Nadeau to Represent America in Nations Cup VII

Written by Team USA. Posted in Team USA News

Published on October 21, 1996 with No Comments

Oct 21, 1996 (Melanie Cannon, Cotter Communications)
Harrisburg, N.C. (Oct. 21, 1996) – When the torch was doused after the 1996 Centennial Summer Olympic Games, many sports enthusiasts closed the book on international competition for the year.
However, the seventh annual Nations Cup, a competition for two-car national motor sports teams, revives international racing at Donington Park circuit in England the weekend of Nov. 2-3.

The United States contingent for the event is led by Jerry Nadeau, a Danbury, Conn., native who placed sixth overall in this year’s Formula Opel European Union Series. Although he only competed in 12 of the 17 events and drove for six different teams, his on-track consistency paid off with five top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

Nadeau, 27, is joined by 19-year-old Tony Renna, who competed in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 1996. Renna was recently named co-winner of the Skip Barber Racing Rookie of the Year Award. They will be competing as part of the Valvoline Team USA Scholarship program against other two-car teams from 16 countries including Austria, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Russia.

“This should be the strongest American team since the inception of the Nations Cup,” said Dan Partel, managing director of the European Formula Drivers Association (EFDA), the sanctioning body for the event. “If Nadeau and Renna can qualify well and avoid accidents, they certainly should be in place for a medal, which no other American team has come close to doing.”

Team score is based on points accumulated by both drivers in two races. The top three teams are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals.

John Village Automotive will field cars for both American drivers in the event. The Nations Cup races are identical to the two-liter, open-wheel cars that Nadeau drove in the Formula Opel Series this year. EFDA regulates the equipment and suppliers to help ensure equal competition based on driver performance and teamwork.

“Jerry is a good driver who knows his job,” said Village. “We have scheduled testing sessions for both drivers at Silverstone and Donington Park over the next few days. Jerry and Tony will have plenty of track time and should be in good shape.”

Nadeau piloted one of Village’s cars to a fourth-place finish at Silverstone earlier this year in the Formula Opel Series.

“I’m looking forward to driving for John Village in the Nations Cup,” said Nadeau. “The drivers in this event are the most competitive racers from their countries, so it’s important to compete for a high-caliber team like this that has the ability to win.”

In addition to sponsorship from Valvoline, Nadeau and Renna are also supported by IndyCar, Car & Driver magazine, RACER magazine, Motorola, LCI International, Miller Genuine Draft and Firestone.

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