“…I always wanted to be a RaceCar Driver, ever since I was a little kid. In Italy, in the summers, I used to stand by the fence at the Ferrari Test Track and watch the drivers [Lauda]…” — Nic Monterastelli
“…Nic was a no-nonsense kinda guy, quiet and serious, and when he showed up to race – he showed up to win…” – Ben Schaeffer
Eric M’s father Nic M wanted to start his own European Car Parts reselling business and was looking for names. On a whim, and since GTA had been merged into the Audi Club website, Eric M suggested they call the business “Gran Touring Motorsports.” – The business was in operation until 2010.
GTM as a business focused primarily on VAG products
Porsche, Audi and VW. Below is the original company logo as seen in this banner Ad from 2006.
“…Wait! He was in a commercial?…” – Jessica M
3/15/2010 – Father & Son duo are separated
“…He was always creating, tinkering, MacGyvering something…” – Tania M
Nothing was ever stock. He held positions in various car clubs (SCCA, PCA, Audi, etc) and as Auto-X started to fade in popularity in the DMV in the late 90s, Nic moved his attention to HPDE and spent 10+ years as a DE instructor for many clubs. He loved anything Motorsport, from Karting, MotoGP, F1, Rally, AutoX, you name it… He was interested and wanted to be involved. He earned the title “MacGyver” many times for his grassroots approach to solving automotive engineering projects; and it wouldn’t have been a “Nic Approved Solution” if it didn’t involve some sort of custom bracketry or use of scrap copper.
“…Now he races with Senna and the other greats. May he rest in Peace…” – Paolo Do Couto.
In 2010, Nic M passed away from Stage-4 brain cancer. RIP. Member #00000
GTM was founded and dedicated in honor of Nic; The Monterastelli family would like to thank everyone that has supported this organization over its many years; your thoughts, prayers, donations and more have not gone unrecognized – and it’s with that that we continue on Nic’s legacy, and we thank you! Without YOU none of this would be possible.
