The cybersecurity giant's CEO lines up on the Sebring grid — a textbook gentleman driver program with professional support from APR.
George Kurtz is the CEO and co-founder of CrowdStrike, one of the world's leading cybersecurity companies. Outside the boardroom, he is an accomplished racing driver with years of sportscar competition experience. Kurtz driving at Sebring is an example of what makes endurance racing unique — a successful executive living out a motorsport passion alongside full-time professionals.
One ORECA LMP2 07-Gibson competing for LMP2 class honors
CrowdStrike Racing by APR combines one of Silicon Valley's most prominent technology companies with a professional motorsport operation. APR (originally known for performance parts and tuning) has evolved into a professional motorsport team running IMSA entries. The CrowdStrike title sponsorship and driver participation has elevated their profile significantly.
The structure is common in endurance racing: a wealthy sponsor (or in this case, the CEO as driver-sponsor) funds the entry, while professional co-drivers provide the raw pace needed to compete. The gentleman driver typically handles one or two stints during the race, while the professionals handle the high-pressure phases — qualifying simulation, the start, safety car restarts, and the final push.
Toby Sowery is a professional British prototype driver with Le Mans experience, giving the team a reliable fast-driver anchor who can manage the gap between George Kurtz's participation and the class frontrunners.
Endurance racing has always welcomed driver-businesspeople, or "gentleman drivers" — passionate racing enthusiasts who are not professional racers by career, but who have the means and talent to compete at world-class events. This tradition is as old as Le Mans itself, where wealthy enthusiasts shared drives with factory professionals from the very beginning.
Modern endurance racing formalized this through the driver rating system. The FIA and IMSA rate drivers Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum based on career achievements. Classes like LMP2 and GTD require at least one Bronze or Silver-rated driver per car — creating a structured pathway for gentleman drivers to participate at events like Sebring alongside full professionals.
George Kurtz's racing journey is a genuine one — he has raced in various series over many years, building skills and experience. Competing at Sebring in a prototype represents the pinnacle of what an amateur driver can achieve within the sport's normal structures.
CrowdStrike is a publicly traded cybersecurity company best known for its Falcon platform, which protects major corporations, government agencies, and critical infrastructure from cyber threats. The company's racing program serves both as a passion project for its CEO and as an unconventional but effective marketing vehicle — endurance racing's international audience and broadcast footprint deliver genuine brand impressions.
The FIA driver rating system ranks drivers from Bronze (least experienced) to Platinum (F1-level). Bronze: talented amateur. Silver: semi-professional. Gold: full professional. Platinum: current or recent top-series professional. In IMSA LMP2, a car's driver lineup must include at least one Bronze or Silver driver — ensuring gentleman drivers have a genuine place in the class, not just as sponsors but as part of the sporting structure.
Toby Sowery is a British prototype specialist who has competed in the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours, one of the world's most demanding endurance races. His experience with LMP2 machinery under extreme conditions — night driving, variable weather, heavy traffic — makes him a reliable anchor for the CrowdStrike entry at Sebring.