California title contender scored his third win in Race One on the streets of Toronto doubleheader
LOS GATOS, CALIF. – Neil Alberico commenced his second half push for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda title in perfect fashion over the weekend (July 13-14) in Toronto, Ont. The Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing standout converted the pole in Round Six at the Canadian streets circuit into a third series win, and led most of Round Seven, before adding to his points tally with a top-five finish. Alberico now lies third in the championship entering the upcoming tripleheader in Ohio.
Given Alberico was the most recent USF2000 Championship race winner, scoring the victory before the summer break in Round Five at Lucas Oil Raceway, combined with the fact Cape Motorsports swept the weekend the last time the series raced on the streets of Toronto in 2006, the 20-year-old was excited to get back behind the wheel and go racing in Canada.
Piloting No. 2 Racelite Protection/Bondurant School of High Performance Driving/eFormulaCarNews.com/J&M Trophies/OMP America/Cape Motorsports entry, Alberico spent the opening two practice runs fine-tuning his racing steed for the fast and bumpy 1.755-mile track around the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, rather than focusing on a fast time. That being said, he was P4 in the first run, and P10 in the second run. The strategy ultimately paid off, as in Friday's lone qualifying session, the 2013 Cooper Tires Winterfest champion, former USA Scholarship winner and Bondurant Championship title winner overcame track congestion via the 29-car field to narrowly edge his teammate for the pole position via a new lap record of 1:11.540.
Rolling back on-course bright and early one day later, the goal was simple for Alberico... avoid the expected early race incidents and drive a mistake-free race. Alberico promptly did just that, and while three-full course cautions, including a final one resulting in a green-white-checker finish, added some drama, the Californian showcased his skill by never relinquishing the top spot to score his third win in six races.
"The Cape Motorsports guys did a great job," stated Alberico. "There is not a lot of track time here and you have to maximize every lap of every session. I couldn’t be happier about the race."
When the skilled Mazda Road to Indy competitors returned to action on Sunday morning for race two of the twin bill, Alberico was again the driver leading the pack to the green flag. In what was a chaotic race with limited green-flag racing due to repeated incidents, Alberico led the way until the final restart. Coming under attack via some aggressive moves, the Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing standout elected to not risk another DNF, focusing on scoring valuable front-running points. Alberico as a result was an unrepresentative fifth when the checkered flag waved. Despite not garnering the deserved trip to the post-race podium celebrations, Alberico exited the lone stop 'North of the Border' having worked his way up to third in the championship standings.
"Toronto was a great weekend for us overall," added Alberico. "We still have a lot of work to do before the season is over, but our focus is now on preparing for Mid-Ohio."
Alberico, having returned to his home in California, now has a brief break before resuming his quest for a second championship title in 2013 on August 3-4, when the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda contests three races in support of the IZOD IndyCar Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Alberico scored a top-six finish in his inaugural race at the technical track last year, while Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing won race one of the doubleheader.
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.
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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. In 2008, Alberico first got behind the wheel of a race car, graduating from the Skip Barber 2-day Advanced school at Laguna Seca prior to participating in the Formula BMW recruitment day at Miller Motorsports Park. 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 CKI National TAG Senior championship. Alberico built on this success in 2010, winning the TaG Senior class in the WSK North American Series, as well as the Bondurant Championship Race Series, capturing 10 wins in first full season of car competition. As part of the prize package for winning the Bondurant Championship, the teenager tested a Pro Formula Mazda with World Speed Motorsports and a Formula Atlantic Swift 016.a with Finlay Motorsports. 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 Scholarships. As a Team USA driver, he captured a Semi-Final win and finished third 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 in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. This season, the California standout returns to USF2000 Championship action, joining two-time defending champion Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing.