California rising star will be part of new effort by the multiple junior formula car champions
LOS GATOS, CALIF. (December 6, 2013) – American motorsports rising star Neil Alberico is excited to announce he will once again be part of the renowned Mazda Road to Indy program in 2014, competing in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires series. The Californian will be part of Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing new efforts in the prestigious junior formula car championship, reuniting with the team after finishing second in the 2013 USF2000 Championship title fight.
Since first getting behind the wheel of a race car, Alberico has dreamed of one day racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and challenging for the championship title and an Indianapolis 500 win. The highly-regarded American racer will take another step towards reaching that goal in 2014, as he advances up to the Pro Mazda Championship. Driving for multiple junior formula car champion Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, Alberico will battle for top honors in the second rung of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, which trains and develops the future stars of IndyCar.
"I am very excited to be a part of this exciting new venture with Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing," stated Alberico. "I think keeping the entire team together is a huge advantage as a rookie going into this year's Pro Mazda season. Big thanks the Capes brothers for making it all happen. It should be another fun year of racing with the boys!"
Alberico's quest for Pro Mazda glory will feature a familiar cast supporting the 21 year-old racer, as for a second consecutive year he will run under the Cape Motorsports banner. The Florida-based squad joins Alberico in making the move up the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, adding a Pro Mazda program to its highly-successful championship-winning efforts in the USF2000 Championship and F1600 Formula F Championship Series. The Alberico/Cape Motorsports partnership has proved to be a race-winning combination thus far, with the Racelite Protection/Bondurant School of High Performance Driving/eFormulaCarNews.com/J&M Trophies/OMP America-backed driver visiting victory lane 11 times this past season en route to winning the Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship, and finishing as the USF2000 Championship runner-up.
"We view this as a natural progression for the team," said team owners Dominic and Nicholas Cape. "We believe in the Road to Indy program, and we are excited to be competing in Pro Mazda. Neil is a great driver, and we couldn't be happier to continue to work with him and help him develop his skills."
Preparations for a run at both the Rookie of the Year award, and the championship crown are already well underway, with Alberico and the Cape Motorsports crew going over data and information following a superb test at Sebring International Raceway.
The racing action for Alberico in his new Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing entry gets underway on February 21-22, with the opening two rounds of Cooper Tires Winterfest at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, La.. The final two races of the 'off-season' series take place at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala., on February 25-26. Prior to the races, the annual Chris
Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Open Test will be conducted at Barber Motorsports Park on December 9-10. The chase for the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires title starts on March 29-30, with Rounds One and Two on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., as part of the IZOD IndyCar Series season-opener.
Those interested in supporting this rising American racer are encouraged to contact Neil Alberico directly @ neil@neilalberico.com
to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
Learn more about Neil Alberico at NeilAlberico.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ NeilAlberico and Facebook @ Neil Alberico Motorsports
Learn more about Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing at CapeMotorsports.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ CMwithWTR
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About Neil Alberico:
A native of Los Gatos, Calif., Alberico first started racing karts at the age of 10, competing in IKF region 11 action. Over the course of four seasons (2004-07), the young talent captured the Junior Sportsman, Junior Super Sportsman, and Junior Puma championship titles. Continuing to race in the karting ranks while raising funds to pursue a career in motorsports, Alberico won the Snap-On Stars of Karting Series National finale in Las Vegas in 2009, before finishing third in the CKI National TAG Senior championship, and winning the 2010 TaG Senior class in the WSK North American Series. That same year, Alberico won the Bondurant Championship Race Series, winning 10 races as a junior formula car rookie. In 2011, Alberico made his European racing debut, competing in the world-renowned Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain with Irish-based Cliff Dempsey Racing. Finish ninth in his maiden FF season, the Californian earned a Team USA Scholarship, subsequently capturing a Semi-Final win and third place finish in the historic 40th Formula Ford Festival. Alberico joined the Mazda Road to Indy program in 2012, earning a podium finish and nine top-fives in his rookie season of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. The California standout followed that up with 11 wins in 2013, en route to the Cooper Tires Winterfest title and second in the USF2000 Championship with multiple champion Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing.