BMS Scuderia Italia
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Founded | 1983 in Brescia, Italy |
| Founder | Giuseppe Lucchini |
| Headquarters | Brescia , Italy |
Area served | International |
Key people | Giuseppe Lucchini (Founder) |
| Products | Motorsport teams and racing cars |
BMS Scuderia Italia SpA, commonly known as Scuderia Italia, is a motorsport outfit established in 1983 in Brescia by Italian entrepreneur and racing aficionado Giuseppe Lucchini. Originally operating under the name Brixia Motor Sport (BMS), the team commenced competition in the World Touring Car Championship. Upon entering Formula One in , the outfit adopted the name BMS Scuderia Italia. After concluding their Formula One involvement in , the team persisted in touring car and sports car disciplines.
Throughout its history, Scuderia Italia has collaborated with several manufacturers, including Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari, Nissan, Porsche, and Aston Martin. The team campaigned Ferrari F430 vehicles in the FIA GT Championship, while their Brixia Racing branch competed with Aston Martin DBRS9 cars in both the FIA GT3 European Championship and the Italian GT Championship.
Brixia Motor Sport
Giuseppe Lucchini’s motorsport journey began in the late 1970s with Osella before moving to Mirabella Racing, where he oversaw projects in Italian Group 6 and the World Endurance Championship. In 1983, he founded his own squad named Brixia Motor Sport, a nod to Brescia’s Latin heritage. Initially, the team campaigned an Alfa Romeo GTV6 in the Italian Rally Championship, switching to a Lancia 037 in 1985. By 1987, Brixia returned to Alfa Romeo machinery, expanding operations to include the new Alfa Romeo 75 competing in both the World Touring Car Championship and Italian Rally Championship.
Formula One
Following Alfa Romeo’s withdrawal from the World Touring Car Championship in 1987, Lucchini set his sights on entering Formula One. Brixia secured a partnership with Giampaolo Dallara, owner of Dallara, to develop a new chassis drawing on their Formula 3000 expertise. The team was rebranded as BMS Scuderia Italia, with Dallara recognized as constructor for the World Constructors' Championship. Vittorio Palazzani was appointed sporting director, while Sergio Rinland took on chief engineer duties designing the Dallara F188 chassis. Power units were provided by Cosworth’s Ford DFZ V8 engines, and Italian driver Alex Caffi was signed as lead driver. Due to delays, a Dallara Formula 3000 car was entered for their debut at Brazil. The team qualified for fourteen out of sixteen races but failed to score points; Caffi’s best result was seventh place at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
In , Scuderia Italia expanded its lineup to two cars by adding veteran Andrea de Cesaris alongside Caffi. The team introduced new Dallara F189 chassis designed by Mario Tolentino. At Monaco, Caffi secured the team’s first championship points with a fourth-place finish. The peak performance occurred at the Canadian Grand Prix where De Cesaris achieved a podium with third place while Caffi finished sixth. Although no further points were scored that season, Caffi qualified third at Hungary and both drivers made top ten qualifying times in Australia. De Cesaris and Caffi finished seventeenth individually; collectively, the team amassed eight points and ranked eighth among Constructors.
In , Patrizio Cantù departed as team manager and was succeeded by former Ferrari engineer Pierpaolo Gardella. Alex Caffi left for Arrows; Emanuele Pirro joined but missed two rounds due to illness, with Gianni Morbidelli deputizing. The season proved difficult as no points were earned despite De Cesaris starting third at the United States Grand Prix; only seven of sixteen races were completed.
For , Lucchini replaced Tolentino with Nigel Cowperthwaite for designing the F191 chassis and switched engine suppliers from Ford Cosworth to Judd V10 units. JJ Lehto replaced De Cesaris who moved to Jordan. Lehto achieved a podium finish by placing third at San Marino; Pirro added points with sixth place at Monaco. The team again secured eighth place in Constructors'.
In , Lucchini acquired year-old Ferrari V12 engines and signed Pierluigi Martini alongside Pirro. Martini earned two sixth-place finishes at Spain and San Marino, finishing sixteenth in Drivers' standings; however, Dallara slipped to tenth position among Constructors.
