Mancinelli and TR3 go all in for PWC

Daniel Mancinelli and TR3 Racing showed up for the Pirelli World Challenge season opener at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg pure rookies. Both the team and the driver were new to the series, so they entered the GTA category for Mancinelli's first race in the U.S.

That didn't last long.

For some reason, the series doesn't think GTA drivers should be taking the overall pole for a race. Or perhaps they think anyone who takes a pole for their first race on an American street circuit shouldn't really be classified as a GTA driver. Either way, Mancinelli's time in the "gentleman racer" class lasted one official practice and a qualifying session before he was promoted to GT.

"We didn't expect to be the best, the quickest, in the first race in Pirelli World Challenge, because I didn't know the track and it is very competitive," said Mancinelli of grabbing the pole. "It's like a victory for us because for TR3 Racing, the series is new for them as well for me. To put the car on top of all the drivers was really big satisfaction."

The Italian driver started in karting before moving up through the open-wheel ranks in Europe, then competing in Porsche Cup Italy in 2012 and Ferrari Challenge Italy the next year; he finished second in both. He has spent two seasons in Italian GT racing GT3 cars before making his Pirelli World Challenge debut, so it's not as if the cars are new to him. But the St. Petersburg street/airport circuit certainly was.

He looked good for the podium in the early going in the first race, but struggled with his first race on the Pirelli tires in the later stages, he says. He was also not used to qualifying for the second race in the first race, so he started pretty deep in the field for Race 2, but improved his position by the end. Those were two things that Mancinelli will have to adjust to.

Other surprises? "Thirteen cars in one second," he says. "We are very, very close to each other. Especially on the street circuits I didn't expect it, because it's more difficult. This means the series works well with the balance of performance. For sure the level of competition is very high."

TR3 Racing is the motorsports arm of Fort Lauderdale exotic car tuner TR3 Performance, owned by brothers Gregory, Arthur and Oliver Romanelli. They originally planned to do only a few races, but Mancinelli's and the team's successful debut has led them to put some other programs, such as Ferrari Challenge, on hold and pursue a full season of World Challenge. The team made the trip to Long Beach to compete this weekend, and is working on securing a second driver for the SprintX races.

Mancinelli may do some racing in Italian GT as well, but so far he's liking what he sees in World Challenge.

"This is my first season in the U.S.A.," he says. "I will learn much more yet. But I like the spirit of the races, the people that come to watch the races. The competitors are very aggressive, but that makes it fun."