including two race entries to the Rotax World Grand Finals in 2021 and 2025.   This year is Kyle's rookie season in the SKUSA Pro Shifter Kart Class.  Kyle began racing 600 Micro Sprints in 2025, and recently began practicing at the Podium Club in the Miata MX-5 Cup Car with Parker Delong Racing, and plans to compete in the 2027 MX-5 Cup Series.

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Jensen Mechelke is a 14-year-old driver currently competing in the Mazda MX-5 Cup. His interest in racing began at age three through Xbox games before he started karting at age 9. Jensen’s rapid progression saw him racing Spec Miatas by 12, earning a NASA competition license at 13, and securing an IMSA professional license at just 14 years old. He aspires to one day compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and reach the highest levels of motorsports competition.

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Jack Speth is a 13-year-old rising talent from Tucson who has been chasing speed since starting in karting at age six. After moving through the ranks he started racing Spec Miatas at age 11, and winning a ProAutoSports Porsche GT4 championship at 12. Jack recently transitioned into the Ligier Junior Formula 4 series where he has already secured three victories and leads the championship standings. A dedicated student at Tanque Verde High School with a 4.0 GPA, he balances his academics with an intense training regimen of track sessions and simulator work, all with the ultimate goal of reaching Formula 1.

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Charlotte Traynor is a 19-year-old sports car racer who started her career at 13 in competitive karting across the SKUSA and Rotax circuits. Her switch to full-size cars led her to becoming a finalist in the Mazda Shootout, where she earned the $100,000 Mazda Women in Motorsport Scholarship for her 2026 MX-5 Cup season. Charlotte now races for Parker Delong Racing in the Whelen MX-5 Cup while also competing in endurance events with the all-female AEVictory Racing lineup in a Toyota Supra GT4.

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Kayla Yaakov is an 18-year-old motorcycle phenom who began on dirt bikes at age four and secured two MiniGP championships by age seven. After a successful entry into MotoAmerica’s Twins Cup in 2023, she moved into the Supersport class, where she made history in 2026 riding for Rahal Ducati Moto.  Kayla became the first woman to reach the podium at the Daytona 200 in March, and the first female rider to earn a pole position — which she's done twice more this season.