Fabrizio Giovanardi
| Fabrizio Giovanardi | |
|---|---|
| 200px
Giovanardi at the Donington round of the 2014 British Touring Car Championship season.
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| Nationality | Italian |
| Born | 14 December 1966 Sassuolo (Italy) |
| British Touring Car Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2006 |
| Current team | Airwaves Racing |
| Car no. | 7 |
| Former teams | Uniq Racing with Triple Eight |
| Starts | 152 |
| Wins | 24 |
| Poles | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 17 |
| Best finish | 1st in 2007, 2008 |
| Previous series | |
| 2011 2010, 2013 2008 2006 2005–06 2002–04 2000–01 1998–99 1996–97 1995 1991–99 1989–91 1989 1989 1987–88, 1990 |
STCC Superstars Series V8 Supercars TC 2000 Championship WTCC ETCC European Super Touring Super Tourenwagen Cup Spanish Touring Cars DTM Italian Superturismo International Formula 3000 IMSA GT Championship Renault 21 European Cup Italian Formula Three |
| Championship titles | |
| 2007–08 2002 2000–01 1998–99 1997 1992 |
BTCC ETCC European Super Touring Italian Superturismo Spanish Touring Cars Italian Superturismo Class S2 |
Fabrizio Giovanardi (born 14 December 1966, Sassuolo) is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won eight touring car titles, including European and British crowns. He has spent the majority of his career racing for Alfa Romeo and Vauxhall.
Contents
- 1 Career
- 2 Racing record
- 2.1 Career summary
- 2.2 Complete International Formula 3000 results
- 2.3 Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft results
- 2.4 Complete European Touring Car Championship results
- 2.5 Complete World Touring Car Championship results
- 2.6 Complete British Touring Car Championship results
- 2.7 V8 Supercar results
- 2.8 Complete International Superstars Series results
- 3 Personal life
- 4 References
- 5 External links
Career
Formula Three
After winning both the Italian and World Formula C karting titles for 125cc karts in 1986, Giovanardi stepped up to the Italian Formula Three Championship in 1987, driving a Reynard 873 powered by Alfa Romeo for PreMa Racing, where he scored a podium en route to thirteenth position in the championship. He stayed in the series in 1988, where he secured two wins at Vallelunga and Enna-Pergusa and finished third overall in the championship, a point behind runner-up Mauro Martini and two points behind season champion Emanuele Naspetti. He returned to the series in 1990, competing in a single round.
Formula 3000
In 1989, Giovanardi switched to International Formula 3000 to compete with First Racing and won the race at Vallelunga. Those were his only points however, as he ended up tenth in the final championship standings; failing to qualify for races at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Le Mans. He continued in the series in 1990 with First Racing, and again ended up tenth in the championship with a best result of second place at Pau. 1991 was his final season, and finished in a three-way tie for eleventh place.
Super Touring Cars
Giovanardi dabbled into the Italian Superturismo Championship in the 1991 season, competing in a Peugeot 405. He took five Class S2 victories which set him up for a full campaign in the 1992 season. In his first full season, he was champion in the S2 class taking eight race wins and being crowned champion, his first touring car title. He moved into the main class of the championship with Peugeot in 1993, finishing in the top three overall twice, and winning five races before moving to Nordauto Engineering Alfa Romeo in 1995. In his début season with Alfa, Giovanardi again finished in third place, bettering team-mate Antonio Tamburini in a tie. He also contested one round of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft at the Norisring, driving an Alfa Romeo 155 for the factory Alfa Corse team.
Continuing in the Italian series in 1996, Giovanardi dovetailed his programme with a campaign in the Campeonato de España de Turismo; another series for Super Touring cars. He finished fifth in Italy, and one place lower in Spain, taking five wins over the two series. He would take his second touring car title in 1997, winning the four-race Spanish series; and also finished runner-up to Naspetti in the Italian series. He got the better of Naspetti in 1998, winning the Italian championship in the new Alfa Romeo 156 finishing all bar two races on the podium. Giovanardi and team-mate Nicola Larini made a guest appearance in the German Super Tourenwagen Cup at the Norisring, where they both finished outside the top ten placings in both races.
He repeated as Italian champion in 1999, again beating his BMW rival Naspetti; Giovanardi's advantage at the end of the season was only fifteen points after nineteen rounds. Giovanardi and Larini made a return to the STW at the series' Italian round at Misano, and the Alfa drivers finished 1-2 in the sprint race before both retired in the feature race. The Superturismo was promoted to become the "European Super Touring Cup" in 2000, and again Giovanardi won the title for Nordauto. Consistency was the key for a repeat in 2001, winning just three races en route to a second successive European title.
