BHAI TECH EXPERIENCE DAY

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By the joint effort of “bhai tech”, the new advanced vehicle centre located in Mestrino (Padua-Italy), which has been established to develop the professional growth of drivers and technologically contribute to the set up of racing cars, and the Minardi Management of Mr. Giovanni Minardi, a new event has come about: the “bhai tech experience day. It’s a 3-days event dedicated to a selected group of drivers who have been invited to attend it considering their experience in running different Championships such as GP2, GP3, WSR 3.5, Formula 3, F. Renault Eurocup and Formula ACI CSAI Abarth.
From February 18 to 20 at “bhai tech”, the young drivers will test the cutting edge full motion driving simulator and will experience mental and personal training, thanks to a gym equipped with advanced equipments and to the presence of sport specialists.

Rigon winks at the WSR 3.5 and thinks about the GT2

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The past season was full of important events for Davide Rigon, who was engaged in his first GT racing season behind the wheel of the Ferrari 458 in the Blancpain Endurance Series and at Ferrari, where he was and still is at the “Scuderia” disposal for sport and commercial activities “It was a fantastic year, full of engagements. I spent so many days working on the simulator to help the team developing the car, going on with my apprenticeship behind the wheel of a F1 car. It’s exciting to see how important details are. Nothing is left to chance. During each simulator session you have to be constant and give specific clues to engineers, in order to make them follow the right guidance”, says Davide.
The most exciting event was the Rookie Test on the Magny-Cours track, driving a Ferrari F2012, during which the talented driver from Vicenza didn’t spare his energy by running more than 700 km and 165 laps “I really fulfilled my dreams. After working on the simulator and making several aerodynamic tests, it’s really exciting to have the opportunity to take part in an official test with the team from Maranello. It was so good to work with an official team and collaborate with it like official drivers do. This testing session represented another step towards the top series.”
The experience with the Kessel Team in the Blancpain Endurance Series was so positive, even if unfortunately, some unlucky events affected the final result “I contested the first two races as an apprentice, as I had never tested the car before. However, I got along so well with the Kessel Team and my team mates. We were the fastest out of 60 drivers, but unfortunately, having only 6 races to contest, it was so difficult to make up for lost ground, even because of some unlucky events.”
Now it’s time to think about the new season in which Davide, after contesting a race at Paul Ricard with the BVM-Target Team, winks at the World Series by Renault 3.5, and he’s also interested in the GT2 “It’s early now, but I would like to race with a competitive team, starting to work with it since winter testing. I’m still so young but experienced and the format of the WSR Championship is the most similar to the F1 Championship.
On the contrary, in the GP2- 30-minutes sessions, most of the times, on-track results doesn’t reflect a driver real skills. We’re talking about the two most important Championships, after the F1. I just want to keep my feet on the ground, so I would like to continue my experience in the GT. I’ve had the chance to test the Ferrari GT2 and I was positively surprised by that. Running races like Le Mans wouldn’t be less important. I will continue to work with the “Scuderia”, trying to make the most of the work done over the last years. I know the working methods and I’m faster to give clues and recognize details. So I hope to take part in other tests, as my main goal is F1. I’m so glad and honoured to be part of this amazing family, even because it’s the most important and valued team all over the world.”

Rigon at Silverstone to emulate Monza’s successful racing weekend

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More than one month after Monza successful racing weekend, Davide Rigon gets ready to drive the Ferrari 458 of Kessel Team, again.

The Blancpain Endurance Series’ second round will be competed on the charming historical track of Silverstone, where F.1 World Championship competitions take place since 1950s. On the 5891 m long track, the talented driver, along with his teammates Zampieri and Ramos, will try to keep the lead of the Championship, displaying the same stunning performances he had previously displayed at Monza circuit.

The circuit landmarks are the three famous corners named Maggots, Becketts and Chapel which lead to the long straight called Hangar Straight “Those are the circuit’s three most important corners to set a good lap time, especially if you drive a GT car which has a low downforce. It is so important to keep a good race pace since the first corner”, says Davide Rigon “I cannot wait for driving the Ferrari 458 again. Almost one month has passed since my last successful race at Monza. We’re charged-up to race at Silverstone as we’re aware we can drive a successful race, even if it won’t be easy. We’ll have to pay attention to McLaren and Audi. I’m also very satisfied with Pirelli tyres as they fit our car almost perfectly.” When we talk about Silverstone, we know that weather is always a wild card “Silverstone has always been a rainy track, so rain will be one more variable.”

