Alberico Joins 2014 Pro Mazda Championship 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.