Longtime gymnast, Landan Matriano Lim, vaults into car racing career

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - “It’s been a big relief not having to worry about assignments due every Sunday.”

From one task to another, Landon Matriano hasn’t stopped working. Despite graduating college, he’s still a student - now in the car racing game.

“So, it’s actually all started when my dad just took his car out on the track to drive a sports car on the race track, just for fun, instead of getting speeding tickets, " says Matriano. “So, whenever he was over at one of the race tracks, it was a go-kart track. They had a rental cart, and went and played on those and was like, ‘Oh, this is a lot of fun.”

The Loyola College Prep and LSU-Shreveport alum was so enthralled, he left gymnastics behind after 13 years of competing.

“[COVID-19] cut my senior season short, " says Matriano. “So, we got a call saying, ‘Hey, it’s postponed for now, because of [COVID-19].’ It just never happened. So, the state meet was canceled that day. That’s when my career came to an end for gymnastics.”

Still armed with a competitive drive, Matriano’s full focus was on the racetrack. He soon caught the attention and soon signed with the Jensen Global Advisor Formula 4 team.

“I competed in the National Automotive Sports Association for two years, " says Matriano. “That’s where I gained the knowledge and a little bit of an experience about what car racing is. They were telling me, ‘This is really good. You know, you got something here.’ I just sent out an email to all of the teams. I wasn’t sure how to get into it. I didn’t know what it took. That’s when I got a response from Jensen, the team I’m currently with, and he was like, ‘Okay, you’ve got some experience. Let’s get you in the car for this week.’

Since starting out, the Shreveport native has finished within the top-15 in among 30 other racers. Landon Matriano now looks to make a run at Formula One.

“My goal is to be a paid driver for a racing team, " says Matriano. “And, to have the entire team put in all of their work into the car, all of their preparation and have faith in me as a driver to put the entire team on the podium.

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