Racing to Become Porsche’s Next Prodigy? Danny Dyszelski on Rising Through the Ranks

All journeys have a beginning, and Dyszelski’s foray into the world of motorsports started in childhood, alongside his father at the race track.  

“When I was younger–like when I was really, really young–my dad did track days,” he said. “He had a [Porsche] 911 and a BMW M3, an E90, and he would take me in that car all the way to the track and I would just be there watching him drive around…

“So from that, I was obsessed with cars and did not care about anything else. My parents tried to get me into some other sports and I just did not care.”

After that, it was a quick turnaround from the trackside to the driver’s seat. Like all professional race car drivers, Dyszelski started with karting, competing in all major US series including USPKS, SKUSA, ROK Cup USA, and WKA. And in 2022, at 13, he made the big jump to his first open-wheel series, debuting in that year’s USF 2000 Championship. 

Over the past three years, he has consistently juggled multiple series per season, gaining experience and picking up the skills needed to carry him forward towards his dream. On his roster, he has the USF Pro 2000 Championships, GT4 America Series and the Radical World Finals Pro 1500 class (where he finished second in both 2022 and 2023). 

And if that wasn’t enough, this year he has made a much-awaited debut in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America GT3 Cup Pro-Am as part of VPX Motorsport.

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On how he has been able to juggle such a variety of disciplines, each with their own cars and quirks, he spoke about the foundations he set early in his career. “I think what helped me a lot is when I did drive go-karts, I would run three different classes in one weekend. So when I was 11, 12 years old, I was driving three different things at the same time. And I think that just has allowed me to adapt between cars pretty well.”

And while basic driving techniques may apply to all cars, understanding the specifics of the machine he is driving is where the biggest gains are made. Through his years of practice, Dyszelski has developed an approach for digging into these nuances that brings a patient method to all the madness. 

“The first time I get into a car I try to go out and not just go 100%. Like take it 60, 70%, [and] just feel it out slowly, and then slowly push it, mess around with brake techniques, throttle techniques, just to see ‘what does the car do when I do this? Does the car like this line, does it like that?’ 

“And just making sure I stay in my comfort zone until I feel like I understand the car enough to push myself.”

This analytical approach has taken him all the way to his first overall victory in GT3 at the fifth 2025 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, held at the Road America Circuit in August. It wasn’t an easy win by any means. Downpours hit the track over the weekend, putting the drivers in tricky and changing wet weather conditions during the race itself.

But Dyszelski was able to draw on his previous experience across the series he has raced in to bring his car over the finish line ahead of anyone else. 

On how different cars handle in the rain and how having that knowledge under his belt helped him overcome the challenges mother nature threw his way, he said, “The USF Pro 2000 cars… They're terrifying. Open-wheel cars, they don't move. They're super stiff, they're all down force [and] super sensitive with all the wet conditions and everything. 

“And then you get into a GT car, the tires and everything about those cars, they drive so much better in the rain… [They’re] a lot more predictable. I think just GT cars in general being a lot softer helps too… The amount of comfort you get from [a GT] car is just like, ‘Oh this is easy, I can be comfortable running at this lap time and I'm able to pull away and have a finish like that.’”

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Success, however, doesn’t just hinge on knowing your car’s limitations and how to push them. It also requires knowing yourself–on knowing what you already have, and what you need to get to where you want to be. This is yet another area where Dyszelski has channeled from lessons-learned. 

“I've always been really strong with my brake technique and braking in general,” He said in regards to his strengths and weaknesses. “I feel like throughout this year, something that I started off weaker in and I've improved a lot on has been race craft and just making the right decisions during the race, aggressiveness, learning how to control that better. And I would say I still want to improve on that more.

“VPX, the coaching of my co-driver in SRO Alex [Ellis] and my engineer [Racim Fezoui]... they've done such a good job, being able to help me understand that better and learn how to just think through those situations better.”

Truly, having a team one can rely on is integral to the growth and development of any young talent in racing, and VPX Motorsports is providing just that for Dyszelski. 

“It's been really cool having such a benchmark to be able to put myself against in the same exact car,” Dyszelski said of his driver coach and GT4 co-driver Ellis, who had a successful career in the Formula BMW program, and an impressive rookie stint at Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) Firestone 2010 that was unfortunately cut short by a mechanical issue. 

Alongside Racim Fezoui, a Canadian sim racing and e-sports champion who brings a deeply analytical edge to the team and whose advice has shaped the way Dyszelski drives. 

“One [piece of advice] that came from Racim, which was specifically a driving technique thing with throttle, is something that stuck out because that was like a huge moment for me.

“You'll go to like 10%, 5% throttle lock diff and actually pull the car if it's really a big corner or going to 80%, something to generate rotation. That was a really big breakthrough for me in terms of just getting lap time out of a car,” said Dyszelski, recalling the details with the precision of a top-tier student.

“You don't really get taught that in open-wheel. Or, I never got taught that in open-wheel. I got taught that from Racim.”

But none of this would be possible without VPX Motorsport owner and Team Principal, Vince Partap. The two met at a 2024 Pirelli GT4 America competition while Dyszelski was driving a Mercedes-AMG GT4 with RySpec Racing. Partap immediately recognized Dyszelski’s potential and took him under his wing, and just one year later, the young driver made his debut with the team at the Sonoma Raceway, driving their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4RS CS.

Dyszelski reflected on his impressive journey with VPX Motorsport thus far, emphasizing the guidance Partap has provided. “Being able to talk to [him] in between a race,” he said, “especially if, after having maybe a tough result or a mistake that I made… he's been very good about helping me through everything, and putting everything together. 

“I wouldn't be racing a top car right now without Vince.”

Indeed, the upward path that Dyszelski is on–thanks to his own skill and talent and the resources his team provides–is impressive. But where does he see that path taking him?

“Hopefully it would be being a factory driver for Porsche,” he said, connecting his professional ambitions all the way back to his childhood days sitting beside his father in that Porsche 911. 

“Being able to race in the 24 Hours in Daytona I would say is definitely my end goal right now. 

“And honestly, funnily enough, even though I started in open-wheel when I was younger, before I started driving cars, I wanted to drive GT cars. I wanted that experience. So I'm really happy to be able to run this now and I've been enjoying it a lot.” 

And having made it to GT already, getting behind the wheel of a Porsche for a lengthy stint around the Daytona International Speedway seems like it’s only a matter of time for someone as bright as Dyszelski.

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