IRVINE, Calif. (April 20, 2017) – Matt Cresci spent four years balancing life as a student at Santa Clara University, and as a Mazda club racer. Now, Cresci has graduated from both, and is looking at ever bigger challenges and opportunities. This coming weekend will see Cresci make his professional race debut in the Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires.
In May of 2015 Cresci completed his studies at Santa Clara, earning his degree in Business Management with a 3.78 GPA. In November of 2016, he earned a $100,000 Mazda Road to 24 Scholarship to race in the Global MX-5 Cup.
For the 2017 MX-5 Cup, Cresci has teamed up with Slipstream Performance where he will join Hernan Palermo, Patrick Linn, Alex Bachoura, and Jared O’Malley. The team participated in the MX-5 Cup Spring Training in advance of the season opening race at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 20-22.
Regarding his team selection, Cresci noted, "I’m very excited to be working with Slipstream Performance and BTM Motorwerks for the 2017 season. Slipstream has demonstrated its performance potential in the MX-5 Cup, so they will take care of track-side support at every event. BTM Motorwerks will be assisting with transport, logistics, and radio communication throughout the year. Both of these teams were extremely flexible in meeting my unique requests for this season, which is what sealed the deal. Quite simply, I can't wait to get started!"
After the test, Cresci reflected, "I feel as though the test went extremely well. It was my first time driving the #51 and my first time at the track, so I was happy to bounce around the top 10 throughout the weekend. It was also a great reality check as to the importance of the draft, along with the tire strategy that will be critical in this series. Fortunately, I now have a month to reflect and figure out the best way to approach the first race weekend."
As further proof that Cresci is perfect fit for the Mazda world, he is using his business and entrepreneurial skills to start his own business, Bay Area Stick Shift, to teach people that Driving Matters, and that driving a manual transmission car is a lot of fun.
“We’ve been watching Matt for several years now. We were impressed with his talents in the Teen Mazda Challenge. At our Mazda Road to 24 Shootout he proved that he had the total package, earning him the Mazda scholarship. Matt’s dedication to excellence, both on the track, and in the classroom bodes well for his career,” said David Cook, business development manager, Mazda Motorsports.
Information on all of Mazda Motorsports, including complete details on the Global MX-5 program can be found online at www.mazdamotorsports.com.
About Mazda Motorsports:
Mazda Motorsports boasts the most comprehensive auto racing development ladder system of any auto manufacturer in the world. The Mazda Road to 24 program offers a number of scholarships to advance drivers up the sports car racing ladder, beginning with the Global MX-5 Cup series and culminating with the Mazda Prototype team. The Mazda Road to Indy is a similar program that includes Mazda-powered categories of USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights. In grassroots road racing, more Mazdas race on any given weekend in North America than any other manufacturer. Mazda is also the title sponsor of the renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Follow all of the latest news at MazdaMotorsports.com, @MazdaRacing on Twitter, and MazdaMotorsports on Instagram and Facebook.
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through more than 600 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.