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The Houma-Thibodaux area is now the home to two of the best racers in the world.
Just weeks after Larose native Jerry Savoie earned his place at the top of the drag racing totem pole, Cut Off’s Ross Chouest did something similar, earning the Lamborghini World Championships in the Lamborghini Cup – the icing on the cake of what was a dominant season for the South Lafourche High School graduate.
Chouest said winning a world championship is an honor – a distinction he said he will never forget.
The local had a dominant run in the World Final, which was held on Dec. 4 in Valencia, Spain. He outlasted both a miserable, rainy day and also competitors from Europe and Asia to score the title.
Chouest races for DXDT Racing.
“We had a great weekend and I owe it all to my coach, Aaron Povoledo, who’s done a great job all season preparing me, particularly this weekend,” Chouest told SportsCar365 after winning the crown. “The guys at DXDT gave me a perfect car, setup-wise. … I knew if I could have a clean start, I would be able to win a World Championship today.”
For Chouest, the world title is the perfect ending point for a year that’s been filled with victories.
Before the World Championships, Chouest raced in Super Trofeo North America, dominating the circuit to the tune of 10 wins in 12 total races.
Chouest said he owes a lot of that credit to Povoledo, who has helped develop the local into a better racer throughout his career.
Chouest has been a competitor his whole life, but a lot of his competitions have come in the world of basketball.
As a child, he was a Biddy Basketball World Champion who developed into one of the best players in the history of South Lafourche High School – one of the key cogs in the team making the LHSAA Top 28 in three-straight seasons, while winning the Class 5A State Title in 1998.
Chouest signed with Georgia Tech out of high school for his efforts, but then picked up racing later as an adult – a passion that started as a hobby, but quickly has become much, much more.
“Aaron’s been with me along the way and he’s been critical to my development and my success,” Chouest said. “Early on, I made it clear what my goals were. As an amateur driver, I wanted to be safe and to continue to get better and progress. That’s what we’ve done along the way, and I’ve enjoyed every step of that process and Aaron’s been instrumental along the way.”
At the World Championships, Chouest put what he learned into action. He said his technical director, Erik Petersen, gave him a full run-down of the course, which allowed him to have a lay of the land before the race even started.
From there, he navigated through the rain, smoothly and without struggle.
Chouest crossed the finish line 11 seconds ahead of Tim Richards, who was the runner-up.
“I do relatively better in the rain,” Chouest said with a laugh. “In my few races I’ve done in the rain, it mirrored what I did today.”
Now, Chouest has his eyes on the future.
He said he plans to parlay his success at Super Trofeo North America this past season into a run at Super Trofeo’s Middle Eastern Series in 2017. Chouest said he’s hopeful to join a European team while racing on the circuit. From there, Chouest said he wants to try and repeat as a world champion.
“I plan on being back here again,” Chouest said after his win. “I’m still looking at my options for (the Middle East).”
As his career continues to blossom, Chouest said he has plans to continue to grow within the sport.
He said driving Lamborghinis is one of the most challenging forms of racing, which makes him optimistic about his future prospects on the racing circuit.
Chouest said the No. 1 goal is to just continue getting better every, single race, and then see what the future holds from there.
“My long-term goals are to continue to move up and get faster each weekend I’m out there,” Chouest said. “I’m definitely looking forward to racing other series and continuing to progress my career.
“I’d like to do endurance racing one day. The Rolex 24 at Daytona and stuff like that. I’d love to maybe do some endurance races in Europe, as well.” •
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