“At Monza they demonstrated to be powerful, as they were the fastest drivers on track and kept an unbeatable pace from the beginning to the end. So I feel confident also for the race in Silverstone. They’re leading the Championship. I just want to wish good luck to Davide and the team”, says the manager Giovanni Minardi.

The racing weekend will start on Saturday at 11am with the only 90 min. free practice session, followed by pre-qualifying to start at 16.35. The qualifying session will start on Sunday at 9 am and will be followed by a three-hour-race session to start at 14.50.

The Silverstone race will be streaming live on the Championship’s official website, Bloomberg Television and Eurosport. It could be watched all over Europe.

Gian Carlo Minardi: “ The best car got the better of the best team”

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The Brazilian GP marked the end of one of the most exciting World Championship in the history of F1, not only for the open fight till the very last second, but also for the role of outsiders, who had a great influence on final result and were podium contenders till the end. Gian Carlo Minardi, interview by Minardi.it website took stock of the past season, analyzing also the Italian F3 and the Formula ACI-CSAI Abarth exciting racing season.
The Brazilian GP marked the end of one of the most exciting world championship in the history of F1.
During the racing season recently concluded, drivers fought till the end and the fight went on even after FIA and Ferrari clarified the “yellow flags” issue. Anyway, the best car got the better of the best team.
Red Bull and McLaren experienced highs and lows throughout the racing season, while Ferrari was the most consistent team.
If we analyze the whole season, we can say that Red Bull had a hard beginning because of tyres issues, but it soon recovered and, together with Vettel, they became a winning combination. Even in the future, it will be the car to beat, but, to the rivals benefit, its Achilles’ heel is reliability, along with driver management and pit-stops.
It is hard for me to judge McLaren, though. It was the most competitive team on hard and medium tyres. The seven wins scored by the English team were strictly linked to these two compounds. Maybe they didn’t handle some internal issues at their best and the diatribe between Ron Dennis and Lewis Hamilton was trigged since the beginning of the racing season. They had the power to cause problems for the champions, but, because of some inner issues, pit-stop mistakes and unreliability, they didn’t manage to take advantage of their potential.
Ferrari fought for the world title with a non-competitive car, so far from being a leader. The team was able to recover from a hard time, thanks to a brilliant Fernando Alonso who contested his best racing season. Talking about development, the Italian team arrived in Monza having a “borderline” car and contested a defensive second half of the season. In spite of everything, they were able to get a second place finish in the world championship, with a 3-point-gap from the world champion. As far as reliability is concerned, they were the best, while their technical level is, in my opinion, lower than the one of Red Bull and McLaren. The sore point is that Alonso scored no point at Spa and Suzuka because of external causes, while Vettel withdrawals are due to technical issues.
Said that, the last race was like a lottery game, followed by an aftermath. I can hardly understand the reason why Ferrari didn’t ask for an explanation during the race.
What is Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari strong point?
Talking about Red Bull, I would say Adrian Newey, while Ferrari has reliability at its side. The engineer of genius demonstrated to be skilful not only at designing aerodynamics, but also at managing and organising the team. In Brazil, just few minutes after an accident had occurred, they had all damages to Vettel’s car printed out. This feature is also meaningful. We can suppose they could have had many real-time images about tyres consumption and car’ features at their disposal during the race.Thanks to the reliability of its car, Ferrari was able to fight for the world title till the end, scoring important points even in unexpected moments. McLaren scored as many victories as Red Bull, but some pit-stop mistakes and unreliability ruined a season which was successful from a technical point of view. Their strong points were aerodynamics and an optimal management of medium and hard tyres, thanks to which they got good results.
