Nick Mancuso, National Merit Scholar, Extreme Adventurer and Race Driver Brings His Unique Talents to the #16 Multimatic Motorsports Aston Martin in Next Weekend’s Grand-Am Race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas May 1 — 2
FAST FACTS
Ø Brains – Mancuso was inducted into the Cum Laude Society in 2004 and in 2005, he was made a member of the National Honor Society and selected from a pool of 1.4 million students as a National Merit Scholar.
Ø Brass – He is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and an ‘extreme adventurer’ with hobbies that include spearfishing, Krav Maga, skydiving and capturing/photographing reptiles in the wild.
Ø Hotshoe – Mancuso, co-driving the #16 Multimatic Motorsports Aston Martin in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season-opener at Daytona on January 27, demonstrated his ‘hotshoe’ driving style with a top-5 finish in his debut at this famous, and intimidating, racetrack.
Ø History – Racing an exotic car like an Aston Martin is an extension of the family business for Mancuso. With 92 years in the automotive industry, since the opening the first dealership in Batavia, New York, the Mancuso family is one of the oldest auto retail organizations in the country. Lake Forest Sports Cars is a Factory Authorized Dealer for Aston Martin, Ferrari, Maserati, Lotus and McLaren.
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Lake Forest, IL (February 18, 2013) – Of the many drivers taking to the track in the Continental Tire GS Series race at the upcoming Grand-Am weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, Nick Mancuso is arguably the only one who has also wrestled a python in the wild, jumped out of an airplane and beat out 1.4 million other extremely smart people to become a National Merit Scholar.
Given the range of his professional and personal involvements, it seems appropriate that he would take on the challenge of racing cars – and do well at it. Two weeks ago, in his racing debut at the high-banked Daytona Motor Speedway, Mancuso co-drove the #16 Multimatic Aston Martin to a top-5 result in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race. Mancuso and co-driver Frank Montecalvo are currently tied for 4th-place in the driver championship, Multimatic Motorsports is third in the team championship and Aston Martin is third in the manufacturer’s championship.
Often featuring fields of more than 80 cars, the GS series is one of the most exciting and hard-fought support races on Grand-Am weekends. Mancuso returns to action next in Austin, TX at the newly constructed Formula 1 track the Circuit of the Americas on March 2nd.
In addition to his racing activities, he was inducted into the Cum Laude Society in 2004 and in 2005 he was made a member of the National Honor Society and chosen as a National Merit Scholar before graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009.
He is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and an ‘extreme adventurer’ with hobbies that include spearfishing, Krav Maga (an Israeli martial art), skydiving and capturing/photographing reptiles in the wild. He spent 40 days hiking in the Australian Outback and recently went on safari to Africa.
“I’ve always been an adventure junkie… but in a very practical way,” says the 26 year-old Mancuso. “I do things people would consider dangerous, but I don’t just jump in with both feet until I know how deep it is. I research, prepare and execute in a very methodical way so the things I do are still exciting, but I’m less likely to get hurt doing them. Racing requires exactly the same mix of thrill-seeking and discipline, which is why I enjoy it.”
Mancuso joined Multimatic Motorsports in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge for the 2013 season after having helped the team develop their factory-backed Ford Focus ST-R racecar in 2012. He began racing in 2006, winning numerous races in SCCA Regional Sports 2000 competition. Mancuso has since driven in numerous professional series in both sports cars and open wheel racecars.
On-track action begins with a ‘promoter test day’ on Thursday, Feb. 28. There will be two practice sessions on Friday, March 1, from 8:40–9:25 am and 1:00–1:45 pm. Qualifying for the Continental GS class takes place 3:05–3:20pm Friday afternoon. Fans will be able to get up close and personal with the drivers and cars of the Continental Tire Challenge during the Pit Lane Fan Walk, 9:00–9:55 am Saturday, March 2. Round 2 of the 2013 Continental Tire Challenge, scheduled for 2/12 hours, takes the green flag at 10:00am. The 60-car field includes 30 cars in the GS (Grand Sport) class and another 30 in the ST (Street Tuner) class. The race will air on SPEED Saturday, March 9 at 4:00 pm ET.
About Multimatic Motorsports
Multimatic Motorsports is a leading motorsports organization that is the competition arm of Multimatic Engineering, one of Canada’s largest and most successful engineering organizations. Multimatic Motorsports has a rich racing history, having captured major international wins such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP675 class in 2000, the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona Prototype class in 2003 and the 12 Hours of Sebring GT2 class in 2006. Multimatic Motorsports programs include car design, engineering, testing and development, track support and turn-key competition management.
About the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge cars are often purchased directly from the showroom floor with only minimal racing modifications allowed to enhance safety and performance. Two classes of race cars compete on the track at the same time during Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge—Street Tuner (ST) and Grand Sport (GS)—with drivers competing for top honors in their specified class, as well as the overall win. Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge cars are classified by weight, engine size and model. Fields of 80+ cars are common.
For additional information, please visit http://www.nickmancusoracing.com.
For photos, interviews, etc., contact Nick Mancuso at NMancuso@lfsc.com.
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