Second-year racer will be part of talented multi-car lineup by Team Champion
CLEARWATER, FL – Team Pelfrey has added another piece in its pursuit of top honors in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, signing returning series standout Gustavo Menezes for the upcoming 2012 season. The Californian, who will be part of a talented multi-car effort by the Florida-based squad, joins the reigning Team Champion following a superb rookie season of car competition.
As Team Pelfrey showed in 2011 - scoring four wins and capturing 13 podium finishes en route to the team title in its first season of Star Mazda Championship action - pairing talented rookies with skilled series veterans is a winning combination. With Menezes signing with the highly-rated outfit, that trend is poised to continue this coming season. The 17 year-old joins Team Pelfrey having stood on the podium once, finished in the top-five twice, and earned nine top-10 finishes en route to eighth in the Star Mazda Championship title fight as a 16 year-old in his inaugural season of car competition. The young up-and-comer will be part of a multi-car effort by Team Pelfrey, joining British rookie Jack Hawksworth.
"We are thrilled to welcome such a talented young driver to our team," commented Team Pelfrey Team Manager Geoff Fickling. "Gustavo is a great kid with a ton of talent, and we're very excited to begin working with him. I couldn't be happier with how our team is shaping up heading into the new year."
"I am very happy to say that next year I will be a part of Team Pelfrey," added Menezes. "They are a great team to be a part of and are awesome to work with. This past season they did a great job, especially for a rookie team, winning the team championship and more. I think I will learn a lot with such an experienced crew and with my new great teammates. I am so stoked to work with one of the most familiar faces in my racing career, Rocky Moran. Geoff has got a solid team for next year, and I cannot wait for the first race of the season next year to see what happens.
"I had a great time with Juncos this past season and learned so much. I wish them the best of luck next year as our competitors, and I think we will have some good racing."
Menezes, despite his young age, enters his second full season of Star Mazda competition with good deal of motorsports success on his resume. The Santa Monica, Calif., resident began racing karts at the age of six, winning at both the regional and national level. Prior to making the transition to junior formula car action, Menezes contested an international karting schedule in 2009 and 2010, racing in the WSK International Series and contesting various major events in Europe and the U.S.A. In addition to running the entire 11-race Star Mazda Championship last season, Menezes competed in Europe in his first season of car competition, running selected events in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Championship.
Menezes recently commenced his new partnership with Team Pelfrey via private testing, and will continue preparations for the upcoming season over the coming weeks with more off-season testing. The 2012 Star Mazda Championship gets underway in the spring at a yet to be confirmed event in Florida. Further announcements regarding Team Pelfrey's multi-car line-up are expected in the coming weeks.
About Team Pelfrey:
After a multi-year hiatus from motorsports competition, Team Pelfrey rejoined the professional open-wheel ranks in 2011. With the primary goal of helping develop and train new talent, the Florida-based squad runs a multi-car effort in the highly-regarded Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, which is part of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system. Building on Team Pelfrey’s previous success in the IndyCar Series, which featured the likes of Danny Ongais, Memo Gidley, Bryan Tyler, Billy Boat, Robby Unser, Sarah Fisher and 1998 Indianapolis 500 race leader John Paul Jr. getting behind the wheel, Team Principal Dale Pelfrey has assembled a talented crew of personnel with a proven Star Mazda track record. In its rookie Star Mazda season, Team Pelfrey captured the team title with four wins. Additional information on Team Pelfrey can be obtained via the team website at www.Team-Pelfrey.com For direct contact, please contact Geoff Fickling at gf@team-pelfrey.com or (727) 329-8860.
Source Videos Stefano Caracchi
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