Hunter McElrea
| Hunter McElrea | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  New Zealand |
| Born | November 21, 1999 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Championship titles | |
| 2018 | Australian Formula Ford Champion |
Hunter McElrea (born 21 November 1999 in Los Angeles, California, United States) is a New Zealand racing driver with residence in Gold Coast, Australia.[1][2]
Career[]
Karting[]
McElrea began his career in karting at the age of seven.[3]
Formula Ford[]
In 2015, McElrea stepped up to single-seaters, competing in Formula Ford championships in both Australia and New Zealand, sometimes with the family outfit McElrea Racing.[3][4] In 2018, McElrea contested a second full season of Australian Formula Ford with Sonic Motor Racing Services, accumulating thirteen wins and becoming the first non-Australian driver to win the title since 1985.[5]
Road to Indy[]
USF2000 Championship[]
In December 2018, McElrea won the $200,000 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park to compete in the 2019 U.S. F2000 National Championship.[6] Joining with , McElrea claimed four victories, including back-to-back wins at Portland and ultimately finished as championship runner-up after missing out on the title five points to Braden Eves.[7][8][9]
Indy Pro 2000[]
In October 2019, McElrea reunited with Pabst to partake in the Chris Griffis Memorial Test, setting the fastest time in the Indy Pro 2000 category.[10] In March the following year, Pabst officially confirmed McElrea as one of its entrants into the 2020 championship.[11] His rookie season in Indy Pro 2000 netted him 5th position in championship, with six podiums and a win at the final race of the year at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. McElrea again signed for Pabst Racing, for the 2021 season. McElrea won races at Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and New Jersey Motorsports Park on his way to 3rd in the championship. He also claimed seven podiums and a season leading five pole positions.
Personal life[]
McElrea is the third generation in his motor racing family including grandfather Rod McElrea and father 1991 Formula Ford champion Andy McElrea.[4]
Racing record[]
Career summary[]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Queensland Formula Ford | McElrea Racing | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 83 | NC |
| 2016 | Australian Formula Ford Series | Torelli Motorsport | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 | NC |
| Queensland Formula Ford 1600 Series | McElrea Racing | 8 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 117 | NC | |
| 2017 | Australian Formula Ford Series | Sonic Motor Racing Services | 17 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 189 | 4th |
| 2018 | Australian Formula Ford Series | 21 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 321 | 1st | |
| 2019 | U.S. F2000 National Championship | Pabst Racing | 15 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 356 | 2nd |
| 2020 | Indy Pro 2000 Championship | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 320 | 5th | |
| 2021 | Indy Pro 2000 Championship | 18 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 378 | 3rd |
*Season still in progress.
Motorsports career results[]
American open–wheel racing results[]
U.S. F2000 National Championship[]
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | STP 3 |
STP 2 |
IMS 2 |
IMS 3 |
LOR 11 |
ROA 1 |
ROA 3 |
TOR 3 |
TOR 14 |
MDO 2 |
MDO 1 |
POR 1 |
POR 1 |
LAG 2 |
LAG 7 |
2nd | 356 |
Indy Pro 2000 Championship[]
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ROA 15 |
ROA 15 |
MOH 8 |
MOH 6 |
MOH 2 |
LOR 2 |
GMP 11 |
IMS 2 |
IMS 6 |
IMS 2 |
MDO 3 |
MDO 9 |
NJM 6 |
NJM 4 |
NJM 5 |
STP 4 |
STP 1 |
5th | 320 | ||
| 2021 | ALA 6 |
ALA 1 |
STP 3 |
STP 4 |
IMS 10 |
IMS 8 |
IMS 7 |
LOR 5 |
ROA 7 |
ROA 6 |
MOH 4 |
MOH 1 |
GMP 3 |
NJM 2 |
NJM 2 |
NJM 1 |
MOH 7 |
MOH 6 |
3rd | 378 |
*Season still in progress.
References[]
- ^ "Hunter McElrea The Mazda Road To Indy Scholarship Shootout winner Joins the show!". 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ "Hunter McElrea". 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ a b "CATCHING UP WITH HUNTER MCELREA". January 17, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Lindsay, Brayden (October 13, 2017). "Three generations team up in three-hour endurance motorsport race". Stuff. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "HUNTER MCELREA WINS WILD AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD TITLE". October 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "Australian FFord champion Hunter McElrea wins MRTI Shootout". 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ "MCELREA TO PABST RACING FOR 2019 COOPER TIRES USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP EFFORT". February 12, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "Hunter McElrea leads USF2000 after sweeping Portland". September 2, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "Braden Eves Wears USF2000 Crown". Speed Sport. September 22, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "VEEKAY, MCELREA, RASMUSSEN FASTEST AS IMS TEST ENDS". NTT IndyCar Series. October 19, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "MCELREA MOVES UP THE ROAD TO INDY LADDER WITH PABST RACING". March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
External links[]
- Official website
- Hunter McElrea career summary at DriverDB.com
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- 1999 births
- Living people
- Racing drivers from California
- New Zealand racing drivers
- Formula Ford drivers
- U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers
- American auto racing biography stubs