BOISE, Idaho — Nick Persing balances college life with professional racing in the International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) Lamborghini Super Trofeo series.
Boise State University can add another sporting accomplishment to its resume: an IMSA race winner. Nick Persing's racing career started as generically as possible.
"My dad was a car guy. And he bought me a go-kart for Christmas," Persing said.
That Christmas gift launched a racing career that progressed through karting to open-wheel United States series of Formula 4 and Formula 3, a path that could have led to Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport.
"There just isn't really a good path for it in the United States. I wanted to go to college, which is why I'm at Boise State now. I wanted to, you know, be able to live a little bit more of a normal life," Persing said.
A career in Formula 1 would have required a family move to Europe, prompting Persing to shift his focus to GT sports car racing.
"That's why we made the switch to GT cars. But I honestly couldn't be happier. It's been a great step forward for me," Persing said.
The decision has paid off. Persing has found success with Wayne Taylor Racing, a prominent team in sports car competition, and has already celebrated victories in the competitive series.
"I've gotten to know these guys over the past couple years. I've got to give a shout out to my mechanic Diesel, right? Like he's family now. Like I love these guys," Persing said.
Like many professional racers, Persing has developed his own distinctive helmet design, which has garnered attention this season. His new design features a split color scheme that incorporates his school colors and logo through a partnership.
"That's kind of where I went with this. I think this is, this has started to become my thing where I kind of do the two different colored sides like this right here. But honestly, from here on out, I think blue and orange might have to be my colors," Persing said.
Persing's next race is in two weeks at Watkins Glen in New York. IMSA streams all of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo races for free here.
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