Keanu Reeves, globally renowned for his iconic roles in blockbusters like The Matrix, John Wick, and Point Break is set to make a thrilling appearance at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This weekend marks a significant return for the Canadian actor to the racing circuit, as he takes part in the GR Cup event, his first racing appearance in a decade.
Reeves will be driving a spec GR86 as part of the Toyota GR Cup series—a notable step towards more serious motorsport competition compared to past celebrity races. The announcement of his racing return was made via a video on the X account of Fanatec GT World Challenge America, the organizer of the series events at Indianapolis.
Sharing the news, Fanatec GT World Challenge America posted:
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
“Welcome to the paddock, Keanu Reeves!
“What’s you’re favorite Keanu movie? Pop, lock and drop it in the replies.”
Keanu Reeves’ affinity for engines is no secret. Apart from his substantial acting career, his passion extends to an impressive collection of motorcycles and a personal brand. He is a frequent face at Formula 1 and MotoGP events and also appeared in the Disney+ docuseries ‘Brawn: The Impossible F1 Story’. Speaking about the series, Reeves commented at the time to GiveMeSport.com:
“When I got told the story about this team that was bought for £1 went on to win the championship, I was like ‘what?’. It started with that, and then we got into what it meant with the financial crisis, the team splitting apart and maybe ending Formula 1. As I learned more and more about it, it became such a huge canvas including racing on track and off the track with the politics and the team owners.
“All the drivers and team dynamics, even the relationships between the engineers and Ross Brawn coming in with all his championships. There are so many cool elements that went into the story, and obviously with happened that year it was almost impossible to not make it extraordinary.”
Joining Reeves on the grid this weekend is Cody Jones, star of the immensely popular “Dude Perfect” YouTube channel, boasting a staggering 60 million subscribers. Jones earned his spot in the race by emerging victorious in a go-kart challenge among his fellow channel members. This weekend will mark his official debut in auto racing.
Qualifying for Race 1 takes place today. Race 1 will take place on Saturday 5 October at 9.50 a.m. local time followed by Qualifying and Race 2 on Sunday 6 October at 8.00 a.m. and 11.55 a.m., respectively.
