LMPC Podium for the 2016 Rolex24 at the Daytona International Speedway. [Photo by Eddie LePine]
Is there anything that Kenton Koch cannot do?
Kenton Koch, along with teammates Chris Miller, Mikhail Goikhberg and Stephen Simpson has just won the LMPC class at the 2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona in stellar fashion, in the JDC-Miller Motorsport Oreca FLM09, besting their closest competitor by 4 laps.
Not only was Kenton part of the winning driver team in the race, he set four different fastest laps in the LMPC class during his stints.
By the way, Kenton has never driven an LMPC car prior to the Rolex 24.
LMPC Podium for the 2016 Rolex24 at the Daytona International Speedway. [Photo by Eddie LePine]
Kenton was pretty overwhelmed after the race. “It’s pretty freaking awesome. I can’t believe I’m even here in victory lane. When I pulled in and saw the fans, it hit me, this is the big leagues. I don’t know any other words to describe it, it’s unbelievable. But I don’t do all this myself, this is a team effort. Everyone in the pits, my whole team. The JDC crew worked their butts off. We’ll definitely be back with this team in the future, it was great that they had that confidence in me as a driver. They know I don’t make that many mistakes, so they trusted me to get back in and take the car home.” That last bit was in reference to his off on cold tires that did some front end damage.
We wrote up the following recap of Kenton’s career prior to the Rolex, and now his latest triumph just adds to that incredible resume.
Kenton Koch’s path to success in motorsports harkens back to an era no longer with us. In a day when drivers of moderate talent are getting the best drives, the best cars and the best teams because they are bringing vast sums of money to get those opportunities, Kenton has taken a different path – he is racing on talent alone.
Kenton Koch does not have a wealthy family to underwrite his racing career. Every step of the way he has earned his way by being faster and better than everyone else.
How about this record? In 2012 he was the Skip Barber Mazdaspeed Challenge Champion, winning 17 out of 20 races, finishing 2nd twice and 3rd once to round out the season.
In 2013, moving up to the Pro class in the Mazdaspeed Challenge, he won 9 out of 11 races, setting 5 track records.
In 2014, running in the Mazda MX-5 Cup series, he was again series champion, winning 6 races, taking 9 pole positions and setting 3 track records.
In 2015, Kenton moved up to the Cooper Prototype Lites series, winning an astounding 11 of 14 races and the championship.
The bottom line? Kenton Koch has earned everything he has achieved in motorsports and without doubt will become a huge success in the future.
We have known a lot of drivers over the course of our careers and cannot think of anyone who has dominated the way Kenton has on his way to the top.
In the past it did so with the likes of Jim Clark, Mario Andretti and Ayrton Senna – also drivers of incredible talent who started at the bottom with nothing but raw talent and climbed their way to the top – by being faster and better than everyone else, just like Kenton.
Victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona is a big step up for Kenton Koch. Still, the question lingers: Who is going to give this guy a full time ride?
He has proven once again that he deserves it.
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