MIAMI — Olivier Jean-François, a race car driver, won a 2.3-mile sprint and feature race in the opening weekend of the SCCA Palm Tree Winter Majors at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Jean-François finished first in his class, the Super Touring Light (STL), but 12th overall for both races. He finished the sprint race in 1 minute, 35.375 seconds on Jan. 8 and the feature race in 1:34.684 Jan. 9.
“It brought some memories back about when I started winning in Haiti after a lot of training,” the Port-au-Prince native said. “I worked hard last year [in the SCCA] just to prepare for this year. I’m really proud, it feels really great.”
Jean-François finished fourth in his class in the Southeast Region of the 2021 Sports Club Car of America (SCCA) championship. It was the 32-year-old’s first season in the U.S.
Before joining the SCCA, Jean-François raced in Haiti for 12 years and was the country’s top racer in 2017 before the championship was canceled due to different issues. Jean-François then raced in the Dominican Republic from 2017 to 2019.
Jean-François’ next two races will be on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16 at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. He’s eager to remain on top of the STL class.
“I think this year I will have better results in the U.S.,” Jean-François said. “I’m hoping to win something this year, achieve something really big.”
Hello Onz! Wanted to congratulate you for your interest in embracing the Haitian Community. I encourage you to not and ever give up on us. We need more Haitian Journalists like you to help us understand what is going on in our environment. Thank you for your hard work. May GOD cover you with His blessings.