Cooper Tires Winterfest champion focused on continued success in his Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing entry LOS GATOS, CALIF. – Neil Alberico commences his quest for a second 2013 junior formula car title next week (March 14-15), when Rounds One and Two of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda are contested at Sebring International Raceway. Coming off a dominant championship-winning effort in the Winterfest series, the up-and-coming star from California is not only the driver to watch, but focused on once again steering his Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing entry into victory lane. The goal of every racer is to win races and challenge for championships. Alberico has already showed he can do that in 2013, capturing the victory in five of the six USF2000 Championship-run Cooper Tires Winterfest series races this past February en route to securing the series title. While the former Team USA Scholarship winner is certainly proud of that performance, he is well aware that it does not guarantee success when the 14-race USF2000 Championship gets going at the famed Sebring road course in central Florida.
With a funded ride courtesy of the Mazda Road to Indy program in the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship going to the 2013 USF2000 champion, Alberico is now focused on bettering both himself and his No. 2 Racelite Protection/Bondurant School of High Performance Driving/eFormulaCarNews.com/J&M Trophies/Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing entry every time he gets behind the wheel. Using the vast experience and expertise of his talented crew - the reigning two-time USF2000 champions - combined with the knowledge gained during the three Winterfest races at Sebring, which Alberico won, the stage is set to not only do that, but also start the championship fight with further trips to the post-race podium.
"I've had a good amount of time now to reflect on the Winterfest and pick apart my own mistakes to improve before the official start of the season," stated Alberico. "We just have to continue working hard as a team, and keep looking for more, that's all we can do. That, and just keep smiling, but that's the easy part working with these guys!"
The chase for Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda supremacy commences for Alberico on Tuesday (March 12) with a pair of promoter's test days at the 3.74-mile Sebring International Raceway. Two 30-minute practice runs will be run one day later, prior the lone qualifying session and race one of the doubleheader at 1:35 pm local time on Thursday (March 14). Following a morning warm-up, the season-opening twin bill concludes on Friday (March 15) with race two at 10:40 am as part of the 61st running of the renowned Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Live timing and scoring will be available at www.usf2000.com/Multimedia/Live.aspx.
Those interested in supporting this rising American racer are encouraged to contact Neil Alberico directly at 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-Racing.
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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.