Marcelli joins R. Ferri Motorsport in PWC SprintX

R. Ferri Motorsport Racing with Ferrari announced today that Canadian driver Kyle Marcelli will join Alex Riberas of Spain in driving the team's No. 61 Ferrari 488 GT3 in the Pirelli World Challenge SprintX races.

Marcelli, 27, of Barrie, Ontario, has been racing sports cars professionally since 2010. A former Canadian Formula Ford champion, he's entered 180 races in his career and won 21, captured 24 pole positions and finished on the podium 72 times for a podium percentage of 40 percent.

Marcelli's first race with the team will be at the Virginia International Raceway on April 28-30 and he will be in the cockpit when the series races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, north of Bowmanville, Ontario, on the Victoria Day weekend May 19-21.

"We are excited to have Kyle join our team," team owner Remo Ferri said. "Being a young Canadian driver, I've followed his career closely over the years and I feel he's a good fit for our team and will work well with Alex at the SprintX races.

"I'm happy to support Canadian racing talent by giving them a platform to showcase their abilities and hopefully achieve a larger role in the Ferrari Racing Program."

Marcelli was full of praise for Ferri and his organization.

"It's such an honor to join R. Ferri Motorsport and Ferrari. I'm overjoyed with this opportunity to pilot and represent such an iconic brand. I want to thank Remo and his team for selecting me for this position.

"This program has my full attention and best efforts. I look forward to driving alongside Alex Riberas. He's very quick and I expect we will push each other to get the best result on track."

Riberas, from Barcelona, Spain, joined the R. Ferri Motorsport Racing with Ferrari organization earlier this year. He is coming off an impressive season in the Asian Le Mans Series with a Team Championship and a second place finish in the Driver's Championship.