James D deBoer #951

Hi, my name is JD deBoer. JD stands for James David, while my friends & family know me as Jim – in racing, I’m known as “JD”. I’m a semi-pro Driver who raced for only 5 years from the amateur up to the professional ranks. I competed in the following race cars: SCCA Spec Racer, Formula Ford, Formula Mazda, Toyota World Sports Racer, Shelby Can/Am & Toyota Atlantic. Entering a total of 83 races and finishing in the top six 81% of the time, against many drivers ½ my age… this resulted in the 1993 Russel Formula Mazda Western Reginal Championship, as well as, setting a track record, (1:20.991), at Willow Springs during my final race in a Shelby Can/Am in Sept. 1995, which still stands today…

Not too bad considering I started my racing carrier at age 38 when most Pro Racecar Drivers are approaching the final stage of their carriers – not to mention, it was also my rookie year in both the car, as well as, on the race tracks in all but 5 of the 83 races. I was actually on a self-imposed very steep learning curve, due to my age and rather lofty goal... of becoming a paid Pro Driver.

During those five years, I read every book published by Professional Drivers and every book I could find on racecar engineering and setup. This was invaluable knowledge for learning how to improve the handling characteristics of a race car, as well as my continued development as a race car driver… all while continuing to climb the racing ladder. My short but jam-packed 5 years of racing experience resulted in a never-ending desire and love for driving a racecar at or near its limit…

As it turned out, I was unable to secure the sponsorship budget necessary to progress into Indy Car or IMSA prototype/GT, primarily due to my age related marketing challenges… so I decided to hang up the helmet and pursue other business interests, while raising my family. It was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made in my life and still to this day the passion burns very deep.

I eventually retired, selling my healthcare business in 2008, which freed up time to pursue other ventures in business and life… ultimately leading me back to my true love and passion: driving high-performance race cars, race competition, and teaching the art of High Performance Driving.

2012: Head Instructor for the Western US Division of the Ferrari Club. Hired & trained 10 instructors for the 3-day yearly event. Organized and ran instructional programs for beginner to advanced drivers, including lead follow, skid pad continuous turning drills, as well as individual in-car driver coaching.

2012 to 2013: Head Instructor for Chuckwalla Valley Raceway - Club Member & guest driver coach.

2012 to Present: Professional Driver Coach for hire – Amateur, Club Racing & Private coaching.

2014 to 2015: Driver Instructor for Lotus of the Desert, Lotus Driving Academy & The Thermal Club Race Track in Southern California. Provided driver coaching during Club, corporate & LDA Events.

2017 to Present: Motorsports Safety Foundation Certified Level 2 Instructor.

2019 to Present: Professional Instructor for Speed Ventures, the largest track-day organizer western US.

2020 to Present: Professional Driver Coach on call for Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.

2022 to Present: Professional Driver Coach for Porsche Owners Club, SouthernCal.

Hometown

Indio, CA