Stone Bridge Graduate Ryan Ellis Has a Need For Speed

Just finding a time on racecar driver Ryan Ellis’ schedule for an interview posed an immense challenge for the busy 21-year-old. The Stone Bridge High School graduate juggles a hectic calendar that includes playing on the George Mason University ice hockey team, full-time classes, full time work and a complete professional racing career. Yet with all those demands, Ellis knows where his priorities lie – with racing.

“I want to make a career out of racing,” Ellis said. “I never thought about being anything other than a professional racecar driver.”

That dream started early in Ellis’ life; he began racing cars when he was just 4 years old. Coming from a racing family – his dad raced and both his grandfathers were in racing – Ellis was basically destined to sit behind the wheel.

“I definitely feel it is in my blood,” he said. “My dad helped me a lot when I was little and continues to help me today.”

Currently, Ellis races superlight coupes, a prototype car that he describes as “really, really fast.” He drives a Volkswagen Grand-AM GTI.

“We race the cars that you actually see on the streets,” he explained. “We race against Porsche, BMW and GM, all recognizable manufacturers.”

The series features numerous up and coming race drivers along with the occasional recognizable NASCAR driver.

While Ellis already has 17 years of driving and racing experience, this year marks his first in the Grand Am Continental Tire Series ST division, where he is currently in the running for rookie of the year. One of his most notable career achievements occurred this past January when he broke the track qualifying record and went on to win the Grand-Am 200 at the famed Daytona racetrack.

“At the beginning of the year, it was unbelievable to just be in the pits with these people that I had heard so much about,” he said. “To have immediate success like that was completely unexpected. It really hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Despite the success on the track, Ellis remains focused on maintaining longevity in the sport. He’s working toward a double major in marketing and government, with a minor in psychology.

“To be a good driver, I think that 50 percent is technical and 50 percent is marketing,” Ellis said, sharing his philosophy. “I want to help myself get sponsors.”

While racing may be known for its wrecks, Ellis wants to build a solid reputation based on reliability, because he knows that will make him more marketable to sponsors.

“I want to finish every race and come out with a good reputation,” he said. “I don’t want to be known as someone who wrecks a lot of cars.”

In addition to racing cars, Ellis is an accomplished ice and inline hockey player. A recent wrist injury sidelined him from the GMU roller hockey team when they were invited to the Division I National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championship.

“I was hoping to play, but with my wrist injury and racing, I knew that racing had to take priority over hockey,” he said.

For this season, Ellis aims to win the ST Championship, which, with his current standings, appears within reach. Looking toward the future, Ellis’ main goal is simply to race professionally.

“I would like to race NASCAR at one point, that is where the money is and where the best drivers in the world are racing,” he said.

Ellis’ next race is at the Barber Motorsports Park for the Honda Indy Grand Prix’s Grand-Am Continental Tire Series April 8-10. Follow Ryan Ellis on his website: www.ryanellismotorsports.com.