My ultimate goal is to win the World Endurance Championship at Le Mans while working with my partners to reach our goals.
My name is Danny Soufi and I am a Spec Miata racer from Austin, TX. I started racing a Mazda Miata in 2014 at Harris Hill Raceway (H2R) in San Marcos, Texas when I was 10 years old. Since then, I have won the following:
I have also completed several endurance races in the ChumpCar World Series, setting the fastest laps for my teams at both The Circuit of the Americas and Harris Hill Raceway.
My ultimate goal has always been to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the time I am 20. I know this is a very challenging goal, however, with my record of successful planning, execution, and winning, it's an attainable goal when working with supportive partners sharing a common vision.
At 14, I quickly learned that a career in racing isn't just about being fast and winning races. Racing includes a funding and business development component that is just as important as the driver development. To keep moving closer towards my goal, I must dedicate my time, energy, and resources to working on two fronts: Race Craft and Funding.
My success in the very competitive NASA Texas Spec Miata series does not mean I am ready for Le Mans. There is always room for improvement and new skills and tracks to master. Therefore, I will use every opportunity to continue the development and mastery of my racing skills. This includes data analysis, race car setup, and new tracks.
Every racer knows that progressing in racing is exponentially expensive and one will eventually run out of money regardless of available budget if funding is not addressed timely and seriously. To ensure that I continue moving toward my goal, I am also mastering the art and science of fundraising and the business side of racing. At 14 years old, I am doing my best, but I believe I'd have more opportunities if I work with successful partners that share my vision.
If you are looking for racing talent and determination to win, I am looking for successful partners who want to grow businesses and win races. Let's discuss how we could work together to reach our goals.
It all started when I was 3 years old and 3 feet tall. I spent hundreds of hours at Harris Hill Raceway riding with my father who is an instructor, a track junkie, and a Miata racer. As I grew taller, I started driving from his lap while he controlled the pedals. One Sunday afternoon, I got into the driver seat of a Mazda 2 and within my first lap, racing became my life.
Since I was too short for my dad's Miata, we rented a Fiat every weekend until I grew taller. Then, with the help of few pillows, I was finally able to reach the pedals and drive the Miata with my dad in the right seat.
Dad spent most of his weekends in 2012 teaching me everything I needed to know to be safe on the track, focusing mainly on safety, track awareness, and car control skills. We spent two years practicing, from Gymkhana and Time Trials to Drifting and Rally Crosses, until I was ready for my first Miata race.
Many people ask me how I won a competitive racing series at the age of 12. My answer is always: Relentless dedication to the sport and a lot of support from my family, friends, and partners.
Our family friend modified the seat of our H2R Challenge Miata to ensure it was safe for a 10-year old driver to race. My goal was to start every race as the last car and work my way to the front for the win with safe and clean passes. Within a year and a half, I achieved my goal with many wins and podiums leading to a win in the 2016 H2R Miata Challenge Championship at the age of 13.
With my first club racing championship, I felt the desire to "up" my competition. NASA's Spec Miata Series was just what I was looking for. My dad and I, with the help of our Spec Miata friends, built my 1.6-liter Spec Miata.
NASA Texas and its community were very welcoming. I started with HPDE 3 at MSR Houston. I completed the NASA Comp School at TWS on Friday to get my provisional license and raced the following day. By my third race weekend, I received my competition license.
My goal was to win both the Teen Mazda Challenge and the NASA Spec Miata Series championships for a chance to be invited to the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. I won my first race weekend at Motor Sports Ranch Cresson; the first of many more wins and podiums leading to a win in the Teen Mazda Challenge Championship and the 2017 NASA Texas Region Spec Miata Series.
2017 was the best year of my life. In addition to winning two Spec Miata championships in my rookie year, I have had the privilege of meeting and racing with the fastest and most talented Spec Miata drivers in the country.
Stay tuned!
21", 8lb, and 234db
Believe it or not, "O-Dee" was my first word because I loved Dad's Audi. I used to hold its key all day until it was sold.
My first ride was a beautiful "hand-me-down" pedal kart. Thank you cousin.
I spent hours riding with Dad at Harris Hill Raceway. Leaving the track was always (and still is) painful.
I started karting at Hill Country Kart Club in New Braunfels, TX but not for long because... see below.
On a Sunday afternoon, Bo Rivers, owner of H2R Raceway, asked me to try a Mazda 2 to find out how short a person could be to drive it. One lap later, I was hooked and the rest is now history.
Every weekend for two years, first with Dad then solo.
Because it rarely rains on weekends, I had to skip school on rainy days to practice wet driving.
The utmost in class and sportsmanship... Just checkout the video on my MEDIA page.
For anyone, driving a Corvette Z06 is an exhilarating experience. Now try to imagine how it felt for a 9yr old boy to do 105 mph at a racetrack... True, it was for 2 seconds but I will never forget them.
I traded my kart for an MR2 to go rally crossing at Brianne Corn Raceway. That was a critical step for mastering race craft.
After 10,000+ laps at H2R, I was ready for my first Miata race. My goal to start racing at the age of 10 was successfully achieved!
Finally achieving my goal after a tough battle and many lead changes with the 2-time champion Jay Monkman.
Third goal achieved when I won the H2R Challenge Miata Championship.
My first Spec Miata win was at MSR Cresson on my first race weekend right after receiving my NASA competition license.
I won the 2017 Spec Miata Texas Region Championship as well as the Teen Mazda Challenge Championship.
Following my championship win, I competed in the SCCA Super Tour to learn new tracks and compete on a national level.
I had the opportunity to compete in SRO's TC America series driving a Honda (HPD) Civic Si.
In 2020, I made my drifting debut in the Lone Star Drift Texas Street Legal (TXSL) Series. I finished 4th out of 40 drivers in my first tandem competition at my first drift event ever.
I was invited to participate in Drift Week, the largest drifting media event in the U.S. With Harrison Johnson as my co-driver, we street drove our race car from Arizona to Florida, hitting 6 different race tracks along the way. I want to give a massive thank you to all of our partners who made this trip possible for us.
At Round 1 of the 2021 season, I secured my first drifting win in the Lone Star Drift TXSL series.
After 7 extremely competative rounds, I missed out on the championship to my good friend and competitor Jake Wise. The 2021 season was filled with many great memories and a ton of aggresive driving, can't wait to do it again!
During the off-season, I took a trip to England to go train at iZone Driver Performance. Since then, I decided to take a step away from Drifting and focus on what's going to help me achieve my ultimate goal: Le Mans. I'm putting together a program to raise funding for the 2023 season, and get back to winning sports-car racing championships.