Guillermo Ortelli
Guillermo Ortelli | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 25, 1973 Salto, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina |
| Occupation | Racing driver |
| Known for | Seven-time Turismo Carretera champion |
Guillermo Ortelli (born April 25, 1973, in Salto, Buenos Aires Province) is a prominent Argentine racing driver active in various national competitions. With seven championships to his name in Turismo Carretera, he ranks among the most accomplished competitors in the series' history.
Biography
Ortelli initially pursued football with Club Sports Salto before shifting his focus to motorsports. At age 16, his father Hugo acquired a go-kart, allowing him to participate in the Buenos Aires Province karting championship, where he finished as runner-up, competing against drivers such as Norberto Fontana. His skills caught the attention of Tulio Crespi, who invited him to race in Argentine Formula Renault.
After two seasons in Formula Renault, Ortelli transitioned to the TC2000 series driving a Tulio Crespi-prepared Ford Escort XR3 and made his debut in Argentina's premier racing category, Turismo Carretera (TC). In 1998, he achieved the distinction of becoming TC's youngest-ever champion and was honored by both the Clarín and Olimpia Awards.
His second TC title came in 2000 with backing from Jorge Pedersoli and Sandro Crespi. That year, he also secured the runner-up position in the Top Race series. A dispute between the ACTC and the CDA (ACA) prevented him from joining the Toyota team as planned alongside teammates Juan María Traverso and Lucas Armelini for TC2000.
In 2001, Ortelli clinched both the Top Race and Turismo Carretera championships, narrowly surpassing rival Omar Martínez during the final rounds. Following resolution of the ACTC-ACA conflict, he returned to TC2000 with Honda, partnering with drivers like Juan Manuel Silva and Oscar Larrauri.
The year 2002 saw him compete in a single event of the ARCA series for Tango Racing behind the wheel of a Chevy Monte Carlo, though he did not complete the race. He then returned to Argentina to add another Turismo Carretera crown to his record.
Ortelli re-entered the revitalized Top Race V6 championship in 2005 driving a Chevrolet Vectra backed by Club Atlético Boca Juniors, ultimately winning that season’s title.
From 2006 through 2008, he represented Chevrolet’s factory team in TC2000, finishing 6th, 4th, and 2nd respectively. After moving to private Chevrolet teams during 2009 and 2010—where his standings dropped to 8th and 11th—he switched back to Renault for the 2011 season.
In recognition of his outstanding performance over ten years, Ortelli was awarded the esteemed Konex Award in 2010 as one of Argentina’s top five racing drivers of the decade.
He remains active in Turismo Carretera competition and secured his seventh championship title in 2016. Although victories have eluded him since then, his career totals approach 400 starts with about 30 wins, around 30 pole positions, and close to 100 podium finishes. Between 2012 and 2014, he competed with Renault in Súper TC 2000, followed by participation in Turismo Nacional from 2014 until 2017.
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
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- No local image but image on Wikidata
- TC 2000 Championship drivers
- Turismo Carretera drivers
- Top Race V6 drivers
- People from Salto Partido
- Racing drivers from Buenos Aires Province
- 1973 births
- Living people
- Argentine racing drivers
- ARCA Menards Series drivers
- Formula Renault Argentina drivers
- Súper TC 2000 drivers