Female American racer Aurora Straus, 24, has been named an official ambassador for global racing car manufacturer Radical Motorsport. The news coincides with confirmation of her return to the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America for the 2023 season. After becoming the first woman to enter the series — and win a race — in 2022, Straus will be driving the No. 17 Richard Mille Radical SR3 in the Pro 1500 class.

After scoring three podiums including two second-place finishes in her debut at Watkins Glen, Straus went on to finish third at the Circuit of The Americas before adding a pair of race wins and a third-place finish in last year’s Sonoma Raceway season finale. Her results propelled Group-A Racing to the team championship title in the Pro 1500 ranks in 2022.

“We are thrilled to have Aurora back in the Blue Marble Radical Cup as a competitor and an ambassador for Radical Motorsport,” said Tom Drewer, Global Motorsport Director. “Aurora is a proven talent, recently taking a top 6 finish at Daytona. We look forward to seeing her push the Radical brand to a higher level.”

Graduating from Harvard and an experienced sports car racer, Straus started her racing career in spec Mazda MX-5 cars in 2015 and then progressed into the 2016 Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge. Moving to the Pirelli World Challenge SprintX series in 2018, in a BMW M4 GT4 operated by ST Racing Aurora claimed two victories and four podiums.

In 2021, Straus was part of an all-female Richard Mille-backed operation in GT4 America, where she teamed up with two-time IMSA GTD champion Christina Nielsen at the wheel of a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. Competing in several Radical Cup North America events in 2022, Straus earned two wins and five total podiums. Earlier this year, Straus was back at Daytona International Speedway for the first round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, where she drove from 44th on the grid to a sixth-place finish.

A Richard Mille ambassador, Straus announced her plans for the rest of the season, which will see the American return to the prototypes of Radical Cup, for a six-calendar event starting this weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park with Trans Am and SpeedTour.

The Blue Marble Radical Cup North America series will race alongside IndyCar in four rounds — Barber Motorsports Park, Road America, Toronto, and Laguna Seca — plus a round on the USAC schedule at Circuit of The Americas.

Radical Cup North America competitors will hit the track tomorrow for the first official day of the 2023 season. Follow along via live timing HERE. Qualifying and races will be live streamed HERE.

Blue Marble Radical Cup events are open to all local and regional Radical racers with eligible cars to participate. More information, including links to register for events and obtain licensing, can be found at www.radicalmotorsport.com.