Kenton Lee Koch[1] (born July 5, 1994) is an American racing driver who competes in the GT4 America Series, Michelin Pilot Challenge, and IMSA SportsCar Championship.
[2] Koch's interest in motorsport began at an incredibly young age, through avenues such as karting and watching his father compete in off-road racing competitions on the weekends.
[6][7] During the opening weekend of the season at Laguna Seca, Koch claimed two podiums and a race victory, leaving the event joint-top of the points standings alongside Thomas McGregor.
[9] Owing to his championship success and subsequent funding, Koch advanced to the Pro Challenge for 2013 – the top class of the Skip Barber Mazda series.
[27] Following the race, Koch claimed that he'd "never driven so slow in [his] life" during that final stint, as he aimed to maintain the multiple-lap gap the entry had to the second PC class car.
[29] After a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen, Koch entered the final round of the season at Road Atlanta in contention for the Endurance Cup title in the PC class.
[34] However, as he didn't compete in the opening round of the season – a double-header at Sebring – Koch fell eight points short of champion Colin Thompson and would settle for second in the championship.
Although the series was a step down from the IMSA SportsCar Championship, Koch viewed the season as an opportunity to "stay current," maintaining his presence in the IMSA-sanctioned paddock.
Koch took on a full-time drive alongside Janco in the 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge, with the entry capturing a season-best sixth place finish in the opening race of the season.
Koch's final 2018 program involved a part-time drive in the 2018 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, where he joined Tom O'Gorman behind the wheel of an Audi RS 3 LMS TCR.
Koch also competed in the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Mühlner Motorsport in the LMP3 class, driving alongside Moritz Kranz, Stevan McAleer, and Laurents Hörr.
[47] The team won the 100-minute qualifying race with Hörr and Kranz at the wheel, and set the fastest lap in their class en route to a third-place finish in the 24-hour event.
At the end of the season, Koch traveled to Bahrain to take part in the WEC Rookie Test, driving an Aston Martin Vantage GTE.
Koch also debuted in the GT4 European Series during 2022, driving alongside Dutch driver Thijmen Nabuurs in a Silver Cup entry fielded by Team Spirit Racing.
Koch took part in a handful of races alongside GS championship hopeful Eric Foss, after his scheduled co-driver Jeff Mosing suffered a rib injury.
[55] In GT4 competition, Koch and co-driver Kevin Boehm claimed three race victories and seven additional podium finishes, ending the season third in the Silver Cup classification.
[64][65] In association with Mazda Motorsports, Cal State Fullerton, and Project Yellow Light, Koch took part in a driver safety campaign with local California high school students in 2017.