24 replies to this topic

[Barry Boor]

While typing up the captions to name the latest pictures on the F3000 page of my site, it struck me that there were several names in the entry list for 1990 that failed to make much of an impact on the world of racing, despite reaching this 'relatively' high level of competition.

I have searched TNF and find NO mention whatsoever of Giovanni Aloi or Thierry Delubac, while Didier Artzet is mentioned just once. Franck Freon apparently had a reasonable run in the U.S. for a few years after 1990, but then seems to fade away.

I wonder if anyone (Richie?) can throw some light onto the careers of any of these 1990 hot-shoes?

On a slightly different tack, on the same programme (Donington Park - 22nd April) was a round of the GM Lotus Euroseries. Some of the entries make interesting reading. The race was won by Marcel Albers from Andre Ribeiro and Jose Luis de Palma, but lower down the field we find Rubens Barrichello, Gil de Ferran, David Coulthard, Kenny Brack, Tom Kristensen, Vicenzo Sospiri and Pedro Lamy all of whom managed a certain amount of success and fame in higher categories as the years passed.

I presume the Albers in question is the one who was killed at Thruxton but where went Ribeiro and de Palma?

[fines]

Of Giovani Aloi I have no record after his 4 F3000 appearances in 1990.

Thierry Delubac raced in British and International F3000 till May 1991, no single-seater record thereafter.

Didier Artzet: no record after finishing 3rd in the Birmingham Superprix in 1990.

Franck Fréon did Indy Lights (twice 2nd in 1991, 3 wins in 1992, one win in 1993), then CART (12th in Long Beach) and a non-points F3000 race in 1994. The following year he had three more events in CART (15th at Long Beach).

Marcel Albers was indeed killed at Thruxton in April 1992 after a quite successful career in British F3 (2 seconds in 1991, one win a month before his death).

Andre Ribeiro also did British F3 in 1991 (one sixth), 1992 (one third) and 1993 (one second), then Indy Lights in 1994 (4 wins) and CART from 1995 to 1998 (three wins). He retired and became a driver instructor at Team Penske.

José Luis Di Palma did SudAm F3 from 1987 to 1989 (two seconds), FOpel in 1990 (that 3rd place was his best finish), Italian F3 (best finish 19th!), British F3000 (one fourth) and German F3 (one race: 10th) in 1991, then again British F3000 (one second) and a non-points F3000 race in Argentina (5th), British F3000 (two wins) and one International race (8th) in 1993, 3rd in a non-points F3000 race in Canada in 1994 (the same as Fréon), Indy Lights in 1995 (one fifth) and 1996 (one fourth), no record in 1997, and then Pan-American Indy Lights (Formulá de las Americas) in 1998 (one race: 2nd). Puh...

I think the others are pretty well known...;)

[Geza Sury]

Giovanni Aloi was involved in the Mexican GLAS F1 project, so he should have graduated to F1 had the owners of the team not sold it to the Italians. The team appeared as 'Modena Lamborghini' in 1991. BTW, hence Eric van de Poele got his seat: he was Aloi's teammate in F3000. Initially he was only to become a test driver, but finally he ended up racing for Modena Lamborghini.

[Rainer Nyberg]

Giovanni ALOI?

Who knows?

He might be a bullfighter these days, both are Giovanni Timeus ALOI.

There is however a slight difference in birthdays, but only one day apart (-4 years).

F3000 ALOI is 25APR1969.

The bullfighter version is 24APR1965...

[AlesiUK]

Aloi was indeed involved in the GLAS project and infact his father tryied to keep the project hoing even after the guy in charge of the operation did a runner with the cash,i believe Aloi even tested the car at imola although it may have the teams other driver Mauro Bauldi....

[Geza Sury]

Originally posted by Rainer Nyberg
F3000 ALOI is 25APR1969.

Actually my source (F3000 Yearbook 1990) suggests that Aloi was born on 25 April 1965

Originally posted by AlesiUK
i believe Aloi even tested the car at imola although it may have the teams other driver Mauro Bauldi.....

It was Baldi. He tested the car in the spring(!) of 1990.

[ensign14]

Is Senor Aloi a fan of Hemingway?

[Rainer Nyberg]

My records says Aloi was born in '69 but it could be misprint from the original source (Autosport if I remember correctly).

So then he must actually be the bullfighter today?
Amazing....

[AlesiUK]

There is a guy racing in DTM this year called Christijan Albers,does any1 know if he related to the aforementioned Marcel Albers???

[Ross Stonefeld]

The early history of F3000, when it was genuinely a mini-F1, was regarded as a 'rich italian' series; which did nothing to help its credentials if you won that series. When it went to the sealed spec series of 96 (with new cars in 99 and 02) it became a proper, viable racing series. Now its much more full of F3 and FRS champs and is *ultra* competitive. So dont be surprised if F3000 guys pre-96 didnt do anything before, during, or after F3000

[fines]

Originally posted by AlesiUK
There is a guy racing in DTM this year called Christijan Albers,does any1 know if he related to the aforementioned Marcel Albers???

no relation

[Geza Sury]

Originally posted by Rainer Nyberg
Giovanni ALOI?

Who knows?

