Nick Mancuso joins Maserati Trofeo series for VIR

After an exciting season in a Ferrari GT3 racecar which saw Nick Mancuso take pole position, a race win and three podiums in the Pirelli World Challenge, Nick is excited to get his chance behind the wheel of some different machinery; albeit from the same family lineage.

After having to cut his championship chase short in the Ferrari, Mancuso leapt at the opportunity to take part in the North American round of the Maserati Trofeo Championship. With a race calendar spanning the globe and including some of the best venues in the world like Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone, Shanghai and many more, the Trofeo Championship visits Virginia International Raceway circuit Aug. 22-24, during its annual stop in the USA.

"Well this one was a no-brainer!" Mancuso said. "I've just been planning to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the year and work on my 2015 programs and this came out of the blue. I really need to thank the folks over at Maserati Corse and the Trofeo Championship for inviting me out. I actually made my professional racing debut at VIR back in 2008, but unfortunately I'm not sure if I've been back since!"

VIR has a special place in Maserati's heart as well as the first official event held at the now iconic venue was won by Carroll Shelby driving a Maserati 450S. He will take part in the fourth round of the hotly contested international series as part of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship weekend.

The car Nick will be piloting will be a 2014-spec Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo MC. The Trofeo MC is based off of the iconic GranTurismo street car with enhanced horsepower and aerodynamics while undergoing a drastic diet resulting in a car that's over 1,000 pounds lighter than its road-going sibling.

"Weight is everything in a racecar and you can tell the Maserati Corse engineers took this project seriously," Mancuso added. "Add to that an upgraded aerodynamics package for 2014, a paddle-shift gearbox, racing spec dampers and a full AP Racing braking system and you've got one serious racecar. I'm looking forward to enjoying the weekend and will be sure not to screw up anyone's year-long championship; hopefully I can do that by staying out in front of everybody!"

The Maserati Trofeo Championship weekend kicks off with practice on Aug. 22 and you can follow all the action on www.MaseratiCorse.com and on social media @MaseratiCorse on Twitter and Facebook.

Follow Mancuso on Twitter and Instagram @NickMancusoRace and checking NickMancusoRacing.com.