Sparco S.p.A. is an Italian

auto part This is a list of auto parts, which are manufactured components of automobiles. This list reflects both fossil-fueled cars (using internal combustion engines) and electric vehicles; the list is not exhaustive. Many of these parts are also used o ...

and accessory company headquartered in

Volpiano Volpiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Italian region Piedmont. The city is located about 15 km north-east of Turin. Economy It is an industrial (fuel, transportation, electronic, for example ) an ...

near Turin that specializes in producing items such as seats,

steering wheel A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel, a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and hea ...

s, harnesses, racewear and helmets. Sparco branded

alloy wheel In the automotive industry, alloy wheels are wheels that are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium. Alloys are mixtures of a metal and other elements. They generally provide greater strength over pure metals, which are usually much soft ...

s are produced under licence by

OZ Group OZ S.p.A., also known as OZ Group is an Italian company founded in 1971 that produces car and motorcycle wheels, specifically alloy wheels. They are an OEM supplier to a number of manufacturers in addition to aftermarket sales and are a prom ...

. They also sponsor many types of auto races including rallies and

single-seaters An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...

History

The company was founded in 1977 in Italy and today the ownership is still Italian; the company is one of the leading manufacturers of racing safety equipment. In 1977, FIA decided to restrict their safety standards, in order to decrease injuries during races: the first product that brought fame to Sparco, was a fireproof

racing suit A racing suit or racing overalls, often referred to as a fire suit due to its fire retardant properties, is clothing such as overalls worn in various forms of auto racing by racing drivers, crew members who work on the vehicles during races, t ...

, that could withstand 11 seconds in fire, an absolute record for the time. This resistance was more than enough to meet new FIA 8856-2000 requests. Moreover, that was the only effective alternative to the cotton racing suits, which were not fireproof and did not meet the new requirements. Each year Sparco improved their technology, so the fire resistance of their suits increased yearly. In 2009, Aldino Bellazzini acquired a majority stake in Sparco and assumed the role of Chairman. Following his appointment, Bellazzini initiated a series of technical improvements within the company. These enhancements contributed to Sparco obtaining the ISO/TS16949:09 quality certification in 2010. Sparco, in collaboration with McLaren, developed the McLaren SP16+, a race suit that is notably at least 10 percent lighter than any other on the market. Since 2016, this innovative suit has been worn by drivers of the McLaren F1 Racing Team.

Sponsorships

Formula One

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Formula 2

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IndyCar

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NASCAR

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Former sponsorships

Formula One

* Arrows *

Alfa Romeo Racing Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo has participated multiple times in Formula One. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor and engine supplier sporadically between and , and later as a commercial partner between and . ...

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Jordan Grand Prix Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team was named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan and was based at Silverstone, England, but raced with an Irish licence. In early 2005, the team ...

* MasterCard Lola *

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Midland F1 Racing Midland F1 Racing (also known as MF1 Racing, or simply as MF1, or Midland) was a Formula One constructor and racing team which competed in the 2006 Formula One World Championship with drivers Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro. The team wa ...

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Super Aguri F1 Super Aguri F1 was a Formula One team that competed from to . The team, founded by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, was based in Tokyo, Japan, but operated from the former Arrows factory at the Leafield Technical Centre, Oxfordshire, England. ...

Spyker F1 The Spyker F1 Team, known as the Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team for sponsorship reasons, was a Formula One team that competed in the 2007 Formula One World Championship with a Dutch licence. It was created by Spyker Cars after their buyout of t ...

Team Lotus (2010–11) Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar, and sports car racing. More ...

/ Caterham F1 Team *

Toyota Racing Toyota Racing may refer to: * Toyota Gazoo Racing * Toyota Motorsport GmbH * Toyota Racing (Formula One team) * Toyota Racing Development * Toyota Racing Series See also

* Toyota Supra in motorsport * Toyota in motorsport {{disambiguation ...

Virgin Racing Virgin Racing (subsequently Marussia Virgin Racing) was a Formula One racing team which was under management of Manor Motorsport, Wirth Research and Richard Branson's Virgin Group and competed in with a List of Formula One constructors#Team's ...

* Williams

Notes and references

External links

* {{Authority control Auto parts suppliers of Italy Automotive motorsports and performance companies Automotive companies established in 1977 Italian companies established in 1977 Italian brands Wheel manufacturers Metropolitan City of Turin Companies based in Volpiano