Charlotte, NC (July 12, 2024) –
Nick d’Orlando has taken over the championship lead in the Radical Cup North America series after an impressive performance at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca circuit in Monterey, CA. The 21-year-old Charlotte, NC resident continues to shine in the series under the direction of his team at Radical Indianapolis/Graham Rahal Performance. Both team and driver have shown incredible results all season and remain focused for more as the championship slides into the last two rounds of competition, on the streets of Toronto next weekend and across the country to Sonoma, CA in September.
The tricky circuit in Monterey was a new venue for d’Orlando but he adapted quickly and topped the charts of his Pro 1500 class in all practice sessions. Despite a red flag incident that cut the official qualifying session short, he lined up off-pole for the first race of the triple-header weekend.
It was a fierce battle at the end of Race 1 for a victory but d’Orlando would have to settle for second place when lapped traffic played a hand in the closing corners while he was leading the charge. Then further challenges presented themselves again when contact from behind in the opening corner of Race 2 sent him to pitlane for a new front left tire, a quick body repair and back out onto the track quickly with a compromised race car just beating the pace car under a full course yellow so as not to be a lap down from the field. Undeterred by his misfortune, he put on a passing clinic for the next 18 laps in an impressive recovery for fifth place.
d’Orlando looked poised again for a victory in the closing laps of the third and final race of the weekend but a full course yellow with a few laps remaining added another twist which regrouped the entire field together for a last lap shootout. Forced to evade contact with another car braking short in the final corner, he would ultimately cross the finish line in second. Albeit disappointed with the final result, Nicholas d’Orlando now has taken over the lead in the Pro1500 driver’s championship.
“Laguna was a bittersweet weekend for me. The team provided a wicked race car and I was able to find my way around the track at a quick solid pace rather consistently. We found ourselves in the lead in the final laps of both the first and third races so not bringing home a win was a little disappointing.” states d’Orlando.
“Unfortunately, some things are out of our control, but we made sure to bring home the best result we could. The GRP team and I continue to learn more at each and every race event and we’ll be sure to continue that into the final two rounds of the season. We just need to stay focused to keep the momentum going for the championship. I’m looking forward to Toronto next week as it’s the only street race for the Radical Cup North America series. I really enjoyed racing there in USF2000 a couple years ago. The street circuit presents a big challenge with the very narrow and extremely bumpy track surface that's lined with concrete walls but we’re really focused on results and getting some more race wins.”
d'Orlando continues to be the highest ranking rookie and the championship leader in the combined field of all three classes (SR10, SR3 1500 and SR 1340) of over 44 competitors. Round 5 of the Radical Cup North America series will return to action in support of the NTT INDYCAR series’ at the Ontario Honda Dealers of Indy on the streets of Toronto, Ontario Canada on July 19-21, 2024. Schedule is below:
Friday, July 19 - Practice 1 & 2 @ 9:00am – 10:00am ET
Friday, July 19 – Qualifying @ 1:00pm – 1:25pm ET
Friday, July 19 – Race 1 @ 5:05pm – 5:40pm ET
Saturday, July 20 – Race 2 @ 1:40pm – 2:15pm ET
Sunday, July 21 – Race 3 @ 11:40am – 12:15pm ET
Live action is streamed on the Radical Motorsport page on YouTube page.
To stay up to date on Nick d'Orlando, check out his new website at www.nickdorlandoracing.com, and follow his social media on Instagram (dorlandoracing, nickdorlando), Facebook (Nicholas d'Orlando Racing) and on X (dorlandoracing and nickdorlando).
To partner with Nick d'Orlando or any of his partners, or for sponsorship inquiries, please contact Art Wilmes of Rising Star Racing at art.wilmes@risingstarracing.com or Sherri d'Orlando of d'Orlando Enterprises LLC at sherri@dorlandoracing.com.
About Radical Cup North America: Radical Motorsports is a LeMans style spec racing series with national championship series throughout the world. Radical Cup North America consists of three classes of Radical racing – Pro 1340, Pro 1500 and Platinum classes. The Pro 1340 and the Pro 1500 classes consist of the Radical SR3 race car an the Platinum class includes the SR10.
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About d'Orlando Enterprises LLC: d'Orlando Enterprises LLC, also known as "DELLC", is a driver management, marketing, event planning and activation company with specific focus in the amateur and professional motorsports industry. We develop unique and remarkable VIP experiences, behind the scenes access, and other entertainment opportunities for partners and corporations at race events across the country, including the Indy500
About Radical USA Indianapolis: Being the premier Radical Motorsports dealership in the area, Radical USA Indianapolis operates out of Graham Rahal Performance and provides an elevated experience for customers of the Radical racing program. Customers can purchase their SR3 or SR10 from an experienced sales team, receive high-quality service from proficient technicians, various transport services, and store their vehicles in our state-of-the-art facility. Customers can take part in Radical USA Indianapolis track days at the world-class NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, KY. Additionally, Rahal Paint Protection provides specialty coating to further protect a customer’s racecar. Radical Indianapolis will continue to uphold the elevated and results-driven experience that these two global brands have long committed to. For further information, please visit @radical_indianapolis on Instagram and https://radicalindianapolis.com/.
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