Alan Metni

Last updated

Alan Metni
Born (1967-04-15) April 15, 1967 (age 57)
Austin, Texas, United States
IMSA SportsCar Championship career
Debut season2021
Current team Kelly-Moss with Riley
Racing licence FIA Bronze Driver.png FIA Bronze
Car number99
Former teamsNTE Sport
Starts10
Wins1
Podiums1
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Championship titles
2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America – Pro-Am
Last updated on: November 3, 2023.

Alan Metni (born April 15, 1967) is an American racing driver who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup North America. [1] He is a former skydiver and CEO of IFly Holdings. [2]

Contents

Motorsports

Early career

Metni's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in 2018. Somebody call (43552646361).jpg
Metni's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in 2018.

Metni began his professional racing career in 2017, taking part in the Gold class of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge for Kelly-Moss Road and Race. Prior to the start of the season, Metni had only participated in track days, and "came to [motorsports] really, really late." He was invited to a track day by a friend, which eventually led to him searching for a full-time drive with Kelly-Moss for 2017. [3] Through 16 races, he claimed a sole class podium finish en route to a sixth-place finish in the championship. At the end of the year, Metni also took part in the 24 Hours of COTA with Brookspeed International Motorsport, taking the SP3 class victory. [4]

He returned to the series in 2018, graduating to the Platinum class designated for current-spec Porsche Cup cars. [5] Metni competed in the Platinum Masters subclass, composed of drivers over the age of 45. With three class victories in the final four races, Metni claimed the Platinum Masters title following the final race of the season at Road Atlanta. [6] Metni also completed a one-off weekend in the Pirelli World Challenge at COTA, [7] claiming a podium finish in the second race of the weekend. Metni claimed his second consecutive Platinum Masters title in 2019, scoring eight class victories over the course of 16 races. [8] During the 2019 season, Metni stated that his goal was to be competing at the front end of the overall field by the end of the year. [3]

2020 saw Metni continue in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge for its final season, once again with Kelly-Moss. At VIR in August, he claimed his maiden overall victory in the series, claiming that his race win was "one for the old guys." [9] This victory was one of ten Platinum Masters victories that Metni collected in 2020 as he scored his third consecutive class title. [10] He once again added a single weekend in the Am class of the GT World Challenge America, driving for Park Place Motorsports. [11]

Porsche Carrera Cup North America

Metni's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at Watkins Glen in 2022. Metni 911 WGI22.jpg
Metni's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at Watkins Glen in 2022.

Metni remained with Kelly-Moss through the transition from IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge to Porsche Carrera Cup North America, lining up in the Pro-Am class for 2021. [12] Metni also engaged in a full-time effort in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, taking part in the Am class for Change Racing. Prior to the start of each of these campaigns, however, Metni made his debut in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, taking on a drive in the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with NTE Sport. [13] The entry finished 15th in GTD with Metni, Don Yount, Andrew Davis, and J. R. Hildebrand at the wheel following gearbox problems. Metni's Porsche Cup campaign began successfully, as he claimed the series' first Pro-Am class victory at Sebring. [14] He became engaged in a season-long battle for the Pro-Am championship with Efrin Castro, with Metni taking an early lead thanks to a sweep of the first two race weekends. However, Castro's sweep of the triple-header finale at Road Atlanta, combined with two poor finishes for Metni, meant that Castro scored the Pro-Am title for 2021. [15] Metni also saw early success in his Super Trofeo campaign, leading to a difficult double-header weekend between the two series in September. The Porsche Cup event at Indianapolis fell on the same weekend as the Super Trofeo round at Laguna Seca, and with Metni still in contention for both championships he elected to attempt both. He began the weekend in California before flying overnight to Indiana to take on the second and third Porsche Cup races, scoring last-place points in both championships for the races he missed. [16]

Metni consolidated his efforts in 2022, running only in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. Once again, himself and Castro were embroiled in the Pro-Am championship battle throughout the season, entering the final weekend separated by just 14 points. Despite Castro's seven victories far outnumbering Metni's three, Metni entered the Road Atlanta round with the championship lead. [17] Although Castro swept the weekend, a second and third-place finish for Metni in the last two races meant he claimed the championship by one point. [18]

IMSA SportsCar Championship

Metni's Porsche 911 GT3 R in 2023. KellyMoss 91 WGI23 05.jpg
Metni's Porsche 911 GT3 R in 2023.

