Athletes

Pipo Derani

DOB: 08/12/93

Birthplace: São Paulo, Brazil

Accomplishments: Pipo Derani was born in São Paulo, Brazil and has been passionate about motorsports since childhood and has been racing professionally since age 10. Derani has dedicated his life to motorsports, winning various championships in Brazil before starting an extremely successful international career. Derani moved to Europe at age 15 and raced in the highest level of open-wheel racing. He won races in the extremely competitive British Formula 3 and finished third in the Macau Grand Prix, known as the World Cup of Formula 3 racing. At age 20 Derani made his rookie debut in sportscar racing and made history in 2016 when he won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, becoming the first ever Brazilian driver to win both races in the same year. Derani went on to win the 12 Hours of Sebring twice more in 2018 and 2019 making him the youngest ever three-time winner. Derani is currently racing for the Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac team in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. Social Media: Facebook: @pipoderani Instagram: @pipoderani Twitter: @PipoDerani

Alexander Sims

DOB: 03/15/88

Birthplace: London, UK

Accomplishments: Sims Competed in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series’ GTLM class in 2017-18 with five race wins; Petit Le Mans winner in 2017 (GTLM); Sahlen’s Six Hours at The Glen winner in 2017 (GTLM); Nürburgring 24 winner in 2020; 24 Hours of Spa winner (2016); race winner in FIA Formula E World Championship; past competitor in FIA World Endurance Championship with Chevrolet Corvette Racing. Social Media: Twitter: @AlexanderSims

Jack Aitken

DOB: 09/23/95

Birthplace: London, UK

Accomplishments: Competed in the European Le Mans Series in 2022 for TF Sport in the LMP2 class. He also competed in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and ADAC GT Masters with Emil Frey Racing. He made his Le Mans 24 Hour debut in LMP2 with Algarve Pro Racing. Aitken, the 2015 Formula Renault Eurocup champion, has been a Williams F1 reserve driver since 2020. Has also competed in GP3 and FIA Formula 2. His father is Scottish and mother is South Korean. Social Media: Twitter: @jaitkenracer

Sheldon Creed

DOB: 09/30/97

Birthplace: Alpine, CA

Accomplishments: Sheldon Creed is the driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. While 2022 marks Creed’s first fulltime season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and first season with RCR, he has an accomplished racing background that includes a NASCAR Truck Series Championship (2020), an ARCA Menards Series Championship (2018) and two Stadium SUPER Truck Series Championships (2016, 2015). Social Media: Twitter: @sheldoncreed

Mike Goulian

Accomplishments: Mike Goulian doesn’t just fly an air show; he attacks it. Every roll, pull, and tumble of his flight is a deliberate execution of precision and millions of spectators around the world have witnessed the ferocity of his air shows. Goulian reached the pinnacle of the sport at age 27 when he won the United States Unlimited Aerobatic Championship and since then he’s represented the U.S. at the World Aerobatic Championship on three separate occasions. He returned to the competitive world with his participation in the famed Red Bull Air Race Series in 2006. He was chosen once again to represent the United States on a global stage. Mike’s relentless pursuit of perfection earned him a first-place win in Budapest, Hungary in 2009. He was recognized for his efforts when the air show industry awarded him its three most prestigious awards: the Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award (2006), the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship (2009), and the ICAS Sword of Excellence (2012). He is one of only seven people to have been awarded all three of these prestigious awards. Today, Goulian’s performance is the perfect marriage between man and machine. And despite his successes he remains humble, and accessible to organizers and fans alike. This rare combination has made him an unforgettable air show favorite. Social Media Facebook: @GoulianAerosports Instagram: @mike_goulian Twitter: @mikegoulian

