Fulvio Ballabio (born 8 October 1954) is a
race car
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organis ...
driver born in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. He raced in
Formula Two
Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name r ...
in 1983, in
Formula 3000
Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines.
Formula 3000 championship ...
in 1986 and 6 starts in
CART
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people.
It is different from the flatbed tr ...
from 1987 to 1989 for
Dick Simon Racing
Dick Simon Racing was a race team owned by racer Dick Simon that competed in the CART Championship Car series from 1983 to 1995 and the Indy Racing League from 1999 to 2001.
CART
The team was founded in 1983 when Simon decided to bring his spons ...
and
Dale Coyne Racing. More recently he drove in two races of the 2004 Formula X Sport Series.
In 1983 he started the
Monte Carlo Automobile car manufacturer.
In 1989, he designed the "Montecarlo GTB Centenaire", a SuperCar, built of
carbon fiber
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
, the idea came from Lamborghini Countach Evoluzione (first car in the world made in carbon fiber completed in 1986). The engine, a V12 Biturbo with 720 horsepower, was modified by
Carlo Chiti
Carlo Chiti (19 December 1924 – 7 July 1994) was an Italian racing car and engine designer best known for his long association with Alfa Romeo's racing department. He also worked for Ferrari and was involved in the design of the Ferrari 156 Sha ...
, who used to work for
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...
. The company, "
Monte Carlo Automobile" was based in
Fontvieille, Monaco
Fontvieille (; lij, Funtanaveya ) is the southernmost ward in the Principality of Monaco. It was developed by an Italian architect, Manfredi Nicoletti, between the 1970s and the 1990s.
History
In contrast to the other city districts Monaco- ...
. Originally the project was to make 100 supercars, but the project failed with only 5 cars made in the initial period, including the spider car named "Beau Rivage".
[Article of Auto Capital monthly magazine, March 1991]
In 2005 he started as Montecarlo Automobile the collaboration with
FIA/ACI/
CSAI in the challenge of car powered by green energy from the street legal ALA 50 presented in 2008 powered by
Methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ear ...
and
LPG and the Quadrifuel "Carlo Chiti" powered by Methane,
Ethanol fuel
Ethanol fuel is ethyl alcohol, the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, used as fuel. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. The first production car running entirely on ethanol was t ...
, LPG and gasoline with which got the podium in the Methane class of
FIA Alternative Energies Cup
The FIA ecoRally Cup is an international motorsport competition for electric vehicles organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. The cup consists of several regularity rallies, usually located in Europe and ran during one cale ...
to the Montecarlo/BRC W 12 powered by LPG.
25 March 2012, Montecarlo/BRC competed in the 4 hours of international endurance race of Monza getting the eighth position among other car powered by gasoline like
Ferrari 458
The Ferrari 458 Italia (Type F142) is a mid-engine sports car produced by Ferrari. The F458 is the successor of the F430, and was first officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was succeeded by the 488 GTB (Gran Turismo Ber ...
, Lamborghini,
Porsche,
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctive ...
.
Racing record
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
CART PPG Indy Car World Series
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
See also
*
:it:Montecarlo GTB Centenaire
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballabio, Fulvio
1954 births
Italian racing drivers
Champ Car drivers
Living people
European Formula Two Championship drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
International Formula 3000 drivers
World Sportscar Championship drivers
Italian automobile designers
Dale Coyne Racing drivers