Photo: Brian Cleary/SRO
MarcoPolo Motorsports will return to Pirelli GT4 America competition, having confirmed Tuesday a full-season Sprint series entry for Nicolai Elghanayan.
Elghanayan, who contested a partial season in SRO Motorsports America last year, will continue at the wheel of the team’s KTM X-Bow GT4, looking to build on his race-winning rookie year of professional competition.
“The team has completed many hours of preparations on the car to get it ready for the season opener at St. Petersburg,” said Elghanayan
“We have done a lot of testing and a handful of races over the months to get myself and the car in top shape.
“I am excited to get back into the GT4 X-Bow and compete against a bunch of high level drivers again. This will be my first full season with GT4 America and I cannot wait for this exciting journey to begin.”
Elghanayan earned a win and three additional podiums throughout the Sprint and SprintX season last year, including a pole sweep at Lime Rock Park in May.
The 24-year-old is coming off a double top-five finish in last year’s season finale, in what was its first weekend with the Reiter Engineering-developed Evo kit.
During the off season, Elghanayan participated in charity events, raising more than $14,000 in auctioning off a VIP experience for a 2019 race as well as hot-laps in his KTM X-Bow in a private track day.
All proceeds from his auction experiences went directly to a non-profit organization to provide legal services, policy advocacy, and training and education to protect immigrant women and girls fleeing gender-based violence.
This month, Elghanayan auctioned off another race experience package combined with a weekend in downtown Las Vegas, raising $21,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, a facility Nicolai once attended as a patient.
“While I may be early in my career, and have yet to achieve any kind of fame, I can still use the resources I have available to make a difference,” said Elghanayan.
“Racing is something anyone can connect to and get excited about. By making these experiences available for others, we can raise money for important causes, make a difference in someone’s life, and maybe earn a couple new fans in the process.”
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