Guido Forti facts for kids

Guido Forti (born July 10, 1940 – died January 11, 2013) was an important person in motor racing. He was the founder and team manager of the Formula One team called Forti.

Guido Forti's Racing Journey

Guido Forti loved car racing. He started his own racing team, "Forti Corse," in the late 1970s. He began this team with a businessman named Paolo Guerci.

Starting in Formula Three

At first, Forti Corse raced in Formula Three. This is a type of racing where young drivers learn and compete. They raced in both Italian and European events.

Moving Up to Formula 3000

In 1987, Forti's team moved up to Formula 3000. This was a bigger and faster racing series. For their first year, drivers like Nicola Larini and Nicola Tesini raced for Forti. The team used cars made by Dallara.

Forti Corse became very successful in Formula 3000. They won their first race in 1990 with driver Gianni Morbidelli. Overall, they won nine races in this series.

Reaching Formula One

By the 1994 season, Guido Forti decided it was time for an even bigger challenge. He planned to move his team into Formula One. Formula One is the highest level of single-seater car racing in the world.

This big move was helped by Carlo Gancia. A rich Brazilian driver named Pedro Diniz also provided money to make it happen.

Forti's Time in Formula One

The Forti team raced in Formula One from 1995 to 1996. Guido Forti stayed with the team as its leader.

Challenges in F1

During the 1996 Formula One season, the team faced big money problems. Pedro Diniz, the driver who brought a lot of money, had left the team. He moved to another team called Ligier.

To try and save the team, a company called the Shannon Group bought 51% of Forti. This meant they owned more than half of the team. However, the money problems continued to get worse.

The End of the Team

Guido Forti went to court to try and get back the part of the team he had lost to Shannon. He lost the first court case. But later, he managed to win and get control of his team again.

Sadly, by this time, the Forti team had already missed several races. It was too late for them to return to Formula One.

Later Life

Guido Forti was involved in motor racing one last time in 2003. He worked for a team in the Euro Formula 3000 series.

He passed away in January 2013, at the age of 72. He died in his home city of Alessandria, Italy.