European/World Touring Car Championship
In 2002, the European Touring Car Championship returned as a complete entity using the Super 2000 regulations. The regulation change did not hinder Giovanardi as he won a touring car title for the fifth successive season, again at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo. However, he switched to a Ravaglia Motorsport-run BMW for the 2003 season, but struggled with the rear-wheel-drive car taking only three podiums en route to ninth in the championship. Unsurprisingly, Giovanardi returned to the wheel of an Alfa in 2004 as part of a four-car team by Autodelta, the new name for Nordauto. Giovanardi took a single victory at Valencia as he finished sixth in the championship, finishing behind team-mate Gabriele Tarquini, the first such occasion of Giovanardi being beaten by a team-mate.
With the European series becoming the World Touring Car Championship in 2005 – the first such championship season since 1987 – Giovanardi was part of the Alfa factory outfit, alongside Tarquini, James Thompson and Augusto Farfus, with André Couto joining the quartet at his home round in Macau. Giovanardi took a season-high four victories, as he finished as the highest-placed Alfa Romeo driver in the championship, finishing behind the BMWs of champion Andy Priaulx and Dirk Müller. His final appearance in the series to date came in 2006, when he replaced Pierre-Yves Corthals in Curitiba, Brazil and joined Corthals in Macau for JAS Motorsport; taking a best result of fourth in the opening Macau race.
In 2011, Giovanardi won the European Touring Car Cup at the Salzburgring in Austria. He clinched Hartmann Racing's third consecutive European Touring Car Cup, in a Honda Accord.[1]
British Touring Car Championship
VX Racing/Triple Eight (2006–2010)
With Alfa Romeo pulling out of the WTCC, Giovanardi began searching for a replacement ride for the 2006 season. In late 2005 Giovanardi tested a Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch for the Triple Eight BTCC team at Pembrey in Wales. The team duly signed him, and Tom Chilton up to drive for the team in 2006.[2] Gavin Smith would later join the team, making it a three-car Vauxhall effort.
It was a testing year for the team and Giovanardi, as he came close to a first win at Donington Park before a final-corner collision with West Surrey Racing's Colin Turkington. Giovanardi led into the chicane before an outbraking move by Turkington put him alongside at the apex. Both cut the chicane after the collision, and Turkington got to the line first, taking his second win of the season. Ultimately, his first win – and Vauxhall's 100th in the British Touring Car Championship – came at Knockhill. Fittingly, he was congratulated on live TV by John Cleland, the man who took Vauxhall's first win. He then secured a second win in the series at Brands Hatch; finishing his first BTCC campaign in fifth position, passing James Thompson by a single point at the final meeting of the season at Silverstone. Giovanardi and Chilton both remained with the team into the 2007 season, driving the team's new Vauxhall Vectra in the championship.
The Vectra seemed to suit the driving style of Giovanardi better than his young team-mate, with Giovanardi taking ten wins to Chilton's tally of none. Indeed, Giovanardi was involved in a season-long championship battle with SEAT Sport's Jason Plato, with Plato leading 265-256 into the final round, having not finished outside the top eight positions in the first 27 rounds of the championship. In the first two races at Thruxton, Giovanardi led Plato home and thus Plato held a one-point lead going into the final race. With the top seven places reversed on the grid, Plato started sixth and Giovanardi seventh; but it was the Italian who made the quicker progress through the pack, and with his second place compared to Plato's fourth, Giovanardi claimed his first BTCC title by three points.
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In 2008, Chilton left for Team Dynamics, and thus Giovanardi was joined by new team-mates Matt Neal (joining from Dynamics) and Tom Onslow-Cole (joining from West Surrey Racing) in a three-car team. Giovanardi was the driver to beat, and sealed the title convincingly at Brands Hatch, with two races to spare; clinching the title with a non-scoring fourteenth position, due to the result of rival Plato (fifth), he could no longer be caught in the title race. Until the first race at Brands, Giovanardi had been on a run of 39 consecutive points finishes which had begun at round 19 of the 2007 season, at Snetterton in late July. He failed to score a top ten finish in the entire round, after failing to start in the second race and finishing eleventh in the final race. His only point came from the fastest lap of the final race. Plato finished third in the championship, as Mat Jackson overhauled his points tally after a good final weekend of the season.