What is the feature the three teams should improve?
Red Bull should work on reliability and on a non-perfect team management.
Ferrari should improve aerodynamics and coordination between team divisions.
McLaren= reliability and internal management issues. We should not underestimate Hamilton’s decision to leave the team while he was still in play for the World Championship.
..Second-tier teams made the final result even more exciting and uncertain.
As I had already pointed out several times during the season, outsiders played a decisive role in the Championship. Alonso lost the title finishing behind two drivers like Maldonado and Raikkonen who were not expected to be two race winners, at the beginning. Maldonado scored a victory in Spain and Raikkonen won the GP in Abu Dhabi.
Mercedes should forget this racing season, instead…..
Mercedes is incomprehensive. They had a great beginning of season, scoring a win in China. Then, they gradually disappeared because of tyres issues. The team is a 2012 racing season big disappointment.
Starting from March 2013, F1 will be broadcasted on SKY. Will the audience get down?
We should wait for the complete TV schedule, as negotiations are still in progress. RAI cannot do without F1 for sure and I think that, if the F1 World Championship will be broadcasted only on SKY, audience will get down and down. In fact, RAI subscribers are millions, while SKY subscribers are only thousands. As a consequence, the two channels will come to a compromise in order to allow Italian spectators to enjoy the show.
Italian drivers did not take part in the most exciting championship. What are 2013 outlooks?
I can hardly imagine some changes for the future racing season. There are drivers like Valsecchi, who, besides winning the GP2 Championship, had also an excellent performance at Abu Dhabi rookie tests. Team and driver are working to take part in the World Championship, but it won’t be easy at all. Unfortunately, as we already know, abilities are not enough. The financial situation is so troubled and I hope he will find the way to demonstrate his talent.
The 2012 racing season was anyway a good season for Italian drivers. Edoardo Mortara, after contesting the DTM Championship, won a title in Macau, Valsecchi won the GP2 Championship, Filippi had a good GP2 season and Rigon with Ferrari…..
We hope Porsche will be Sauber official engine supplier again and Honda will be McLaren official engine supplier again. Only on this condition, high-level drivers will go back to racing. Otherwise we will continue to have drivers supported by big sponsors or even by countries or continents which use motor sport as an advertising means. Nowadays if you want to be a F1 racer you have to spend 15 millions Euros at least…..We hope that, with all technological advances and regulation amendments, F1 will hold again the interest of those automakers who brought along before.
F1 had an exciting and intense racing season, but so did Italian F.ACI-CSAI Abarth and F3 Championships.
As an ACI advisor, I have to pay attention to what happens in the world of car racing. I think to be objective when I say that both Italian F.3 and F.ACI-CSAI Abarth Championships are two high-level Championships. All young drivers who experienced those series, then had the opportunity to race in some series which are so close to F1, such as GP3, GP2 and WSR 3.5. Unfortunately our country is undergoing a deep economic crisis, but the greatest satisfaction is to see a talented young driver such as Riccardo Agostini, who previously raced in F.Abarth and F.3, being so competitive during the WSR tests and handling the F1 Ferrari so well. This means that this chain ensures valuable technical upturns. We’re improving year by year and we’ll soon see sport results, as well.
In our Championships there was a lack of Italian drivers but lots of foreign ones.
Italian Championships are extremely competitive and I want to praise foreign drivers as they are disposed to put themselves at stake. We don’t have problems in terms of quality and our drivers are always able to make a good impression in the most important racing series. So, Italian drivers are not inferior to foreign ones, but they have many problems in finding the economic resources to stand out. Unfortunately, it’s a fight against the world, especially when foreign countries use motor sport as an advertising means.

Gian Carlo Minardi “ Vallelunga confirmed the value of our Championships”

