California driver reaches runner-up step and new track record in his Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing entry REDLANDS, CALIF. – Success continues for Neil Alberico during his rookie campaign of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. The Mazda Road to Indy driver contested Rounds Eight and Nine of the season at the Allied Building Products Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Houston Presented by Marlin CNG Services. The event was the second and final street course for the series, taking on the unforgiving 1.7-mile MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at NRG Park. After experiencing his first non-finish of the season in the opening race of the weekend, Alberico rebounded to earn his second runner-up result of the season and a new track record.
Alberico was among the quickest drivers during the two practice sessions that began the weekend in Houston. His No. 2 Rising Star Racing/Arai/OMP Racing/J&M Trophies/Oakley/Bondurant School of High Performance Driving/SafeisFast/eFormulaCarNews.com Pro Mazda machine was fast right off the hauler, lapping among the top-five times in both sessions. Qualifying followed with Alberico recording the seventh quickest lap time (1:09.100), pacing similar to what he had done in practice.
"We are still a very new team to the series, and with every race weekend we are collecting new data for our Pro Mazda cars," stated Alberico. "The team has done a great job improving with every session as we continue to figure out what exactly we need to get out of the car to post faster lap times. The speed we had at the end of the weekend showed just how much we advanced over the two days."
Lined up on the inside of row four to open up the first race of the double-header, Alberico knew he would have to be quick early to advance up the order. Neil was up to fifth through the opening lap, looking to continue advancing, when contact was made from behind by his Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing teammate Scott Hargrove. The contact sent Alberico spinning into the wall and unfortunately ending his race. Hargrove was assessed a drive-through penalty, but fought his way back to score the victory.
Consistency in the lone qualifying session landed him a sixth place grid position for the second race of the weekend, thanks to the second personal fastest lap of the timed session. Contact in front of him early on and fast laps on cold tires allowed Alberico to advance into the second position. From there, he hounded the race leader, posting a new track record lap in the process (1:08.689). The fast pace by Alberico in his Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing steed was not enough as the Californian settled for his second runner-up finish of the season.
Alberico was thrilled with the continuing progress of the race team and dedication they showed in Houston. "We were looking to have such a strong run on Saturday after getting taken out early while running up front. Huge credit to the Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing guys for working overnight to get the car back together for Sunday's race. The best way I could repay them was with a spot on the podium, coming just shy of the win. Bouncing back from misfortune is not an easy thing to do in this sport, and being able to do so overnight is a testament to how much faith we have in each other to perform. Big thanks to all the guys at Rising Star Racing for all their support in Houston as well."
Just five more rounds of racing remains for the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. The next four weeks will allow Alberico to prepare for the August 2-3 double-header event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio as part of the Honda Indy 200 weekend. Alberico remains in the third position of the championship chase, second among the Rookie drivers.
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. For 2014, he has continued his relationship with CMWTR to run for the Pro Mazda Championship.