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| Article to run in local Canadian community papers... Gormley, Ontario (August 15, 2003) - For Jonathan Macri, being a race car driver in CART’s (Championship Auto Racing Teams) Toyota Atlantic series is one of the final stops before achieving a lifelong dream of driving in CART’s Champ Car league. For his family, having a son that races means constant travel, business negotiations, sacrifice and a fear for safety every time Jonathan gets on the track. With the driver in the spotlight, media and fans rarely get to see the day to day operations of the team behind the driver. In Jonathan Macri’s case, the support comes from his business minded family who has run his career for the last 15 years with not only business savvy, but love and support. Many drivers have a network of people behind the scene, but making racing a whole family affair is a rarity in today’s hectic world. The Macri’s are not like the average racing family and their ability to support their driver both professionally and personally as a son, gives Jonathan an extra foundation of backing, which reflects in his successes on the track. The Macri’s make it a point to be at every race, whether it be in Mexico, the United States or one of the many Grand Prix’s of Canada. Jonathan’s mother Loraine acts as the business manager and oversees all travel, hotel accommodations and hospitality events for Jonathan’s sponsor NTN Bearings. Ferdinando Macri, Jonathan’s father, has been a liaison between the team and the driver and oversees Jonathan’s overall career and all sponsorship endorsements and contracts. The other two siblings in the family, older brother Francis and younger brother Mario, are some of Jonathan’s biggest fans and attend as many races as jobs and school allow. Cheering on their brother from the grandstands and helping out with autograph sessions and hospitality events when they can, the two boys seem to enjoy the whole racing scene immensely. Jonathan was introduced to racing on a family outing nearly 15 years ago. Ferdinando took his boys out to try Go-Karts at Lake Simcoe and the family fell in love with the excitement of racing. With his first spins on the track, Jonathan showed his talent in speed and his ability to calculate his moves with great precision, which enabled him to excel within the sport and soon he began competing competitively. Within a few years, Jonathan and his family were traveling overseas for Go-Kart races with Canadian championship victories coming at age 16. With success in Go-Karting, the transition to auto racing began after Jonathan won the Skip Barber Car Racing Scholarship in 1998. Victories and accomplishments would quickly follow. In 1999, Macri won the Formula Ford Rookie of the Year award and placed 4th overall in championship points. In 2000, Jonathan won the Canadian Formula Ford 1600 Championship, which allowed him to move up to the Toyota Atlantic series, where he races today. Jonathan is currently ranked third in championship points for the season and is looking to make a jump to Champ Car next year. With all these accomplishments, the young driver’s family is always closely behind. Jonathan’s father Ferdinando acted as his mechanic through his entire Go-Kart career and continues to interact with the mechanics and engineers of Jonathan’s team today. Although the family knows the sport inside and out, they know when a family just needs to be a family. "Racing and family are separated when we get on the track", Ferdinando commented. "We are looking out for Jonathan’s best interests all the time, but we leave any conflicts between parent and child at home...when we are on the track, we are there to support Jonathan’s career." That ability to love and look out for Jonathan, aided him in capturing the Go-Kart Canadian championships and continues to provide great benefits to him at every race he has driven since. With many families who are involved in a child’s career, a problem surfaces when the parents become overbearing and end up pushing the child to extremes, and that is the one thing the Macri’s have been cautious of. "We have always made sure that Jonathan was wanting to take racing to the next level and that it was his dream and no one else's", Ferdinando commented. "We want him to be happy no matter what he chooses in life." Jonathan agrees with his parents by stating, "My parents have always given me choices and I am very grateful for that. I am very lucky as I get to chase my dream, my parents allow me to decide the things that drive me, and they love me unconditionally." Anyone who spends time around the Macris will inevitably wonder if Jonathan’s two siblings harbour any jealousy towards the brother that takes up so many of the family’s weekends at the racetracks and who is adored by many young women and racing fans. Surprisingly, the brothers seem to enjoy the track more so than anyone else. They are in the stands with radios and game faces on analyzing all the competition, and off the track they laugh and goof around like any other trio of siblings. Any signs of jealousy are completely non-existent. Ferdinando and Loraine make sure all of their children are encouraged in all of their various interests and that when it comes to racing, that Jonathan has all the support he needs to get ahead. "Every time Jonathan gets on the track I say a prayer and get very nervous", Loraine commented. "To be a mother watching your son go over 100 mph in a racing situation is very scary. We want him to do well, but more importantly, we just want him to get off the track in one piece." There is no doubt when Jonathan accomplishes his first turn of a Champ Car race one day, it will be his parents and brothers who truly know every step of the journey and are the proudest of Jonathan’s accomplishment. With this calculating driver in the hunt for the CART’s Toyota Atlantic Championship, and his family not far behind, Gormley’s own Jonathan Macri is sure to be a name more and more people will be recognizing in the races and years to come. To follow Jonathan Macri’s career, please log on to his website at www.jonathanmacri.com. Macri will take the track in Colorado on August 31, 2003 for the Grand Prix of Denver. Fans may follow the race on SPEED CHANNEL by checking local listings for times. -30- |
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