In 2023, Metni graduated to a full-time drive in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, driving for the new Kelly-Moss with Riley operation alongside Kay van Berlo. [19] Metni additionally continued part-time in the Porsche Carrera Cup, pulling double duty on several weekends between both series in order to gain more track experience. [20] At Laguna Seca in May, Metni claimed his first IMSA SportsCar Championship victory. [21] However, the rest of the season saw Metni and van Berlo finish no higher than seventh in any given race, and a non-racing injury for Metni forced the team to miss the season-ending Petit Le Mans. [22]

Skydiving

Career

Metni's skydiving career began at the age of 21 after reading a newspaper advertisement for a local skydiving establishment, Skydive San Marcos. [23] Following his first flight, he developed a passion for the sport, joining the Texas Skydivers Club in association with the University of Texas at Austin, where he was studying at the time. [23] After successes in regional and national championships, Metni quit his job as a lawyer, electing to pursue a spot on the national skydiving team and moving to Arizona. [24]

IFly Indoor Skydiving

IFly location in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. IFly Indoor Skydiving (31888345242).jpg
IFly location in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

In 1999, Metni paid a visit to SkyVenture, an indoor skydiving facility located in Orlando, Florida. [24] Impressed with the facility, Metni proposed a business venture between himself and SkyVenture's owner Bill Kitchen, leading to the creation of IFly in 2002. [24] The company's wind tunnels featured a unique wall-to-wall or open-flow wind tunnel design, which pulled air upwards through the enclosed chamber. Such a design improved airflow, but drastically increased noise and removed the ability for interior climate control. [25]

As of 2023, the company has opened over 80 locations in more than nine countries. [26] Locations also engage in STEM events to teach the public about the science behind the company's wind tunnels. [27]

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2017 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge – Gold Kelly-Moss Road and Race1600011546th
24H Series – SP3-GT4 Brookspeed International Motorsport110010NC
2018 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge – Platinum AM Motorsports/Kelly-Moss1600003457th
Pirelli World Challenge SprintX – GTC AM Motorsports20111432nd
24H Series – 991 JDX Racing1100142NC
2019 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge – Platinum Kelly-Moss/AM Motorsports1600033885th
IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada – Platinum  ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
GT World Challenge America – Am Autometrics Motorsports201002611th
24H Series – 991 Kelly-Moss Road and Race100000NC
2020 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge – Platinum Kelly-Moss/AM Motorsports1610164334th
GT World Challenge America – Am Park Place Motorsports20202363rd
2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America – Pro-Am iFLY Racing/Kelly-Moss15878123162nd
Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America – Am Change Racing1200181203rd
IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD NTE Sport1000017673rd
24H Series – GT4 RENNtech Motorsports100000NC
2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America – Pro-Am Kelly-Moss Road and Race163 ? ?132891st
2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD Kelly-Moss with Riley 101001228913th
Porsche Carrera Cup North America Kelly-Moss Road and Race70000534th
Porsche Carrera Cup North America – Pro-Am 721141247th
2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America Kellymoss1600002118th
GT World Challenge America – Pro-Am Mercedes-AMG Austin with Esses Racing20000323rd
GT World Challenge America – Am 21112432nd

* Season still in progress.

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

YearTeamClassMakeEngine123456789101112RankPoints
2021 NTE SportGTD Audi R8 LMS Evo Audi 5.2 L V10 DAY
15		 SEB
MDO
DET
WGL
WGL
LIM
ELK
LGA
LBH
VIR
PET
73rd175
2023 Kelly-Moss with Riley GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 DAY
16		 SEB
7		 LBH
12		 LGA
1		 WGL
17		 MOS
9		 LIM
14		 ELK
9		 VIR
8		 IMS
11		 PET
13th2289

* Season still in progress.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 SportsCar Grand Prix</span>

The 2015 Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance was a professional sports car racing event held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park near Bowmanville, Ontario on July 12, 2015. The race was the seventh round of the 2015 United SportsCar Championship season and the event marked the 30th IMSA sanctioned sports car race held at the facility.