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Last week the “Piero Taruffi” circuit at Vallelunga hosted those young talented drivers who enlivened the exciting Italian-European F.3 and F.ACI CSAI Abarth racing season.
The two F.Abarth young drivers Luca Ghiotto ( born in 1995 and vice-Italian Champion) and Santiago Urrutia (born in 1996, Uruguayan 2012 Rookie Champion) made their debut into the F.3, doing battle with each other over the four days of the ninth ACI-CSAI Federation Supercorso, while the kart drivers Zani, Corberi and Iacobacci, selected by the Federation School and the Ferrari Driver Academy, undertook the Tatuus FA provided by the Federation itself, for the first time.
“ Once again the guys kept up with the situation. Despite their young age, they paid so much attention to the Federation School instructors’ advices and to the FDA Engineers’ suggestions, demonstrating an aptitude for open wheels. The kart drivers Zani, Corberi and Iacobacci had the chance to “taste” the power of a single-seat car for the first time, while with Ghiotto and Urrutia, the drivers who enlivened the Italian and European F. ACI CSAI Abarth Championships, we’ve had a further confirmation of how competitive and training the series is. The two drivers did a hard battle with each other behind the wheel of a F.3 car, the “elder sister” of F.Abarth, running very fast times compared to the ones run by the league winners few weeks ago during the Championship “, says Gian Carlo Minardi.
The “five racing days” on the Roman track ended up with the Italian F.3 Champions running the traditional test behind the wheel of a F.1 car such as the Ferrari F60, provided by the FDA. Along with Riccardo Agostini and Eddie Cheever Jr, the European F.3 Championship winner Juncadella was capped to take part in the race, as well “ It was so interesting to technically test guys coming from different driving experiences. Once again this event showed the value of the Italian F.3, which represents the first step for those drivers coming from promotional Championships. We’ve been so pleased to notice that both Agostini and Cheever, two drivers who have run in all stages (from kart to F.3), managed to be a match for a more experienced racer such as Juncadella, who is older than them and has much more technical experience.
Last week results are a proof that the work done by the Federation School and FDA is bearing fruit. No doubt Italy doesn’t lack talents, it only lacks financial resources to support their career into the world of motorsport. We shall work harder to find the right synergy and, as ACI CSAI we’re all working to support as best we can drivers and Championships”, ends up Minardi, a former Italian constructor and current Federation advisor.
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Gian Carlo Minardi: “ A heart-stopping end of season also for the Italian F.3”

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dallara-mygale.jpg'It’s a heart-stopping finish for the Italian ACI CSAI Formula and F.3 Championships. After the Formula Abarth struggle on the edge of a thousandth, an exciting Italian F.3 season has come to an end on Monza track. The verdict has been returned only after a vibrant struggle in which three drivers, members of two different teams, were involved.
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F.3 – At Monza Latifi finishes a racing season during which he has so much progressed

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nicholas_latifi.jpg'The races run on Monza track marked the end of the Italian F3 European Series Championship and the end of Nicholas Latifi’ first racing season behind the wheel of a Formula car.
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GT – Davide Rigon draws attention on himself at Navarra

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In the final racing weekend of Blancpain GT Endurance Series which took place at the Spanish circuit of Navarra, Davide Rigon drew attention on himself by keeping a top driver pace and leading his Ferrari 458 to the second place, before yielding the wheel to his team mate Gattuso.
Two years after winning the Superleague Formula Championship for the second time, the talented Italian driver is now ready to go back to the Spanish track behind the wheel of his Ferrari 458. In a cool and rainy Sunday, Davide took the lead of the car during the second hour of the race and soon managed to get up to the 2nd position, next to McLaren.
When the rain was getting harder and harder and the race was getting into the final part, Rigon had to pit to change tyres and yielded the wheel to his team mate. Due to heavy rain, the track was impracticable, so the race director decided to stop the race a little bit in advance, just after the safety car dominated the track for a long time.
“ It was a good weekend, I like the Navarra circuit so much. Last time I raced here was in 2010, when I won the Superleague Formula Championship for the second time. We handled a good race since qualifying and during the race I managed to get up to the 2nd position under a rainy weather, and got next to the McLaren. As rain was getting harder and harder, we decided to pit and that was the moment I yielded the wheel to my team mate. It was a hard season and the Championship was very selective. I want to thank Kessel Team for giving me such a great opportunity.”
With the race at Navarra, Davide Rigon’ first racing season in the GT Blancpain Endurance Series ends up. It’s a magnificent Series in which more than 50 cars were involved throughout the six venues scheduled for the Championship.
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F.3 – Nicholas Latifi ready for the final race in Monza