Giovanardi and Neal were joined at VX Racing by Andrew Jordan for the 2009 season,[3] which would be the final season of manufacturer effort by Vauxhall. Vauxhall cited the economic downturn as the main reason for pulling out at the end of the season.[4] Giovanardi was once again in the running for the title, alongside Turkington and Plato. Indeed, Giovanardi trailed Turkington by thirteen points heading to the final round of the season, held on the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch. By the final race of the afternoon, a three-way title battle was still the situation, as Turkington had 262 points, Giovanardi 258 and Plato 254 – having won the first two races – with a maximum of seventeen points available. A titanic battle for the lead ensued and was not settled until the final lap of the race. Plato won the race becoming the only second driver to win all three races at a BTCC meeting, with Turkington finishing second to win his first title. Giovanardi finished in fourth position, and thus finished third in the championship standings.
Giovanardi struggled to find a top-line drive for the 2010 season, but returned to the BTCC at the 2010 season-opening round at Thruxton. He drove the #888 Vauxhall Vectra for Triple Eight, partnering 2009 Clio Cup UK champion Phil Glew, who made his BTCC début at the meeting.[5] He won the first two races of the season before taking a fifth-place finish in race three to secure a seven-point lead from Jason Plato in the championship. The team had hoped to run Giovanardi for the remainder of the season, but he was replaced by James Nash ahead of the second round at Rockingham due to sponsor Uniq pulling out.[6]
Instead, Giovanardi found a temporary home in the Italian-based Superstars Series, driving N.Technology's brand new Porsche Panamera S, and won a race on the car's début at Mugello.[7] Giovanardi claimed three wins in succession at Paul Ricard and Vallelunga enabling him to finish sixth in the series' Italian championship, while he lies fifth in the international points, with one round left.
Airwaves Racing (2014–)
In February 2014, Giovanardi was confirmed as Airwaves Racing's first driver for the 2014 British Touring Car Championship season in a Ford Focus ST Mk.III.[8] Giovanardi struggled to find the sweet spot in the new NGTC machinery and finished 13th overall with a solitary podium at thruxton. Despite stating he was wanting to continue in 2015 Giovanardi's hopes were dashed as Motorbase's main title sponsor Airwaves pulled out and left Giovanardi without a drive for 2015 although Fabrizio is open to another return next year.
V8 Supercars
Giovanardi drove with Marc Hynes in the two main endurance races of the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series, the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama. The two drivers were recruited by Triple Eight Race Engineering to pilot the #88 car while regular drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes teamed up in Lowndes' usual #888 car. At Phillip Island, Giovanardi and Hynes finished 17th, a lap down on winners Garth Tander and Mark Skaife and at Bathurst, the pair finished 15th – two laps down on team-mates Lowndes and Whincup. In 2010, Giovanardi will be driving for Britek Motorsport in the Armor All Gold Coast 600, sharing the team's Holden Commodore with Karl Reindler. In 2011, it was announced that Giovanardi would, once again, be driving for Britek Motorsport in the Armor All Gold Coast 600 with Karl Reindler.
Racing record
Career summary
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | First Racing | March 89B | Judd | A | SIL DNQ |
VAL 1 |
10th | 9 | |||||||||
| Reynard 89D | Judd | PAU Ret |
JER 14 |
PER Ret |
BRH DNQ |
BIR DNS |
SPA 13 |
BUG DNQ |
DIJ 12 |
||||||||
| 1990 | First Racing | Reynard 90D | Mugen-Honda | A | DON Ret |
SIL Ret |
PAU 2 |
JER 6 |
MNZ 10 |
PER 6 |
HOC 7 |
BRH Ret |
BIR 5 |
BUG Ret |
NOG Ret |
10th | 10 |
| 1991 | Forti Corse | Lola T91/50 | Ford Cosworth | A | VAL 12 |
PAU 5 |
JER DNQ |
11th | 6 | ||||||||
| Reynard 91D | Ford Cosworth | MUG 8 |
PER Ret |
HOC 13 |
BRH 8 |
SPA 6 |
BUG DNS |
NOG 4 |
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Alfa Corse 2 | Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti | HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
AVU 1 |
AVU 2 |
NOR 1 Ret |
NOR 2 DNS |
DIE 1 |
DIE 2 |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
SIN 1 |
SIN 2 |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
NC | 0 |
Complete European Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† — Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete World Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo | Alfa Romeo 156 | ITA 1 6 |
ITA 2 8 |
FRA 1 10 |
FRA 2 7 |
GBR 1 3 |
GBR 2 8 |
SMR 1 1 |
SMR 2 3 |
MEX 1 1 |
MEX 2 3 |
BEL 1 7 |
BEL 2 1 |
GER 1 26† |
GER 2 Ret |
TUR 1 1 |
TUR 2 6 |
ESP 1 6 |
ESP 2 2 |
MAC 1 19† |
MAC 2 DNS |
3rd | 81 |
| 2006 | JAS Motorsport | Honda Accord Euro R | ITA 1 |
ITA 2 |
FRA 1 |
FRA 2 |
GBR 1 |
GBR 2 |
GER 1 |
GER 2 |
BRA 1 16 |
BRA 2 DNS |
MEX 1 |
MEX 2 |
CZE 1 |
CZE 2 |
TUR 1 |
TUR 2 |
ESP 1 |
ESP 2 |
MAC 1 4 |
MAC 2 6 |
20th | 8 |
† — Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete British Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position - 1 point awarded just in first race) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap - 1 point awarded all races) (* signifies that driver lead race for at least one lap - 1 point awarded all races)
* Season still in progress.