He might be a bullfighter these days, both are Giovanni Timeus ALOI.

A quote from this thread:

As for the Mexican Team goes, it was indeed a national team and was called as I recall "Escuderia Mexico". The driver was set to be Giovanni Aloi. The story is quite odd because first of all, Giovanni had wanted for the most part of his life to be a bullfighter, but his father never let him, and instead insisted on him racing cars.

So it seems Mr Aloi realized his childhood dream and became a bullfigter after all!

[ghinzani]

I recall reading in Autosport Aloi quit to become a bullfighter too.

[GMiranda]

Yes, Giovanni Aloi is a bullfighter and at least one of his sons followed his path. I read on a feature on him at Autosprint recently.

[john aston]

The early history of F3000, when it was genuinely a mini-F1, was regarded as a 'rich italian' series; which did nothing to help its credentials if you won that series. When it went to the sealed spec series of 96 (with new cars in 99 and 02) it became a proper, viable racing series. Now its much more full of F3 and FRS champs and is *ultra* competitive. So dont be surprised if F3000 guys pre-96 didnt do anything before, during, or after F3000

I didn't get that impression at all when I attended not only the first F300 race , but many subsequent  F3000 races  in the UK. It was regarded as premier league stuff, and far better than F2 which in its later years was moribund. Drivers like   Herbert , Coulthard ,  Moreno , Alesi, Hill, Modena , Pirro  and many others were all major talents  .It was 'viable ' from its inception I'd argue. 

[Michael Ferner]

The early history of F3000, when it was genuinely a mini-F1, was regarded as a 'rich italian' series; which did nothing to help its credentials if you won that series. When it went to the sealed spec series of 96 (with new cars in 99 and 02) it became a proper, viable racing series. Now its much more full of F3 and FRS champs and is *ultra* competitive. So dont be surprised if F3000 guys pre-96 didnt do anything before, during, or after F3000

Er, simply: no! You got that completely wrong. If anything, it was the other way round.

[MCS]

The early history of F3000, when it was genuinely a mini-F1, was regarded as a 'rich italian' series; which did nothing to help its credentials if you won that series. When it went to the sealed spec series of 96 (with new cars in 99 and 02) it became a proper, viable racing series. Now its much more full of F3 and FRS champs and is *ultra* competitive. So dont be surprised if F3000 guys pre-96 didnt do anything before, during, or after F3000

It was - was it not? - the springboard into Formula One for the likes of Herbert, Donnelly, Hill, Coulthard and Blundell from the UK - you could even add McCarthy.  Alesi, Dalmas, Comas, Bernard, Grouillard, Raphanel from France and various others like Gachot, Gugelmin and so on.

 

I saw it a few times and thought it was a great series.

[GMiranda]

Er, simply: no! You got that completely wrong. If anything, it was the other way round.

I fully agree with you. On the pre-1996 entry lists, more or less a third of the peloton reached F1, and there were many that had pretty interesting careers on Sport-Prototypes and top Touring Car Championships.  After that, there were seasons were barely more than one driver did F1.

[RCH]

Yes, Giovanni Aloi is a bullfighter and at least one of his sons followed his path. I read on a feature on him at Autosprint recently.

 

So did he later take up mountaineering to gain a sort of Hemingwayian Triple Crown?

 

For those not in the know Ernest Hemingway claimed there were only 3 real sports: Motor Racing; Bullfighting and Mountain Climbing. The rest were mere games.

[GMiranda]

So did he later take up mountaineering to gain a sort of Hemingwayian Triple Crown?

 

For those not in the know Ernest Hemingway claimed there were only 3 real sports: Motor Racing; Bullfighting and Mountain Climbing. The rest were mere games.

As I know, no, not at all, and I'm almost sure he's pratically retired from bullfighting.

[D-Type]

As I know, no, not at all, and I'm almost sure he's pratically retired from bullfighting.

The mountains are waiting ...

Edited by D-Type, 30 September 2020 - 22:40.

[Collombin]

For those not in the know Ernest Hemingway claimed there were only 3 real sports: Motor Racing; Bullfighting and Mountain Climbing. The rest were mere games.

I lose track of which Hemingway quotes are genuine, but I think this one was not.

Edited by Collombin, 30 September 2020 - 18:58.

[Tim Murray]

Indeed - as discussed here:

’Bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering’

[Henk Vasmel]

Er, simply: no! You got that completely wrong. If anything, it was the other way round.

Even though the dates don't match, I still have the impression that there is a mix-up with the Italian F3000 series, not the main one as we know it. By the way it took you a full 18 years to come up with this reply. to quote "The Times"'s readers letters: Is this a record?

[ensign14]

To be fair, in the early F3k seasons, there was an absolute maelstrom of Italians who turned up for a couple of non-qualifications and goodnight Vienna.  Think of e.g. Oscar Pederzoli, Tony de Tommaso, Nino Fama, Nicola Tesini, Ruggiero Melgrati (one of the best motor racing names ever), Gianfranco Tacchino, Aldo Bertuzzi, Walter Voulaz.  A couple of them went on to better things, suggesting they were not really cut out for single-seaters, but most of them seemed to vanish without trace.