Mario Farnbacher is a German racecar driver. He won the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the GTD class in 2019 and 2020, and also won the GT World Challenge America Pro-Am title in 2022. He has class victories at the Petit Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance races.

The 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America was the first Porsche Carrera Cup North America season, sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) which in turn replaced both Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA & Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada. It began on March 19 at Sebring International Raceway and ended on November 12 at Road Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaxon Evans</span> New Zealand racing driver

Jaxon Evans is a racing driver from New Zealand who is set to compete in the Supercars Championship for Brad Jones Racing. He previously competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America is the second season of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. It is scheduled to begin on March 16 at Sebring International Raceway and end on October 1 at Road Atlanta.

Russell Ward is an American racing driver who currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for HTP Winward Motorsport. Ward also serves as Winward Racing's team principal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DXDT Racing</span> American racing team

DXDT Racing is a professional sports car team based in Statesville, North Carolina, founded by competitive off-shore sailor and businessman David Askew in 2014. With an early history in IMSA's Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America, the team now primarily races in SRO America's GT World Challenge America, continuing a long term run as a Mercedes AMG Customer Racing team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zacharie Robichon</span> Canadian motor racing driver

Zacharie Richard Robichon is a Canadian sportscar racer, who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Heart of Racing and in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Proton Competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Chevrolet Grand Prix</span> Sports car race in Ontario

The 2022 Chevrolet Grand Prix was a sports car race held at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada on July 3, 2022. It was the eighth round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the fifth round of the 2022 WeatherTech Sprint Cup. The 01 Cadillac Racing entry piloted by Sébastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande took the overall victory. The No. 54 CORE Autosport Ligier JS P320 driven by Jon Bennett and Colin Braun won in the LMP3 class. In the GTD Pro class, the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell claimed victory, while in GTD the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 driven by Roman De Angelis and Maxime Martin claimed victory.

The 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 53rd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association, which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. It was also the tenth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the eighth under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The 2023 season marked an overhaul season for the championship, with a change in class structure and a new race on the season calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The championship began with the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 28 and concluded with the Petit Le Mans on October 14 after 11 races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Priaulx</span> British racing driver

Sebastian "Seb" Priaulx is a British racing driver who competes for AO Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

The 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS was the seventeenth season of the United States Auto Club's GT World Challenge America, and the sixth under ownership of SRO Motorsports Group.

The 2023 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge was the inaugural season of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. The season began on January 20 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded on October 14 at Road Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevan McAleer</span> British racing driver

Stevan Gordon McAleer is a British racing driver who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, GT World Challenge Europe, and Michelin Pilot Challenge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 12 Hours of Sebring</span> 71st 12 Hours of Sebring race

The 2023 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 15 to 18 March 2023. It was the second round of both the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. Cadillac Racing entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event, albeit in the new-for-2023 GTP class rather than DPi.

The 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup North America, known as the 2023 Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America for sponsorship reasons, was the third season of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. It began on March 15 at Sebring International Raceway and ended on October 22 at Circuit of the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Motul Course de Monterey</span> Fourth round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship season

The 2023 Motul Course de Monterey was a sports car race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California on May 14, 2023. It was the fourth round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the second round of the 2023 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.

Riley Dickinson is an American racing driver who competes in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America.

Porsche Carrera Cup North America is a one-make racing series that takes place in North America featuring Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. The series is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association.

Wright Motorsports is an American sports car racing team that currently competes in the GTD class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship and in the Pro Cup class in the GT World Challenge America series. The team was founded in 2012 by John Wright.

