Jonathan ‘Jonny’ Cocker is a huge car and music fan. His 24th birthday (today) provides us with a timely opportunity to take a brief look at the British driver’s career to date following his win at Road America on Sunday…

Jonny Cocker

Jonny wasn’t even old enough to vote when he won two Porsche Open races at Donington Park in 2003. The following year saw him become the youngest British GT Champion at the tender age of 18 before claiming the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title in 2005.

The 2005 season also provided him with his first taste of endurance racing, in a Porsche at Spa, Silverstone and Monza, and he went on to earn a drive in the Drayson-Barwell Aston Martin DBR9 in 2008. The youngster was clearly gifted and Paul Drayson called on his services to drive a 600hp LMP1 Lola-Judd at the end of 2009, and Jonny paid the boss back by claiming pole position at Okayama (Asian Le Mans Series).

Last weekend, after qualifying on pole for the second time in two weeks, Jonny Cocker notched up a thrilling win in the ALMS at Road America! In the space of three laps, he succeeded in passing two former Le Mans winners (Guy Smith and David Brabham), before catching the provisional leader Klaus Graf who enjoyed a five-second lead going into the final lap. Despite the traffic, Jonny Cocker managed to find a way past the Porsche through the last corner to steal the win!

“It was incredibly exciting in the car. When I spotted Klaus on the last lap, I didn’t think I would be able to catch him. But he was unfortunate with the traffic and I was flying. Incredibly, I succeeded in passing him at Turn 13!”

Drayson, Jonny Cocker