Raniery Coletto was nominated by his friend, Jacky Sedaka. Jacky shared the following sentiment about Raniery and his support:
"From the very first day Raniery saw me, he started helping me. He did not wait for me to ask — he took the time to introduce me to pylon racing here in the USA, to show me how the races work and what it takes to compete. And more than teaching me, he motivated me. He encouraged me to race, he believed that I could do it, and he stood by me while I learned.
Because of Raniery's help, my life in this hobby changed completely. I became a pylon pilot. Then I became a pylon builder — today I build Voodoo pylon racing airplanes with my team, RPMC. And now I have taken one more step I never imagined: I am creating my own pylon racing engine, the MKS Q40. Not one of those steps would have happened without Raniery.
And it did not stop there. Today I am a pylon Contest Director, I run two pylon races in South Florida, and I serve as president of SEMPRA. Through all of it, Raniery is still there — helping, supporting, and pushing me forward, exactly like he did on the first day.
People like Raniery are the reason this hobby grows. He did not just help one new pilot — through me, his help now reaches every pilot who flies one of our airplanes, and every racer who will one day run our engine. That is what a true mentor does: he multiplies.
I am deeply grateful to Raniery, and I want the AMA to know what he did for me, and what he continues to do for pylon racing in this country."
