Lead Photographer: Jim Sykes

 
 

Uwe Alzen

Uwe is a former Porsche Carrera Cup and Porsche Supercup champion; a veteran professional racing driver who brings a wealth of long-distance hour sports car racing experience to VICI Racing, having finished on the podium in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Nürburgring 24 Hours races; as well as in the Daytona 24 Hours, where in 1998 he won the GT1 class for Porsche as well as finishing a highly impressive second overall. The German, who has also driven in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), International Touring Car Championship (ITC) and the German STW Supertouring series, has spent much of his professional racing career driving Porsche race cars.

UWE ALZEN
NICKY PASTORELLI

Nicky Pastorelli

Nicky comes to the arena of sportscar racing from background in single seaters.  The 24-year-old from Rijswijk in The Netherlands followed the well-trodden path taken by young drivers of karting and Formula Renault before he firmly marked himself out as a future star by winning the Euro F3000 Championship. Thrust into the international limelight, his F3000 pace and ability led to a test with the Minardi F1 Team, and he was swiftly signed as official Jordan F1 test driver in 2005. In 2006 he followed another traditional path as he made the break into the Champ Car series with Rocketsports Racing, as well as being the official third driver for Midland F1.  Nicky had by now caught the eye of Ron Meixner who has always supported young talent, and he was offered the opportunity to drive the VICI Racing Porsche-Fabcar in the 24 Hours of Daytona. A modern, consummately professional racing driver, Nicky is fast, smooth and blisteringly quick, and a sure sportscar star of the future.

Ruben Carrapatoso

26-year-old Ruben, from São Paulo, began his racing career in karts in 1993, going on to win the world title in 1998 after a season during which he took on and beat Fernando Alonso, who has since gone on to win two F1 titles, and the highly-regarded Toyota F1 Test Driver Ryan Briscoe. Ruben then graduated to British Formula Ford in 2001, before following a path, well-trodden by many of his countrymen, in making his way up the single-seater ladder via Italian, and then British, Formula Renault, the Euro F3 Series, and driving for Team Brazil in the F1 ‘feeder’ series, A1GP. Along the way he has also gained closed-roof experience, winning races in the highly competitive Brazilian V8 National Stock Car Championship and the Argentinean V8 Touring Car Championship, over the last three seasons. Ruben arrives at VICI Racing with a reputation already cemented for his rapid pace, natural racing ability, and a tough but smooth style.

RUBEN CARRAPATOSO
FRANCESCO PASTORELLI

Francesco Pastorelli

In certain families, motor racing courses through the blood, and it is certainly the case in the Pastorelli household in Rijswijk, Holland, where Nicky (European F3000 champion and ChampCar driver) now has younger brother, 21-year-old Francesco, busy making a name for himself in European ‘staircase’ formulae. Born on 25th January 1987 in Voorburg, Francesco began his career – as have so many of the greats – in karts, at the age of seven in 1994. In 2005 Francesco got his first taste of closed-roof racing, as he was sign up to race the powerful V6-engined BRL (Benelux Racing League) ‘silhouette’ machines. The next year he had a much-expanded program and the youngster, who speaks fluent English, Dutch and Italian, impressed everyone on his way to 10th place in the BRL championship. Last year Francesco got his single-seater career underway in some style, with a double trophy haul as he raced to victory in the Benelux and Dutch Formula Ford championships.

 

Craig Stanton

Craig Stanton is one of the most versatile and well-known drivers in the sports-car paddock. With multiple wins in both the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-American ranks, the 2005 Rolex GT champion joins VICI Racing with the enthusiasm and know-how to deliver big results. In addition to Craig’s successes on track, he also is widely recognized as one of the best driver coaches in the business, and described by many as “the fittest man in motorsports.”

CRAIG STANTON
NATHAN SWARTZBAUGH

Nathan Swartzbaugh

Nathan Swartzbaugh has joined the team for his first full season of American Le Mans Series competition. After winning championships in SCCA competition beginning at 14-years old, the 23-year Southern California native already brings nearly a decade of experience to the team. Nathan first drove for VICI Racing in the IMSA GT3 Cup back in 2005 and having marked himself down as a sportscar name of the future, he went one better the next season, winning the 2006 IMSA GT3 Cup championship. Nathan then ran a partial season in both ALMS and Rolex GT in 2007, has taken part in the Daytona 24 Hours this year for the second time, and now looks forward to contesting ALMS with VICI Racing.

 

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