Four championship titles earned Scott Blind a trip to Germany; what he didn’t see coming was Porsche honoring him with a surprise award that didn’t even exist until this year.
When Blind boarded his flight for Porsche’s Night of Champions, he knew he would be surrounded by greatness.
He knew he would stand alongside the world’s best drivers, engineers, and team leaders. He knew he’d celebrate a season that had seen him take four championship wins—Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, and Porsche Endurance Challenge North America—an accomplishment unprecedented in Porsche’s single-make world.
What he didn’t know was that Porsche Motorsport had a surprise waiting for him—one that would leave him speechless on a stage in Stuttgart, holding an award that was handed out for the first time ever.
“I had no idea what the Night of Champions was going to be like,” Blind said.
“What an amazing event and so well done. But I was so surprised to get called up on the stage in front of everybody at the end. I just wasn’t expecting it. Unbelievable.”
A ring for history
Porsche Motorsport had created a new award called “Forever First.” It was designed for someone who had accomplished something that had never been done before in Porsche racing. In its first year, Scott Blind was one of them.
Blind didn’t know the honor had even been created, let alone that he’d be a recipient.
“Porsche Motorsport Vice President Thomas Laudenbach presented me with a diamond ring!” he said.
“A beautiful, round ring with a checkered-flag background and a nice diamond in one of the squares. I can’t even tell you how incredible it was.”
But as he walked on stage, the emotion took over. The man who had spent the year fighting for milliseconds suddenly found himself without words.
“When I was up there, I completely lost the plot,” Blind said.
“Normally, I’m not at a loss for words, but it was kind of an emotional thing. I answered the question they asked—how I did it, only been racing since 2022—and I forgot to thank everybody: my team, Porsche Motorsport North America, all the people who helped me get there. I just wasn’t ready. But what an incredible outcome.”
The significance of the moment grew even clearer when Blind learned who else would receive the newly created honor. Alongside him, Côme Ledogar was recognised for guiding Schumacher CLRT to an unprecedented sweep of all major Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup titles, and Nick Tandy was celebrated for becoming the first driver to win all four of endurance racing’s great 24-hour classics overall—Le Mans, Nürburgring, Spa, and Daytona.
For Scott Blind, being part of that trio underscored just how special the award was. He wasn’t just celebrated—he was placed among truly illustrious company.
A father-daughter trip he’ll never forget
The night in Stuttgart was only one part of an experience Blind says he’ll carry forever. He brought his daughter, Stella, as his guest—a decision that made the journey even more meaningful.
Blind has worked in automotive plants around the world, but his first trip to the Porsche factory was full of surprises.
“The cars are so amazing,” he said. “So much of it is done by hand. It’s not what I expected, but what comes off the back of the assembly line is just incredible. And we were walking right along the assembly line—right there beside the guys putting the dashboard in.”
They toured the upholstery shop, watched technicians shape leather, and spoke with knowledgeable student guides who led them through the museum. Porsche gave Blind and his fellow championship winners on the trip an intimate look at the brand Blind has only recently become part of.
“For Stella to experience it with me, it was just so special,” he said. “They did such a wonderful job.”
A seat with the stars
Blind’s rise through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid has been so fast he’s still catching his breath.
“If someone told me in 2022 I’d be standing on that stage in Stuttgart, I would’ve thought they were nuts,” he said. “Back then, I had no idea how someone even becomes a racecar driver. I didn’t know where to start.”
He laughs now about how accidental some of it felt.
“I look back, and it feels like my coat was caught in the train door, and I was running alongside. The train’s going, and I’m just going with it,” he said. “Some of it just happened by osmosis. I didn’t have a grand plan.”
What anchors him now is the sense of community he’s found.
“Having this connection with everybody at PMNA, with the Porsche paddock, the race-car community—it feels so cool. So many fast drivers, special drivers. It just feels good to be part of it.”
A champion resets his goals
You don’t win four championships by accident, and you certainly don’t repeat that kind of success without intention. Blind and his Ruckus Racing team met after returning home, and the message was clear: they cannot let up now.
“We’ve got to work harder this year than we’ve ever worked,” he said. “We know what it feels like to win. It would be awful to take things for granted and not perform.”
The preparation has already begun for his Solairus Aviation Masters Class championship defense.
“The team is in the office every day with the engineer. We’re working on the car, working on plans, and we’re planning an inordinate amount of testing before the season. We want to win races. We want to challenge for wins in Carrera Cup. We’re going into SRO in GT America powered by AWS with the GT3 R. We need to be competitive.”
Opportunities are multiplying, too.
“In the last month, I’ve gotten so many calls from other drivers wanting me to run races with them,” Blind said. “Maybe the eight-hour at Indy, maybe endurance races in other people’s Porsches. There are a lot of options right now.”
A new car. New challenges. Same hunger.
Blind is particularly excited about the new 911 Cup car (Type 992.2) that will debut next season.
“I think the drivability’s going to be better,” he said. “A little more downforce. Easier on brakes. Some of the mechanical bits improved. Maybe it makes the first few laps a little easier with some early grip. It’s going to be more drivable for everybody.”
And then he adds something that captures just how far he’s come:
“Keep in mind, the first time I wanted an allocation for a Cup car, I couldn’t get one. Now I’m getting the new model. It feels pretty good.”
A season that changed everything
As he reflects on the whirlwind—from discovering racing only a few years ago, to winning four championships, to receiving a diamond ring onstage in Germany—it’s the people and the moments, not the trophies, that stick with him most.
“When you’re winning, it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “Success breeds success, and you run on inertia. But now we’re starting over. And we’ve got to be more serious than ever.”
Still, the joy is unmistakable in his voice—because for Scott Blind, this journey is no longer accidental. It’s earned.
And in Stuttgart, on one unforgettable night, Porsche made sure the world knew it.
