In a random twist of reality, Keanu Reeves—Hollywood megastar and generally interesting man—is doing a one-off race in the Toyota GR Cup at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. This isn’t the first time that John Wick has gotten behind the wheel, either.
Reeves made a short video on several social media channels thanking the series for the opportunity to race, but he didn't divulge too many details otherwise. According to Road and Track, Reeves will also be joined by YouTube star Cody Jones of the channel Dude Perfect, who is making his auto racing debut.
While Reeves racing in the GR Cup was in nobody’s bingo card, the actor has some experience racing wheel-to-wheel and is no stranger to racing. Two appearances in the long-forgotten but dearly missed Long Beach celebrity race in 2009 and 2010 bolster his race credentials.
While he won the 2009 race, his 2010 entry into the Pro class was less fruitful, and he hasn’t gone racing since. The actor is also a regular visitor to Formula 1 races and has a seriously impressive collection of cars and motorcycles, making Reeves a true connoisseur of motorsport and automobiles.
His entry in the GR Cup will be the most significant step he’s made yet, with the relatively new series being a highly competitive support series for SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge, much like the Global MX-5 Cup is to the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge.
The cars are specially prepared production Toyota GR86s with sequential transmissions, roll cages, suspension, and Continental slicks, though they are largely similar to the road car. All of the cars are built by Toyota in North Carolina. But this is no Long Beach celebrity race—Reeves is entering a professional-level sports car series.
But nothing can stop John Wick, right?