Shana Texter-Bauman

Accomplishments: Shayna Texter-Bauman is a history maker, inspirational figure, role model, and quite possibly, the most popular rider in all of dirt track racing. In 2011, Texter-Bauman became the first female to win a Progressive American Flat Track Main Event with her GNC2 triumph at Knoxville Raceway. As monumental as that was, it was only a small preview of the greatness to come from Texter-Bauman. She ranks as the most decorated rider in Parts Unlimited AFT Singles history with her career class tally of 19 wins. Texter-Bauman boasts a unique blend of tactical acumen, go-for-broke bravery, iron will, and diminutive size that makes her practically unstoppable in mile and half-mile competitions. She continues to rewrite record books with each successive victory like she did in the 2019 Texas Half-Mile where she and her brother, Cory, became the first siblings to earn AFT Main Event victories on the same day. In 2022 Texter-Bauman joined her husband, Briar Bauman, in the premier Mission SuperTwins class on a Factory Indian FTR750 motorcycle. Social Media Facebook: @shaynatexter52 Instagram: @shaynatexter Twitter: @shaynatexter

Briar Bauman

Accomplishments: Following a long climb up the dirt track pecking order, two-time Grand National Champion Briar Bauman is now recognized as a modern era titan in dirt track racing. The Salinas, California native worked his way into the premier Mission SuperTwins class in 2012 where, at age 17, he promptly won the Rookie of the Year award. He built on that early success for the better part of a decade, scoring four career victories heading into the 2019 campaign. In 2019 he more than doubled his career wins tally and notched up 15 podiums en route to a GNC triumph and was even more impressive during his 2020 title defense. He set a new personal best for race wins in a season at six, while securing 13 podiums in 15 races en route to his second successive title victory. Bauman came agonizingly close to winning a third crown in 2021 and 2022, adding another six wins and 22 podiums to his resume in a pair of heated rematches with reigning champion Jared Mees. Cheerful, earnest, and optimistic, Bauman is among the most popular riders in the paddock among fans and competitors alike. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and a broad smile on his face, yet he has the grit and determination to face the most difficult challenges. Social Media Facebook: @briar.bauman14 Instagram: @briarbauman Twitter: @briarbauman

Andy Jankowiak

DOB: 03/10/88

Birthplace: Tonawanda, NY

Accomplishments: Andy Jankowiak credits the start of his racing career with go-kart driving, but by age 15 he had moved on to four-cylinder enduro racing. It was his successful transition into the Street Stock division that eventually grabbed the attention of local Sunoco Modified team owner Jim Sulzbach who gave Jankowiak the opportunity to drive in Western New York’s top weekly racing division. This partnership yielded several wins and two championships. Jankowiak eventually purchased the racing team, and in 2017 he expanded into racecar building. Jankowiak and his team have gone on to win many prestigious events including the Gamblers Classic and the Race of Champions in cars they fabricated and built themselves.    Jankowiak has already earned over 100 career feature wins and multiple championships during his short time in racing. In 2021 he achieved his dream of competing in NASCAR by purchasing an ARCA car from Ken Schrader. After an impressive debut in Daytona, he went on to score four more top-ten runs. He added 11 more Modified wins in 2021, including the Race of Champions 250 at Lake Erie Speedway in September in a home-built chassis. In 2023 Jankowiak began his third season racing in the ARCA Menards Series and his first driving for KLAS Motorsports, while still competing on local short trackers with his Modified and Midget cars.

Jason White

DOB: 06/06/99

Birthplace: New Britain, CT

Accomplishments: Jason White’s racing career started when he was only 13 and within a few short years, he was bringing home titles and championships. In 2016 he won the Open C Championship at the Winchester Speedpark Fall Series race and from there he went on to place 3rd in the Open C at the 2018 New England Regional Championship. He’s achieved many wins and podiums throughout New England, including Marshfield Fair Supercross and AMA Albany Arenacross. White is currently competing in B classes at NEMX Spring and Fall Series, select AMA Amateur Arenacross, J-Day Off-road, and Canadian Motocross 250 Pro-Am events. In 2023 he’s competing for Whelen in an Alta Redshift MX, KTM 350SXF, & KTM 250SXF #884 and he’s had several notable wins already including the AMA Amateur Arenacross National Champion, AMA Amateur Arenacross East Coast Champion, and the AMA Amateur Arenacross 450B East Coast Champion.