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nicholas_latifi.jpg'This weekend the circuit of Monza will host the final race of the Italian F3 European Series Championship and the Italian F3 Championship. It’s been 6 months since the opening race in Valencia and, weekend after weekend Nicholas Latifi has been able to rise in grid, obtaining the podium in the last two races, in fact he finished second in Imola and scored an impressive win at Vallelunga.
The 17 year-old Italian-Canadian driver, to whom the series represents his debut behind the wheel of a single-seater car, has managed to go as far as fighting against more experienced runners who have a deeper knowledge of the car and of all the International tracks which hosted both series. In these months Latifi has not only demonstrated his exceptional talent behind the wheel of the Mygale F.3, but he has also shown resolve and obduracy.
In the “speed mecca”, the driver of JD Motorsport Team, will try to end up his first season at best, aiming at scoring as many points as possible to preserve the 4th place in the rookie standing and the 7th in the general standing.
“ I think that Top 5 is within my reach. After finishing second in Imola and winning at Vallelunga, my next goal is to obtain another important result to raise in the standing further. Compared to other tracks, qualifying will be not so decisive to get a good final result, considering the long straights which compose the track. The layout of the Monza circuit gives you several opportunities to make a pass.”, says Nicholas Latifi.
“We are all focussed and highly motivated coming off such an incredible Vallellunga race weekend. Nicholas’ impressive victory in the final sprint race on Sunday was an incredible accomplishment, he is determined to continue his momentum going into Monza. His progression this year has been extremely impressive and once again has demonstrated his immense driving talent and natural ability”, says David Tennyson, the driver coach.
“ We’ve come to the final race, so we want to end up the season by obtaining another good result, in the wake of race-3 at Vallelunga. In this way we’ll also help our team mate to win both Championships, given the fact he’s the leader of both standings.”, says Giovanni Minardi, the sport advisor.
The racing weekend will start on Friday with one session of free practices ( 9.00-09.30 )to be followed by qualifying which will determine the starting grid of the two races. The 22 minutes- long first race, scheduled for Saturday, will start at 14.15 and the 30 minutes- long second race will start on Sunday at 09.00. The sprint race, which is the final race of the season, will start at 16.00.
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GT – Davide Rigon at Navarra to end up the racing season brilliantly

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rigon.jpg'Davide Rigon gets ready to drive his 500 HP Ferrari 458 to race in the Blancpain Endurance Series’ final racing event, scheduled for this weekend on the Navarra track.
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F.3 – Nicholas Latifi discovers the Monza track

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nicholas_latifi.jpg'Waiting for the last racing weekend of the Italian Formula 3 – European Series, scheduled for the next October the 21st on Monza track and also valid for the tricolour series, Nicholas Latifi has been back to work behind the wheel of his Mygale 18, to take part in the collective test which took place just on the track located in Northern Italy.
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WSR 3.5 – Davide Rigon with BVM-Target at Paul Ricard

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rigon.jpg'These are exciting days for Davide Rigon. After experiencing the rookie test at Magny-Cours behind the wheel of the Ferrari F2012 and running the 5th race of the Blancpain Endurance Series at the wheel of the Ferrari 458, It’s time for the talented Italian driver to race back behind the wheel of a single-seater car in an official competition.
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GT – Davide Rigon on the way to Nurburgring

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Almost 2 months after the 24h of Spa-Francorchamps, Davide Rigon is ready to go back behind the wheel of the Ferrari 458 of Kessel Racing Team, to run the 5th race of Blancpain Endurance Series.
At Nurburgring Rigon, together with his two team-mates Zampieri and Gattuso, will try to score the first win of the season. But, given the high-level of competitiveness of the series, that won’t be so easy to get. For the talented Italian driver, it will be a return on a track which gave him so much satisfaction in all racing categories, even if it will be the first time there behind the wheel of a GT racing car.
The German weekend will start on Saturday with a one hour and a half long free practices session and pre-qualifying, before the official round scheduled on Sunday morning at 9.40, and the 3 hours long race which will start at 14.30.
“ I’m really excited and I just can’t wait for getting into the race again. The Nurburgring is a special track for me, as I got some important results there. I’ve been waiting for this race for such a long time and this will be my first time there behind the wheel of a GT car. As usual, there will be very little time to arrange everything and regain the pace, two months after the unlucky 24H of Spa.”, says Davide Rigon.
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