Squadra Corse G.P.C. srl, operating as GPC Sport, was an Italian

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primaril ...

team founded by Giampaolo Coppi as part of his GPC Group. The team raced with a close connection to Ferrari in various

grand touring A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a ...

championships from 2004 to 2008. Coppi, formerly a sponsor and backer of the JB Racing (later JMB Racing) team through his Giesse corporation, decided to go his own direction in 2004 and launch his own racing team in the

FIA GT Championship The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout ...

, later expanding to the

Italian GT Championship The Italian GT Championship (''Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo'') is an Italian sports car series founded in 2003 and organized by the Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI) and the Commissione Sportiva Automobilistica Italiana (CSAI). It replaced a ...

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

, and

International GT Open The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...

. GPC Sport also represented

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. ...

in the

FIA GT3 European Championship The FIA GT3 European Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It was a championship derived from the international FIA ...

History

Purchasing two new Ferrari 575 GTCs as well as two Ferrari 360 GTCs, the team employed several former Grand Prix drivers including

Emanuele Naspetti Emanuele Naspetti (born 24 February 1968) is a racing driver and entrepreneur from Italy. Career Karting He made his racing debut at the age of 12 and spent seven years in karting (1980-1986), participating in more than 200 races and achievi ...

and

Gianni Morbidelli Gianni Morbidelli (born 13 January 1968) is an Italian racing driver. He participated in 70 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 11 March 1990. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 8.5 championship points. He currently competes in the ...

Christian Pescatori Christian Pescatori is a professional racecar driver from Italy. He was born in Brescia, on 1 December 1971. Pescatori started his career in single-seater racing, becoming Italian Formula 3 Champion in 1993, before moving up to Formula 3000. He ...

Jaime Melo Jaime Melo, also known as Jaime Melo Jr. (born 24 April 1980), is a Brazilian professional racing driver best known for his success in grand tourers as Ferrari driver. In 2006, he won the FIA GT Championship in the GT2 class driving for AF Co ...

, and

Fabrizio De Simone Fabrizio De Simone (born 30 March 1971) is an Italian racing driver. In 1996 he was f1 test driver in Jordan F1 Team. The following year he moved to Touring Car and he drove for three years with BMW in Italian Superturismo Championship The Italia ...

scored class victories with the 360s, while the 575s finished on the overall podium three times, including at the

Spa 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by TotalEnergies. History The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their a ...

, finishing second in the teams' championship. The operation was expanded for 2005, adding the

alongside their FIA GT campaign with the 575s, as well as

Le Mans Endurance Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

and Italian GT for the teams' 360s. The FIA GT campaign earned only a single podium in each class after several retirements, while the Italian GT program had several programs throughout the season. For 2006 GPC Sport abandoned their 575 program with Ferrari, instead investing in the new

Ferrari F430 The Ferrari F430 (Type F131) is a sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari from 2004 until 2009 as a successor to the Ferrari 360. The car is an update to the 360 with exterior and performance changes. It was unveiled ...

in the Le Mans Series as well as the new

series. Two class victories were earned in the Le Mans Series, including the first competition victory for the F430, as well as two overall wins in International GT. GPC also represented

in the new

with the Maserati Trofeo Light. More victories came in 2007, a lone win in the Le Mans Series as well as two more wins in International GT Open. GPC Sport also had their only entry at the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose w ...

where their Ferrari retired. The team also sampled stock car racing with the

Speedcar Series The Speedcar Series Championship was a stock car racing series that was active from January 2008 to June 2009 across two championship seasons. Races were held across several countries, spanning the Middle East and Asia. It featured up to 24 driv ...

. The team trimmed down to just two entries in International GT in 2008 but were not victorious. Giampaolo Coppi would later go on to managing the Roma Racing Team after GPC Sport went bankrupt in 2008.

References

{{reflist Auto racing teams in Italy 2004 establishments in Italy FIA GT Championship teams European Le Mans Series teams 24 Hours of Le Mans teams International GT Open teams 2008 disestablishments in Italy Auto racing teams established in 2004 Auto racing teams disestablished in 2008