References

  1. ↑ "Alan Metni | IMSA". IMSA . Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Alan Metni, iFLY Holdings LLC: Profile and Biography – Bloomberg". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Metni "Flying" on the Racetrack in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama". IMSA . June 21, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  4. ↑ Goodwin, Graham (November 15, 2017). "Herberth Porsche Takes Inaugural 24H COTA". Dailysportscar. Retrieved May 28, 2023. The Brookspeed International Motorsport Porsche Cayman GT4 MR (#41, David Pattison / Freddie Hunt / Alan Metni / Joseph Toussaint) took the win in the SP3 class...
  5. ↑ News Release (March 15, 2018). "Kelly-Moss Set for 30th Year of Racing; Seven GT3 Cup Entries". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ IMSA Wire Service (October 12, 2018). "Robichon Sweeps Road Atlanta Weekend; Estep Claims Title". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2023. [Metni's] win Thursday evening moved him into the Platinum Masters points lead, and his victory Friday morning cliched him the title.
  7. ↑ Alley (March 21, 2018). "104 PWC entries set for COTA". Racer . Racer Media & Marketing. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ IMSA Wire Service (October 11, 2019). "De Angelis Closes Out Season with Victory in Race 2". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2023. In the Platinum Masters class for drivers 45 years of age and older, Alan Metni secured his second consecutive championship with his eighth victory of the season...
  9. ↑ Staff Report (August 23, 2020). "Metni Gets 'One For The Old Guys' At VIR – SPEED SPORT". Speed Sport. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ IMSA Wire Service (November 13, 2020). "Kingsley Wraps Up Title With Win in Series Finale at Sebring". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2023. It capped Metni's third straight Masters championship with his 10th class win in 16 races.
  11. ↑ James, Richard S. (March 5, 2020). "GT World Challenge America season preview". Racer . Racer Media & Marketing. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ Dagys, John (March 5, 2021). "Kelly-Moss Confirms Seven-Car Effort; Five New-Gen Porsches". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  13. ↑ Allaway, Phil (January 15, 2021). "NTe Sport Announces Rolex 24 Effort With Audi". Frontstretch. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ Myrehn, Ryan (March 18, 2021). "Priaulx Wins Opening Race of Weekend". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2023. Alan Metni picked up the win in the 992 Pro-Am class with a last lap pass of Efrin Castro.
  15. ↑ Lloyd, Daniel (November 12, 2021). "Champion Priaulx Wins Season Finale Ahead of Van Berlo". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2023. The Pro-Am title battle between Alan Metni and Efrin Castro went down to the final race of the year, and concluded with Castro overcoming his deficit to Metni by winning for the third time this weekend.
  16. ↑ Dagys, John (September 7, 2021). "Metni Set for Unique Laguna, Indy Weekend Double". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  17. ↑ Sportscar365 Staff (September 27, 2022). "Championship Showdown Set for All Three Classes at Road Atlanta". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 29, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ Grace, Jonathan (September 30, 2022). "Heinrich Wins Race 2; Thompson Crowned Champion". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 29, 2023. In the final few minutes of the race, the Texan held off pressure from the No. 17 ACI Motorsports car of Curt Swearingin to secure the Pro-Am class championship by a single point.
  19. ↑ Goodwin, Graham (January 7, 2023). "Kellymoss With Riley Confirm #91 Porsche GTD Crew". Dailysportscar. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  20. ↑ Grace, Jonathan (April 16, 2023). "Metni on Double Duty: "It's All About Trying to Get Better"". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  21. ↑ James, Richard S. (May 14, 2023). "Kellymoss/Riley take first IMSA GTD victory at Laguna". Racer . Racer Media & Marketing. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  22. ↑ Dagys, John (October 2, 2023). "No. 91 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche Withdrawn from Petit". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Skyleague". National Skydiving League. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  24. 1 2 3 Winter, Caroline (April 26, 2017). "IFly and the Rise of Indoor Sky Diving". Bloomberg News . Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  25. ↑ "A Complete History of the Vertical Wind Tunnel". Indoor Skydiving Source. January 2, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  26. ↑ "The Heritage of IFly | IFly". IFly. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  27. ↑ Pressler, Alyssa (July 1, 2019). "iFLY helps the adventurous find their wings". Business North Carolina. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Porsche Carrera Cup North America
Pro-Am Champion
2022 		Succeeded by
Efrin Castro
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.