For , Lucchini contracted British firm Lola Cars to build chassis while retaining Ferrari power units. Chesterfield cigarette sponsorship was obtained; Michele Alboreto and rookie Luca Badoer were recruited as drivers. Despite potent engines, Lola chassis underperformed; Alboreto and Badoer faced qualifying challenges throughout the year. Badoer’s seventh place at San Marino ensured finishing ahead of Tyrrell in Constructors'. Financial difficulties led to withdrawal from final two rounds; nonetheless, the team competed in the Formula One Indoor Trophy but exited during semi-finals.
At season’s conclusion, financially strained Minardi merged with BMS Scuderia Italia under leadership of Lucchini and Giancarlo Minardi to continue into . The combined outfit resumed point-scoring form through before Lucchini withdrew to concentrate on other pursuits.
Return to touring cars
Following the conclusion of Lucchini's Formula One efforts in 1993, Nissan tasked BMS Scuderia Italia with running the Primeras in the 1994 German Super Tourenwagen Cup. Drivers Michael Bartels and Ivan Capelli secured sixth and eleventh places respectively in the drivers' standings. The team expanded to three entries in 1995, fielding Capelli, Sascha Maassen, and Kieth O'Dor. O'Dor achieved the squad's only victory at AVUS, but tragically lost his life during a collision on that race weekend.
In 1996, Anthony Reid stepped in for O'Dor, though BMS participated with a reduced schedule. Maassen led the team by finishing sixteenth in the drivers' championship. Subsequently, Giuseppe Lucchini withdrew from the Super Tourenwagen Cup, prompting Nissan to transfer their efforts to Team Rosberg. BMS made a brief comeback in 1998 with two Alfa Romeo 155 cars driven by Christian Pescatori and Emanuele Moncini in the Italian Superturismo Championship, but exited again after just one season.
1997–2001
After leaving the Super Tourenwagen Cup, Giuseppe Lucchini became an early purchaser of Porsche's newly introduced 911 GT1. Former Formula One competitor Pierluigi Martini returned to BMS, sharing driving duties with Christian Pescatori during the 1997 FIA GT Championship. Their best result was sixth place at Helsinki, earning a single point and ninth position in the Teams Championship. That year also marked BMS's debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Martini, Pescatori, and Brazilian Antônio Hermann de Azevedo finished eighth overall and fourth within their class.
In 1999, BMS re-entered sports car competition with two Ferrari 333 SP prototypes for the Sports Racing World Cup. Pescatori and Moncini continued from their Superturismo campaign, joined by Angelo and Marco Zadra piloting the second vehicle. The pair of Pescatori and Moncini claimed victory at Autodromo di Pergusa, ultimately ranking third and fourth in the drivers' standings while the team secured second place in the Teams Championship behind JB Racing.
The following season saw additions including Austrian Philipp Peter and Swiss racers Lilian Bryner and Enzo Calderari joining the Ferrari squad. Bryner, Calderari, and Angelo Zadra achieved a class victory at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, though they did not win overall. BMS once again finished second in team points; Marco Zadra and Philipp Peter tied for third individually. In 2001, now competing within the FIA Sportscar Championship, Christian Pescatori briefly returned to claim victory alongside Marco Zadra at the season opener before Jean-Marc Gounon took over driving duties and also won a race. BMS captured the Teams Championship by a margin of 22 points, with Marco Zadra securing the Drivers' title.
2002–2005
With the Ferrari 333 SP becoming obsolete, BMS Scuderia Italia shifted back to the FIA GT Championship running two Prodrive-constructed Ferrari 550 Maranello cars. The primary entry was shared by Andrea Piccini and Jean-Denis Délétraz, while Lilian Bryner, Enzo Calderari, and Frédéric Dor (later replaced by Jean-Marc Gounon) manned the second car. After three events, Piccini and Délétraz achieved consecutive victories at Jarama, Anderstorp, Oschersleben, and later Estoril. Despite four wins, inconsistent point scoring resulted in a fourth-place finish in the Teams Championship; Piccini and Délétraz ended third in driver rankings.
