First off, I definitely understand why many people pay a webmaster to keep their sites up to date.  Secondly, I will post soon with more details on the end of my VW season.  Essentially it was this:

Running 4th at Lime Rock: Tire and Mechanical failure; finish almost last

Running 4th at Iowa Speedway: Taken out by a dumb overtaking maneuver; finish almost last

Qualify 6th at New Jersey race #1: Car overheats on grid, have to pull in to pits; finish last

Qualify 5th at NJ race #2: Timing and scoring error moves me back to 19th to start, get caught up in some bad stuff; finish at the back

Qualifying at Atlanta: Cooling fans cut through my radiator hose and lose fluid cutting my quali session short; start race in lucky #13, best I could get was 10th.  Missed out on setting fastest race lap by a few thousandths of a second.

So, as you can see, not the most stellar end to a disappointing season.  But there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it relates to this press release featured below:

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

Nick Mancuso Racing LLC

 

NICK MANCUSO AND TEAM M.E.R. CLAIM 1ST PLACE IN THE 25 HOURS OF THUNDERHILL

 

Willows, California--  At 3:00pm this past Sunday, the checkered flag fell upon North America’s longest endurance racing event.  The 25 Hours of Thunderhill has been put on by the National Auto Sports Association (NASA) for the past six years at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California.  Featuring cars from all walks of life- from purpose built Daytona Prototypes to modified Volkswagen Beetles, and everything in between- it was the #29 Mazda Miata MX-5 Cup car piloted by Nick Mancuso and co-drivers that took the honors in the E1 class and finished an amazing 5th place overall in the field of 68 cars.

    After 475 grueling laps around the 3.0 mile, 15-turn circuit it was simply a relief when the checkered flag fell.  “Honestly, the hardest part of the event was the last 30 minutes,” said Mancuso, “and I wasn’t even in the car!  Endurance racing really is a team sport and it’s really tough to sit on the sidelines and have everything be outside of your control.”  Coming into the event Mancuso had modest expectations.  “I knew that we had the speed to win, but the element of luck comes heavily into play in the longer races.  We kept our nose clean out on the track and the crew did a phenomenal job in the pits; what more could you ask for?  Many thanks to Team M.E.R., MAZDASPEED, and Hoosier Tires for making this win possible.”

    Though the #29 car won by a margin of nearly three laps to its nearest competitor, it was a nail-biter to the very end.  Starting from pole position, Mancuso’s car led for most of the race, but a win was far from certain until the checkered flag fell.  The decisive element of luck was exemplified by the overall leading car when, with 35 minutes left in the race, the #98 Mustang had differential problems and was forced to retire.  Though this style of racing was much different than the sprint format Mancuso has previously driven in, it looks like he may be back for more: “it was a very nice way to cap off a disappointing 2008 season.  Although my plans for the 2009 season may still be uncertain, I definitely know of at least one race that I will be driving in next year!”

-Nick Mancuso Racing LLC

Founded in 2007, Nick Mancuso Racing LLC was set up by aspiring racecar driver Nick Mancuso.  After nearly winning the SCCA National title in a Sports2000 in his 8th race ever, Nick was selected as the SCCA National Rookie of the Year.  He would then go on to land a factory seat in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup after beating out nearly 800 other competitors.  Currently a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Mancuso has set his sights on a career in professional motorsports.  If you would like to know more about Nick or his race in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill please visit www.NickMancusoRacing.com. 

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Thanks,

Nick