Naveen Rao

Naveen Rao is an American racing driver with a diverse background and a growing presence in the world of motorsports. Born on May 20, 1975, in San Diego, California, Rao brings a unique blend of technological expertise and racing passion to the track. While he began his motorsport journey relatively later in life, dedicating himself to racing around 2017, he has quickly made a name for himself in various racing series.

Rao's racing career has seen him compete in the Ferrari Challenge, where he impressively finished 2nd in his debut season in 2017. He then transitioned to LMP3 cars in the IMSA Prototype Challenge, securing the championship title in 2020. Rao also participated in the Asian Le Mans Series, showcasing his versatility in endurance racing and has victories across all levels of racing. In 2021, he joined Racing Team India, becoming part of the first all-Indian team to compete internationally in endurance racing, finishing 5th in the Asian Le Mans Series. He has continued to race in the Asian Le Mans Series in recent years.

Beyond racing, Naveen Rao has a distinguished career in the tech industry. He holds a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience and has founded AI startups such as Nervana Systems and MosaicML. Currently, he is the VP of Generative AI at Databricks. Rao sees a connection between racing and AI, viewing both as skill sets combined with engineering, where continuous refinement leads to improvement. His multifaceted background and dedication to both technology and racing make him a unique and inspiring figure in the motorsports world.