Opting for speed over security, a ProFormance instructor and former college student has started a racing team.
Last time we checked on ProFormance Racing School instructor Will Morris, he had settled on a direction that took him pretty close to the racing world: he was in a college program learning motorsport marketing.
Will is not sorry to say that it didn’t work out. Not sorry, because instead of finishing college he’s founded a racing team and will be right where he feels he belongs: on the track.
Closer to the action
“I’m not a great student, I’ve come to learn. I thought I’d latch on to motorsport marketing, but now I’ve decided to go back to what I want to do — racing.” In the course of winning the Northwest Mini Enduro Series in a Spec e46 BMW, Will and fellow ProFormance Racing School instructor Colton Edwards fell in love with the camaraderie of the paddock and the focused energy of the track. With that in mind, they founded Cascade Edge Motorsport, a racing team with big plans.
“No disrespect to motorsport marketing,” Will insists, “but that was a job ‘around’ racing, and I’d been doing so much racing at the club level, I knew marketing wouldn’t click with me long term.”
A racing team on wheels
While staying involved with Spec E46 and PRO3, Will and Colton will also be going all out for their racing team’s debut at Daytona in 2025. To that end they bought a 2019 Hyundai Veloster N TCR, and are busy getting the car ready.
There are three ways to start a racing team — you build, you buy, or you rent. Will and Colton decided on option two, buying the Veloster from Deily Motorsports, an Oklahoma-based team. “We were considering signing on with Deily as well, but after consulting Don and doing the math, we decided to start our own team from scratch in the Pacific Northwest. The team’s crew will be supplied by Racer on Rails, another Northwest outfit.
The challenge of a used racer
at America’s Car Museum
The Veloster will need some work before it can hit the track. “They’re fun cars,” says Will. “We’re seeing a lot of them at ProFormance. If you can have just one car for the track and everyday driving, they’re a good choice, especially considering today’s car prices.”
But Will and Colton have their work cut out for them. “Walking through Bryan Herta’s garage in Daytona, we saw that each car had four front and four rear bumpers. That’s because in this type of racing they really lean into each other. But our car is out of production, so we have to mold new bumpers. That’s part of the fun of racing from scratch.” And not just bumpers: “The only part of the braking system that isn’t brand new is the pedal,” says Will.
The work is getting done. The Veloster has already been front and Center at a Hyundai event at the LeMay Car Museum.
Making connections
When asked how graduated into top-level sports car racing, Will sums it up in three words: Don Kitch, Jr. “Having [ProFormance founder and Chief Instructor] Don as a connection was how we got together with Bryan Herta, Jeff Swoboda, all of these names in the industry. By the time we got to Daytona we could just shake hands with them. We got to check in with John Doonan, president of IMSA, names we’d never be able to meet without knowing Don.” Vital assistance has also come from Jack Houlihan, who has been helping to line up sponsorship.
Simulator sideline
Never one to put all his eggs in one basket, Will also runs a business, Northwest Racing Simulators, with a longtime friend. The firm builds bespoke racing simulators for clients. “It’s something I know I’m good at. Sim racing got me into this field, in fact.” It’s also a wise fallback, considering the notorious feast-or-famine nature of motor racing.
Where it’s going
The long-term goal of Cascade Edge Motorsport is to expand, says Will: “Multiple cars, drivers, potentially multiple classes if we can. Let’s see where we can go. But in the long term, it has to be a win-win to succeed — backers need to see a return in it. That’s the goal of the Cascade Edge racing team.”
Meanwhile: enjoying the ride
“If you told me when I took my One-Day High Performance Driving Experience that five years on I’d be starting a professional racing career, I wouldn’t have believed you,” says Will. “It’s a crazy journey, but Colton and are ready for it. I know I’m not getting to Formula 1, but I want to drive the fastest thing I can, the fastest car I can get into.
“It’s not going to be easy — it’s all about finding the funding for that next event. But I wouldn’t be doing it if it were too easy. And at the end of the day, your reward is the coolest thing: racing a car. It’s a fantastic thing to strive for.”