Alfa to Compete in Formula Series for 2000

Former French Matra stalwart Jean Guikas has announced his intentions to run a Formula 1 Alfa Romeo "179," as was raced by Alfa factory driver Bruno Giacomelli during the 1980 season, in this year’s FIA Thoroughbred Grand Prix series. Italian Ermanno Ronchi demonstrated his Alfa Romeo "182" Formula 1 car in 1999 at Monza, but thus far, up until Guikas’ recent announcement, no former Alfa Romeo Formula 1 cars have ever competed in the series championship.

Alfa Romeo & BMW to Form Backbone of New European Tin-Top Series!

Super Touring racing has been given a reprieve in continental Europe, thanks to an Italian-led organization which is to run a ten-round series. The European Super Touring Cup has been officially sanctioned by the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, and will comprise six rounds in Italy and four in other countries.

German-led moves to establish a Pan-European failed just before Christmas due to the failure to attract TV deals and the lack of the required level of competitor support. Undeterred, the Nordauto and CiBiEmme teams, which run the official Alfa Romeo and BMW squads respectively in Italy, have set up International Sports Communications in an attempt to revive the category.

The ten rounds will feature double-header races, with the cars running on Michelin control tires and success ballast used to prevent any runaway title runs. TV coverage with Eurosport is being negotiated. Foreign rounds will include visits to Magny-Cours in France, the A-1 Ring in Austria, Brno in the Czech Republic, as well as a race around the streets of the Slovenian capital city of Ljubljana.

The Ljubljana event was held last year for the first time, BMW star Johnny Cecotto winning a combined touring car and sportscar event for the CiBiEmme team. The Venezuelan, formally a German and Italian Touring Car champion, has recently been linked with a full-time CiBiEmme drive alongside latter-day team leader Emanuele Naspetti. It would mark a full-time return to competition for Cecotto, who was left on the BMW sidelines for all of last season.

Other members of the CiBiEmme squad are likely to be the leading privateers Massimo Pigoli and Stefano Gabellini. Alfa’s Italian Car champ Fabrizio Giovanardi stays at Nordauto in his bid for a third successive title. Fabian Peroni, who drove a semi-works team Alfa "156" last year, will also be joining the lineup. The third driver could be ex-CiBiEmme ace Fabrizio de Simone or the recently unemployed Antonio Tamburini.