V8 Supercar results
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | Final Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Team Vodafone Racing | ADE |
ECK | HAM | PTH | SAN | HDV | QLD | WIN | PHI Q 14 |
PHI R 17 |
BAT 15 |
SUR | BHR | SYM | OPK | 45th | 222 | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | YMC R1 |
YMC R2 |
BHR R3 |
BHR R4 |
ADE R5 |
ADE R6 |
HAM R7 |
HAM R8 |
QLD R9 |
QLD R10 |
WIN R11 |
WIN R12 |
HDV R13 |
HDV R14 |
TOW R15 |
TOW R16 |
PHI R17 |
BAT R18 |
SUR R19 9 |
SUR R20 Ret |
SYM R21 |
SYM R22 |
SAN R23 |
SAN R24 |
SYD R25 |
SYD R26 |
NC | 0 + | ||
| 2011 | Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | YMC R1 |
YMC R2 |
ADE R3 |
ADE R4 |
HAM R5 |
HAM R6 |
PER R7 |
PER R8 |
PER R9 |
WIN R10 |
WIN R11 |
HDV R12 |
HDV R13 |
TOW R14 |
TOW R15 |
QLD R16 |
QLD R17 |
QLD R18 |
PHI R19 |
BAT R20 |
SUR R21 Ret |
SUR R22 22 |
SYM R23 |
SYM R24 |
SAN R25 |
SAN R26 |
SYD R27 |
SYD R28 |
82nd | 39 |
+ Not Eligible for points
Complete International Superstars Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | N. Technology | Porsche Panamera S | MNZ R1 |
MNZ R2 |
IMO R1 |
IMO R2 |
ALG R1 |
ALG R2 |
HOC R1 |
HOC R2 |
CPR R1 1 |
CPR R2 1 |
VAL R1 1 |
VAL R2 3 |
KYA R1 |
KYA R2 |
5th | 77 | ||
| 2013 | Petri Corse | Porsche Panamera S | MNZ R1 |
MNZ R2 |
BRN R1 5 |
BRN R2 Ret |
SVK R1 4 |
SVK R2 14 |
ZOL R1 7 |
ZOL R2 8 |
ALG R1 Ret |
ALG R2 Ret |
DON R1 |
DON R2 |
IMO R1 |
IMO R2 |
VAL R1 |
VAL R2 |
12th | 33 |
Personal life
Giovanardi is married to Patrizia and has one son, Luca.[9][10] Away from racing he works for his father's business and has a passion for house renovation and flying light aircraft.
References
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External links
- Official website
- Fabrizio Giovanardi career summary at DriverDB.com
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Spanish Touring Car Champion 1997 |
Succeeded by Alfredo Mostajo |
| Preceded by | Italian Touring Car Champion 1998–1999 |
Succeeded by Salvatore Tavano (2003) |
| Preceded by
Roberto Ravaglia (1988)
|
European Touring Car Champion 2000–2001–2002 |
Succeeded by Gabriele Tarquini |
| Preceded by
Sandro Sardelli
|
European Touring Car Championship Independents' Trophy winner 2002 |
Succeeded by Duncan Huisman |
| Preceded by | British Touring Car Champion 2007–2008 |
Succeeded by Colin Turkington |
| Preceded by | European Touring Car Cup Champion 2011 |
Succeeded by Fernando Monje |
- Use dmy dates from February 2014
- Pages with broken file links
- Official website not in Wikidata
- 1966 births
- Living people
- People from Sassuolo
- Italian racing drivers
- British Touring Car Championship drivers
- British Touring Car Championship Champions
- World Touring Car Championship drivers
- Italian Formula Three Championship drivers
- TC 2000 Championship drivers
- International Formula 3000 drivers
- V8 Supercar drivers
- Superstars Series drivers
- European Touring Car Championship drivers
- European Touring Car Cup drivers
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