Under new Technical Director Marco Gadola during the 2003 season, BMS expanded to three cars including one entered under Care Racing. Driver pairings included Matteo Bobbi/Thomas Biagi, Fabrizio Gollin/Luca Cappellari, and Bryner/Calderari with Stefano Livio sharing duties on the Care entry. The team dominated early by sweeping first through third places at the opening round. Bobbi and Biagi followed with four straight wins plus a class victory and runner-up overall at the Spa 24 Hours. Two further wins brought their tally to eight victories out of ten races, securing BMS Scuderia Italia the Teams Championship while Care Racing finished third. Bobbi and Biagi earned the drivers' championship; Gollin/Cappellari and Bryner/Calderari completed second and third respectively.
In 2004, maintaining most of their roster but replacing Biagi with Gabriele Gardel alongside Bobbi, BMS continued their strong performance. Gollin and Cappellari secured consecutive early wins; Gardel and Bobbi achieved their first victory at round four. The team triumphed overall at the Spa 24 Hours with Gollin, Cappellari, Bryner, and Calderari—marking Bryner as the first female driver to win an international 24-hour endurance race. Concluding with five wins total, BMS earned their second Teams Championship while Gollin and Cappellari clinched the drivers' title.
Despite holding back-to-back FIA GT Championships, owner Giuseppe Lucchini redirected focus toward endurance racing in 2005. Two Ferraris entered both the new Le Mans Endurance Series as well as Italy's national Italian GT Championship. Christian Pescatori returned alongside newcomers Michele Bartyan, Toni Seiler, Matteo Cressoni, and Miguel Ramos. The trio of Gollin, Cressoni, and Ramos won the Le Mans Series opener; Pescatori with Bartyan and Seiler added two further victories. In Italian GT competition, BMS secured five wins out of seven races plus two GT2 class victories campaigning a Ferrari 360 Modena GTC operated by Racing Team Edil Cris. The team captured Teams Championships in both Le Mans Series GT1 class and Italian GT GT1 category—marking a third consecutive successful year with Ferrari’s 550 model. Both Ferraris also competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans but retired prematurely.
2006–2007
After achieving success with Prodrive's Ferrari 550, BMS Scuderia Italia was chosen by Prodrive as one of the two factory-supported teams for Aston Martin's debut DBR9. While Prodrive concentrated on the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Larbre Compétition competed in the Le Mans Series, BMS Scuderia Italia, racing under the Aston Martin Racing BMS name, took part in the FIA GT Championship as Aston Martin's official representative. The driver lineup included former FIA GT champion Fabrizio Gollin alongside Fabio Babini, with ex-Le Mans Series titleholders Pescatori and Ramos piloting the second car. Additionally, the team entered three DBRS9 vehicles in the newly established FIA GT3 European Championship aimed at amateur racers.
Although the team did not secure any wins in the FIA GT Championship, they consistently finished on the podium with several third places and accumulated enough points to claim second place in the teams' standings. Fabio Babini led their drivers, concluding ninth overall. Their 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign was cut short after a crash just three laps into the race. In FIA GT3 competition, BMS secured one victory and ended fourth in the teams' rankings.
In 2007, BMS continued as Aston Martin's main FIA GT squad and expanded its program by adding a Porsche 997 GT3-RSR for the GT2 category. Porsche factory driver Emmanuel Collard teamed up with Matteo Malucelli to claim their class victory at the Spa 24 Hours and finish runner-up in the GT2 Teams Championship. The GT1 group faced difficulties, finishing sixth without any wins; however, their DBR9 managed eleventh overall and sixth in GT1 at Le Mans. Meanwhile, in FIA GT3, their DBRS9 won the series finale and secured third place in the Teams Championship.
Following 2007, alterations within Aston Martin and Prodrive’s GT1 initiatives resulted in BMS Scuderia Italia ending its factory collaboration. Nevertheless, private efforts persisted under the resurrected Brixia Racing banner, established by Marcello Zani and Matteo Malucelli to focus on FIA GT3 and Italian GT Championship campaigns using Aston Martin DBRS9 cars.
