BY: EDDIE FUHRER

Brothers Zack and Noah Ping recently spent time preparing for their upcoming seasons on different sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Zack, 17, was at Sebring International Raceway in Florida, testing as part of the preparation for his first season in open-wheel single-seaters, where he will be driving in the second-ever season of USF Juniors.

“It’s completely different,” Zack said. “I started in Radical Cup but then went to sports cars. Going back to downforce and open-wheel racing, it’s kind of just getting back used to it.”

Noah, 20, is coming off a strong season in the US F4 Championship where he finished third in the standings and won four races. He will race in the USF 2000 series this upcoming season.

He had the opportunity to travel to Spain to test in an Arden Motorsport car for the GB3 Series. He spent a few days driving around the Circuito de Jerez and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the latter of which hosts the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix.

Noah attributed this opportunity to Velocity Racing Development, the team Noah and Zack currently race for.

“It was really exciting,” Noah said. “It’s a completely different game overseas but it was good fun.”

Next season, Noah’s move from US F4 to the Road to Indy will see him compete at tracks he did not get the chance to race on during the US F4 schedule in 2022.

“I think I’ll be able to achieve the championship,” Noah said. “That’s kind of everyone’s goal, but I think it’s a really good possibility.”

Noah pointed to how fast the Velocity Racing Development cars were in 2022. Velocity Racing Development picked up three wins in the USF 2000 series this past season when Alex Quinn won all three races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

“I think we have a really good shot if we can just be consistent, put our heads down, and just get better every week,” Noah said.

Zack also was confident in his ability to challenge for the championship in his first season with USF Juniors. Velocity Racing Development won eleven of 16 races in the inaugural running of the series in 2022.

One of the benefits of racing for Velocity Racing Development for the Ping brothers is the proximity to their house in Georgia. The team is only around an hour away from where they live, which Zack says helps with team bonding and building strong connections.

“It creates a nice foundation that we can feed off of,” Zack said. “I feel like it just brings more energy and more excitement.”

Noah continued to add that one of the strong suits he saw in Velocity Racing Development is their ability to focus on the fundamentals and create a nice balance between the seriousness of professional racing and having fun. He also noted the amount of trust the teams give drivers to adjust setups and provide input.

“My biggest thing is the culture of VRD, they breed fast drivers and good drivers as well. They’re a good group of people to be around.”

Noah Ping

While Noah carries the experience of competing at US F4 for a full season and competing in a few race weekends at USF Juniors, Zack’s jump from sports cars to open-wheel racing will be a major transition for 2023.

When asked what advice he would give his younger brother, Noah talked about keeping your head down, making smart decisions, and being sure you are racing clean.

“It’s a bit intense, the boys just of kind of go for it no matter what,” Noah said. “If they see a gap, they send it.”

Noah’s eighteen-race season in USF 2000 will begin at St. Petersburg on March 3rd, where the series will support that weekend’s Indycar race. Zack’s sixteen-race season in USF Juniors will start later that month on the 23rd at Sebring.