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Nunez, Visit Florida To Compete At Sebring In ALMS Opener With #500
Tristan Nunez is set to join the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida lineup when the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón (ALMS) opens its 2013 racing season at the legendary Sebring International Raceway on March 16, 2013. Nunez will drive the No. 500 VISIT FLORIDA Prototype Challenge car for Performance Tech Motorsports and be among a cast of 42-car entries and undoubtedly will be one of the storylines to watch throughout the weekend.
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"I am so proud to carry the colors of the No. 1 travel destination in the world, VISITFLORIDA.com, at Sebring this year," said Nunez. "We're also carrying the No. 500 in celebration of Florida's 500th Anniversary and plan to take them to victory circle. I also hear Ponce de Leon will be making a special appearance."
For the 61st time in its history, the Twelve Hours of Sebring will bring together the world's best sports car drivers and set the stage for rookie and veteran drivers to tackle one of the toughest challenges in all of endurance racing. The 17-year-old Nunez will be making his first start in ALMS after securing the 2012 Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda Series' championship while competing for Performance Tech Motorsports.
"We are excited to have Tristan return to Performance Tech and move up to PC in ALMS this year," said Brent ONeill, owner, Performance Tech Motorsports. "It's great consistency for the team and to place him with David and Charlie will be a great squad for Sebring. We have great momentum from Tristan's championship in 2012 and we're working hard to put on a great show at Sebring."
The Boca Raton, Fla. native Nunez will return to Performance Tech for his first ALMS stint with backing from VISIT FLORIDA®. VISIT FLORIDA is the official destination marketing organization for the State of Florida and is a not-for-profit corporation created as a public/private partnership by the Florida Legislature in 1996. VISIT FLORIDA also supported Nunez's efforts in conjunction with MAZDASPEED Motorsports in GRAND-AM, for which Nunez has competed in the 2013 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and this past weekend at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas for SpeedSource in the SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel Mazda6.
"Sebring, Florida is at the center of the international racing world this week and VISITFLORIDA.com RACING is proud to highlight Florida's rich racing tradition and our 500 years of history with the VIVA FLORIDA #500 car," said Will Seccombe, President & CEO of VISIT FLORIDA.
The Sports Illustrated-named "Face in the Crowd", Nunez, became the youngest sports car racing champion when he capped a incredible 2012 season that included 11 wins, 12 poles, and seven track records in his rookie season in IMSA Lites. Following his season, he closed out an impressive international tour for Team USA and Cliff Dempsey Racing when he capped the trip by besting 120-car entries to seize the Walter Hayes Trophy grand finale at Silverstone. He then closed out 2012 by competing for MLB star C.J. Wilson's team in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
"We have a great shot in the PC class this year," continued Nunez. "Sebring was where it all started for us last season with the poles and wins and just was a huge shot in the arm for our entire season. I'm looking for that same type of momentum for this season with Performance Tech."
Nunez's ALMS debut at the 3.74-mile Sebring is his first scheduled ALMS start for the highly touted rookie and should additional funding become available, Nunez will compete continually in the series. A key part of that additional sponsorship could come from Nunez's contention for sponsorship from Federal-Mogul's Champion® Spark Plugs, where he is a finalist in the brand's competition for $50,000 in racing sponsorship for 2013. The "Search for a Champion" contest has Nunez competing among a cast of 15 finalists for the grand prize sponsorship. Nunez is collecting votes to secure the sponsorship through March 24, 2013 at: www.alwaysachampion.com.
Competing in the PC class of ALMS, Nunez will be joined at Performance Tech by teammates Charlie Shears and David Heinemeier Hannson, and will be competing amongst seven total entries in the PC class. The Prototype Challenge class features the ORECA FLM09 prototype car, containing a full carbon fiber chassis, carbon brakes, and an Xtrac sequential gearbox with paddle shifting and a single-supply of Continental Tires. Five total classes highlight the nature of the ALMS' multiple-class format offering a dynamic with unparalleled suspense at every corner.
His history at Sebring is storied. Nunez captured his first career win from the pole position in a double-header race weekend to open the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda season in 2012 and broke two IMSA Prototype Lites series track records in the process. He also made series history as the youngest driver to win a race in IMSA Lites. The year before (2011) Nunez earned an impressive second place result at Sebring in IMSA Lites, giving him the title of the youngest driver ever to claim a podium result in the series at that time. Nunez will try and continue his history at Sebring while also helping VISIT FLORIDA celebrate the state's 500th anniversary of Juan Ponce de León's arrival on Florida's east coast.
The 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida is set for 10:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 16 from Sebring International Raceway. FOX Sports/SPEED's live television coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. ET. Practice for the event begins on Monday, March 11 with qualifications set for Friday, March 15, 2013. The Series' website offers additional content such as live in-car cameras, and live timing and scoring.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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