The Early Training of Porter Aiken

[Purple Frog]

This weekend Porter Aiken had a big time at Road Atlanta. (swept SCCA Road Atlanta Majors) He appears to be quite the FF driver.
If you ever wonder how early you can start training youth to be great formula car drivers I now feel obligated to show photographic evidence that an early introduction by Purple Frog can set a child on the best path to racing success.

1999 Purple Frog gives Porter his first lesson in a running FC car.
2003 Purple Frog continues the lessons.
2005 Purple Frog teaches Porter about aero

[Purple Frog]

Not to rub it in too much... but did you notice the color of the podium background?

[Jonathan Lee]

Porter did great.

[CGOffroad]

A yellow FC...... really ? Picture must not be authentic.

[Purple Frog]

Good eye! That picture was taken in 1999. I didn't become Purple Frog until I discovered F2000.com in April 2001. Obviously the Carters are to blame.

[Messenger Racing]

I am a big fan - we met at FRP RD Atlanta in 2019 I believe - he and Marshall were working out of the Ambulance - stayed a fan every since.

[Purple Frog]

Some on the forum may be saying who is this Porter Aiken kid?

He is Marshal Aiken's son. Marshal raced CFC and FC about 20 years ago. He won the SEDIV CFC title one year in a Swift back when it meant something. Then he moved up to FC. Even did one Runoffs. In 2005 Aiken Racing won the Cooper F2000 Championship with Jay Howard driving one of the two team cars.

Porter is a driving instructor at Atlanta Motorsports Park. But that isn't the only way he gets seat time. The family (Grandfather, father, and grandson) race multiple times a year in endurance series. mostly in the SE. Porter also gets rides as a hired gun in other series. He spends a lot of time doing laps at Road Atlanta in many different classes.

Marshal always thought formula cars were a great proving ground, and originally thought to get Porter into FC. But watching F1600 races changed minds into FF/F1600. A few years ago they bought a used Piper out of the NW. Did OK in some SE races like the ARRC, but realized the car wasn't totally up to their standards. So they shipped the chassis out to Doug Learned and had the chassis completely overhauled and updated. Then the family put it back together with all new hardware, etc. Marshal has become a pretty good wrench over the years.

So while it might seem that he just popped on the scene, it really has been a multi-year process.