Nelson Mason

Nelson Mason
Born	(1987-10-13) October 13, 1987 Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Racing driver
Years active	2004–present
Known for	Competing in World Series Formula V8 3.5, winning 2013 European F3 Open Winter Series title

Nelson Mason (born 13 October 1987) is a Canadian professional racing driver currently competing in the World Series Formula V8 3.5 with Teo Martín Motorsport. He is part of an exclusive group of Canadian racers who have made a successful transition to European motorsport, having clinched the 2013 European F3 Open Winter Series title before moving up to compete in the World Series.

Early career

Originating from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Mason comes from a lineage deeply rooted in motorsport; both his father and grandfather were instrumental in designing and constructing the RTJ Formula Vee vehicle that secured several North American championships throughout the 1980s and 1990s under the auspices of SCCA and ASN Canada FIA. His brother, Jesse Mason, also raced on the international stage, achieving third place in the 2004 Indy Lights championship.

Mason’s racing journey began at age four with motocross in the Canadian CMRC series, where by eight years old he had already claimed both the Ontario Provincial and Canadian National Motocross titles. In 1996, he competed concurrently in motocross and karting across the United States, capturing the New York State Karting Championship. Starting in 1997, he advanced through the ranks of the World Karting Association, securing numerous victories including winning the Constructor's Cup in 1999.

In 2002, Mason moved into the SKUSA ProMoto Tour’s 80cc Shifterkart division piloting MBA karts. The next year, he joined First Kart North America to focus on the Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow Karting Championship. He made an immediate impact by winning his first race, earning pole position and victory in the Champ Car World Finals Pre-Final, and ultimately finished third overall in that championship.

From 2006 through 2008, Mason represented Oxford Brookes University in the British Universities Karting Championship, where he notched multiple wins and consistently placed third, second, and third across three consecutive seasons.

Early car career

Mason’s open-wheel racing debut occurred in 2004 driving his father’s Formula Vee car within SCCA competition. Despite budgetary constraints limiting his participation to selected rounds, he managed to secure a podium finish at Pocono Raceway. In 2005, he ventured into European racing for the first time by competing in the Walter Hayes Trophy event behind the wheel of a Spirit Formula Ford. Although operating with minimal team resources, Mason impressively climbed from 18th to third place early on before sliding off track near race end. Returning to North America in 2006, he attained victories and podium finishes in Formula Vee competition, culminating with a third-place result at the SCCA Runoffs. Mason continued his European racing pursuits with entries at the Formula Ford Festival during 2007 and 2008 seasons, setting fastest laps and overcoming challenges to reach final rounds. In 2010, he participated in six races of the Italian Formula Three championship driving for Team Ghinzani.

European F3 Open

Following a three-year break from full-time racing, Mason joined Team West-Tec for the European F3 Open Championship campaign in 2013. He claimed wins at Le Castellet and Jerez circuits along with three further podium finishes, ultimately securing third place overall in the championship standings.

GP3 Series

In 2014, Mason progressed to compete in the GP3 Series with Hilmer Motorsport, stepping into a more competitive international racing environment.

Career overview

Season	Championship	Team	Starts	Victories	Pole positions	Fastest laps	Podium finishes	Points scored	Final standing
2007	Formula Ford Festival		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	21st
2008	Formula Ford Festival		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	NC
2010	Italian Formula 3 Championship	Team Ghinzani	6	0	0	0	0	0	29th
2013	European F3 Open Championship	Team West-Tec	16	3	4	4	6	195	3rd
	Macau Grand Prix	Jo Zeller Racing	1	0	0	0	0	N/A	17th
2014	GP3 Series	Hilmer Motorsport	17	0	0	0	0	0	22nd
	Euroformula Open Championship	EmiliodeVillota Motorsport	2	0	0	0	1	0	NC
2017	World Series Formula V8 3.5	Teo Martín Motorsport	9	0	0	1	0	42	11th

Full GP3 Series results

(Template:Motorsport driver results legend#key) (Bolded races indicate pole position; italicized races denote fastest lap)

Year	Team Entry	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Round 9	Round 10	Round 11	Round 12	Round 13	Round 14	Round 15	Round 16	Round 17	Round 18	Final Position	Total Points
(2014)	Hilmer Motorsport	(CAT FEA) 17	(CAT SPR) Ret	(RBR FEA) 14	(RBR SPR) 16	(SIL FEA) 25	(SIL SPR) 12	(HOC FEA) 16	(HOC SPR) 14	(HUN FEA) 19	(HUN SPR) 20	(SPA FEA) 15	(SPA SPR) 10	(MNZ FEA) Ret	(MNZ SPR) 18	(SOC FEA) 15	(SOC SPR) DNS	(YMC FEA) 17	(YMC SPR) 18†	22nd	0

^† Although the driver did not cross the finish line, classification was granted for completing more than ninety percent of the race distance.

Full World Series Formula V8 3.5 Results

(legend) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions; those in italics represent fastest laps)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final Position	Points Earned
2017	Teo Martín Motorsport	SIL Race 1 7th	SIL Race 2 Retired	SPA Race 1 9th	SPA Race 2 9th	MNZ Race 1 6th	MNZ Race 2 6th	JER Race 1 5th	JER Race 2 8th	ALC Race 1 Did Not Participate	ALC Race 2 9th								11th place	42 points