Paulo Carcasci
Paulo Carcasci | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 7, 1964 Brazil |
| Occupation(s) | Racing driver, driver manager, engineer |
| Years active | 1985–1996 (racing) |
| Known for | Winning the 1985 European FF 1600 Championship, 1988 BBC FF2000 Championship, 1991 All-Japan Formula Three Championship, and the Formula 3000 Gold Cup |
Paulo Carcasci (born 7 January 1964) is a retired Brazilian racing driver. His career highlights include winning the 1985 European FF 1600 Championship, the 1988 BBC FF2000 Championship, the 1991 All-Japan Formula Three Championship, and securing the Gold Cup in Formula 3000.
Racing career
Carcasci launched his European racing journey in 1985 within Formula Ford 1600, piloting a factory-supported Van Diemen RF85. He claimed victories at circuits such as Cadwell Park, Castle Combe, and Brands Hatch. Notably, he triumphed in the EFDA Formula Ford Euroseries finale at Circuit Zolder, outperforming future Formula 1 competitors including Bertrand Gachot, Roland Ratzenberger, and Damon Hill. During the 1985 Formula Ford Festival, he secured pole position but was unable to finish the final race. The following year, Carcasci advanced to the British Formula Ford 2000 series with Team Duckhams Van Diemen, where he won races at venues like Thruxton, Snetterton, and Castle Combe.
In 1988, Carcasci participated in five rounds of the British Formula 3 championship driving an Alfa Romeo-powered Reynard 883 but did not achieve significant results. The subsequent year saw him compete across various Formula Opel Lotus series, culminating in a seventh-place standing in the Euro Series. Within the British Formula 3000 championship, he entered three events, securing fourth place at Donington Park for Madgwick and winning the prestigious Gold Cup at Oulton Park for Cobra Motorsport, besting rival Gary Brabham. At the close of that season, he declined an offer to join the struggling Life Racing Engines Formula One team.
In 1990, Carcasci signed with Manor Motorsport to contest the British Formula Renault Championship, finishing second overall behind champion Thomas Erdos. The following year marked his move to Japan where he raced for TOM'S, Toyota’s factory team, in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship. Driving the TOM'S 031F chassis, he won four races and placed eleventh at the 1991 Macau Grand Prix. Additionally, he debuted in the All-Japan F3000 Championship that same year, accumulating four points while driving a Lola T90/50. In 1992, Carcasci claimed victory in the season’s second race at Fuji Speedway behind the wheel of a Reynard 92D and continued competing in Japanese F3000 through 1993, with his best result being third place at Mine Circuit.
Following his stint in Japan, Carcasci returned to England to test a Nordic Racing Lola T94/50 at Snetterton. He started one of two planned races but retired due to electrical problems during the Secundo Gran Premio do Estoril do F3000.
In 1996, Carcasci made a single appearance in the Indy Lights series at Long Beach but was forced to retire because of clutch failure. That same year, he also participated in the Mexican Formula Three Championship.
Formula 3 team
When driver and manager Tim Spouge established SS Sports to compete in the British F3 championship, Carcasci joined as chief engineer during the 1998 campaign and continued in that role through 1999 supporting both Spouge and teammate Doug Bell. The team’s top achievement was a fourth-place finish by Spouge at Croft Circuit that season. SS Sports disbanded at the conclusion of that year.
Driver management
In 2001, Carcasci became part of One Sports Management, a company specializing in managing racing drivers. Among the prominent racers he has overseen are Antônio Pizzonia, Luciano Burti, and Lucas di Grassi. Carcasci was responsible for leading the talent scouting committee for Petrobras and served as a mentor for competitors in the Super Kart Brasil championship until 2015. He played a pivotal role in establishing a strategic alliance between Petrobras and Koiranen GP aimed at nurturing Brazilian driving talent. In 2015, he took on the role of driver coach at Draco Racing, where he managed the Brazilian driver André Negrão.
American Open-Wheel racing results
(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position; those in italics show fastest lap)
Indy Lights
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | RaceCars | MIA | LBH 21 |
NAZ | MIS | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | TRO | VAN | LS | 38th | 0 |
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Entries in bold signify pole position; those in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Nordic Racing | SIL | PAU | CAT | PER | HOC | SPA | EST Ret |
MAG | NC | 0 |