Dakota Dickerson Joins Afterburner Autosport

MINNEAPOLIS – Afterburner Autosport, a team that has secured race victories in each of the last three seasons, has announced that Dakota Dickerson will be driving for the team in this year’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Series powered by Mazda. Dickerson, 19, will compete in a Soul Red race car, a color reserved for Mazda driver development scholarship winners in 2016. He earned the scholarship by winning the 2015 Skip Barber Shootout. The USF2000 series is the first rung of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system. 

“We’re happy to have Dakota with us,” said team owner Tim Walsh. “I’m impressed with him and his thirst for knowledge and understanding the setups on the car. He’s equal to or faster than any other driver we’ve had. Every driver has a different style, and the keys are to get comfortable with the tires and the car and to understand how it all works. To get that experience is the key to going out and driving to win.” 

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NOVEMBER 23, 2015 - DICKERSON WINS THE SKIP BARBER - USF2000 MAZDA MOTORSPORTS SCHOLARSHIP AND $200,000 TO ENTER THE MAZDA ROAD TO INDY!

The year keeps getting better for Dakota Dickerson. Not only did the 18-year-old driver from San Diego earn a place on the Team USA Scholarship roster, he has now won the 2015 Skip Barber Race Series Championship Shootout and the MAZDASPEED scholarship to compete in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda that goes with it.
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OCTOBER 30, 2015 - DICKERSON FINISHES STRONG DISPITE A DAMAGED CAR AND ENDS HIS UK DEBUT WITH A 13TH IN THE WALTER HAYES TROPHY FINAL

Lady Luck was not on the side of Team USA Scholarship drivers Dakota Dickerson and Michai Stephens during today’s final stages of the 15th annual Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford extravaganza at Silverstone.  Stephens, 23, from Evanston, Ill., lined up fourth for this morning’s first Semi Final, although for the first time during the past two weeks his getaway was less than stellar on the damp inside of the circuit and he lost a couple of positions on the opening lap. He made up one place by the halfway point in the 12-lap race, only to be hit from behind at Copse Corner on Lap 10. The incident forced him off the track and resulted in a painful injury to his left wrist which required a visit to the Medical Center after crossing the line in eighth position. Following an examination by the circuit doctor, Stephens was deemed unable to take up his position on the grid for the Final.
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OCTOBER 30, 2015 - TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP DRIVERS IN SEARCH OF FOURTH WALTER HAYES TROPHY VICTORY

SILVERSTONE, England – The Walter Hayes Trophy, named after one of the founding fathers of Formula Ford which has provided a launching pad for the careers of countless drivers since its introduction in 1967, has been a staple on the British racing scene since 2001. This weekend’s 15th edition has attracted over 110 hopefuls to the 1.64-mile Silverstone National Circuit, including Team USA Scholarship winners Dakota Dickerson, 18, from San Diego, Calif., and Michai Stephens, 23, from Evanston, Ill. The pair of young Americans finished an impressive fifth and seventh in last weekend’s Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and are looking to emulate their counterparts Conor Daly, Connor De Phillippi and Tristan Nunez, who scooped top WHT honors in 2008, ’09 and ’12.
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OCTOBER 23, 2015 - TOP-FIVE FINISH FOR DICKERSON, STEPHENS SECURES 7TH IN THRILLING FORMULA FORD FESTIVAL FINAL

WEST KINGSDOWN, England – Team USA Scholarship drivers Dakota Dickerson, 18, from San Diego, Calif., and Michai Stephens, 23, from Evanston, Ill., were in the thick of the action during today’s 44th Formula Ford Festival, finishing third in their respective Semi Final races before claiming fifth (Dickerson) and seventh (Stephens) after a thrilling finale.
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