Gary Formato (born 19 November 1974) is a South African former racing driver and current director and co-founder of the

Sasol GTC Championship South African Touring Cars (formerly the Global Touring Car Championship) is a South African touring car series co-founded by Gary Formato and Vic Maharaj in 2016 and sanctioned by Motorsport South Africa. The series, which was renamed in 202 ...

, alongside Vic Maharaj. He is most notable for his 4 wins in the

FIA Sportscar Championship The FIA Sportscar Championship was a sports car racing series created by John Mangoletsi and got the approval of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 2001. It was a series similar to the FIA GT Championship, concentrating on tw ...

and

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 ...

between 1998 and 2001. Gary also competed in the

1995 International Formula 3000 Championship The 1995 International Formula 3000 Championship was contested over eight rounds from May 7 to October 15, 1995. This was the final F3000 season in which teams could use different chassis and engines. At the final race of this season at Magny Cour ...

for the

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

team, starting all eight races but scoring no points. Formato also started the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

three times between 1999 and 2001 but did not finish a race.

Sportscar career

1998

Formato drove the #19 Solution F Riley & Scott MKIII, getting a 3rd place during the first round in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

behind two Ferrari 333 SPs and a win during the season finale in

Kyalami Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (from ''Khaya lami'', ''My home'' in Zulu language, Zulu) is a motor racing circuit located in Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa, just north of Johannesburg. The circuit has been used for Grand Prix motor racing, Grand ...

, where he and teammate Jerome Policand beat the #61

Dyson Racing Dyson Racing is a professional sports car racing team based in Poughkeepsie, New York in the United States. Founded by Rob Dyson in 1974, the team competed successfully in North American sports car racing series, including the IMSA GT Championsh ...

of James Weaver and

Butch Leitzinger Robert Franklin "Butch" Leitzinger (born February 28, 1969) is an American professional racing driver. He is best known as an ALMS driver with Dyson Racing, but he has also driven for a variety of other teams and race series. He won the IMSA Pro ...

in second place, and the #60 Risi Competitzione of

Eric van de Poele Eric Francis Edouard Ghislain Thérèse van de Poele (; born 30 September 1961) is a Belgian racing driver and former Formula One driver. He participated in 29 Grands Prix, in 1991 and 1992. He is a three-times class winner at 24 Hours of Le M ...

and

Wayne Taylor Wayne Taylor (born 15 July 1956) is a South African sports car racing driver and team owner. He won the 1996 and 2005 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 2005 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype drivers' championship. He drove for Su ...

in third.

Racing record

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

References

South African racing drivers Living people 1974 births 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Durango (racing team) drivers International Formula 3000 drivers European Le Mans Series drivers Place of birth missing (living people) {{morecats, date=November 2023