Transitioning from Aston Martin and Porsche in FIA GT competition, BMS acquired two Ferrari F430s for participation in the GT2 Championship. Car #77 was shared by Paolo Ruberti and Matteo Malucelli, while Davide Rigon partnered with Joël Camathias in car #78. The team also entered Ferraris at Le Mans during 2008 and 2009, achieving second place in the GT2 category on both occasions with Fabio Babini returning as a driver.
Results summary
Complete Formula One Results
(key) (entries shown in bold signify pole position)
| Year | Championship | Car | Races | Wins | Poles | Fastest laps |
Drivers Championship |
Teams Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Italian Rally Championship | Alfa Romeo GTV6 | ? | ? | N/A | N/A | ? | ? |
| 1984 | Italian Rally Championship | Alfa Romeo GTV6 | ? | ? | N/A | N/A | ? | ? |
| 1985 | Italian Rally Championship | Lancia 037 | ? | 3 | N/A | N/A | ? | ? |
| 1986 | Italian Rally Championship | Lancia 037 Lancia Delta S4 |
? | 4 | N/A | N/A | 3rd (Bossini) |
? |
| 1987 | Italian Rally Championship | Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo | ? | ? | N/A | N/A | ? | ? |
| World Touring Car Championship | Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |
| 1988 | Formula One World Championship | Dallara 3087-Ford Dallara F188-Ford |
14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Not Classified | Not Classified |
| 1989 | Formula One World Championship | Dallara F189-Ford | 15 | align="center]">0 | 0 | 0 | 17th (Andrea de Cesaris) |
8th |
| 1990 | "1990 Formula One season" | "Dallara F190-Ford Motor Company" | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Not Classified | Not Classified |
| 1991 | "1991 Formula One season" | "Dallara F191-Judd (engine)" | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12th (JJ Lehto) |
8th |
| 1992 | "1992 Formula One season" | "Dallara F192-Scuderia Ferrari" | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16th (Pierluigi Martini) |
10th |
| 1993 | "1993 Formula One season" | "Lola T93/30-Scuderia Ferrari" | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Not Classified | Not Classified |
| 1994 | "1994 Super Tourenwagen Cup season" | "Nissan Primera" | 8 | 0 | 0 | ? | 6th (Michael Bartels) |
? |
| 1995 | "1995 Super Tourenwagen Cup season" | "Nissan Primera" | 12 | 1 | 1 | ? </td}
< tdstyle= text -align : center >10th | ||
| Year | Chassis | Engine(s) | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | Dallara 3087 | Ford DFV 3.0 V8 | Template:Goodyear | BRA | SMR | MON | MEX | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | ESP | JPN | AUS | 0 | NC | |
| Template:Country data ITATemplate:Namespace detect showall Alex Caffi | Did Not Pre-Qualify | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Dallara F188 | Ford DFZ 3.5 V8 | Retired | Retired | Retired | Did Not Pre-Qualify | 8th | 12th | 11th | 15th | Retired | 8th | Retired | 7th | 10th | Retired | Retired |
1989 Brazilian Grand Prix 1989 San Marino Grand Prix 1989 Monaco Grand Prix 1989 Mexican Grand Prix 1989 United States Grand Prix 1989 Canadian Grand Prix 1989 French Grand Prix 1989 British Grand Prix 1989 German Grand Prix 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix 1989 Belgian Grand Prix 1989 Italian Grand Prix 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix 1989 Spanish Grand Prix 1989 Japanese Grand Prix 1989 Australian Grand Prix 8 8th Did Not Pre-Qualify 7th 4th 13th Retired 6th Retired Did Not Pre-Qualify Retired 7th Retired 11th Retired Retired 9th Retired 13th 10th 13th Retired 8th 3rd Did Not Qualify Retired 7th Retired 11th Retired Retired 7th 10th ... [Table continues with similar compression for subsequent years]
External links
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