Tatuus

Tatuus Racing SpA
Company type	Private
Industry	Motorsport, automotive manufacturing
Founded	1980; 46 years ago
Founder	Artico Sandonà, Gianfranco De Bellis
Headquarters	Italy, Italy
Key people	Gianfranco De Bellis (president, as of 2024), Giovanni Delfino (group CEO)
Products	Formula racing chassis (Formula Renault, Formula 4, Toyota Racing Series, Group CN sports cars)
Owner	Wisequity IV (controlling interest since 2017), Artico Sandonà and Gianfranco De Bellis (minority shareholders)

Tatuus is an Italian manufacturer specializing in the production of chassis for formula racing categories, established in 1980. The firm is prominently recognized for its partnership with Renault Sport in developing chassis for the Formula Renault series.

Company history

Founded in 1980 by Artico Sandonà and Gianfranco De Bellis, Tatuus Racing SpA continues to be led by De Bellis, who serves as president as of September 2024. After operating independently for 37 years, on 16 February 2017, the founders sold a controlling interest to Wisequity IV, a private equity fund overseen by Wise Sgr S.p.A., with the investment valued at €215 million. This fund also oversees companies such as Corob, Imprima Group, Tapì Group, and Aleph Team. Sandonà and De Bellis maintained minority shares following the transaction.

During Wise Sgr’s stewardship, Tatuus expanded its portfolio through strategic acquisitions: in November 2017, it acquired Autotecnica Motori, a racing engine manufacturer founded by Giovanni Delfino, who subsequently assumed the role of group CEO. In November 2018, Tatuus secured a 75% ownership in Breda Racing, a supplier of motorsport components.

Racing history

Tatuus Racing commenced vehicle production for the 500cc and 1000cc categories of the Formula Monza championship in 1980. The company achieved its first championship victory in 1983 when Luca Melgrati won the Formula Panda Monza title, repeating this success in 1985 and 1986, thereby establishing Tatuus as a prominent chassis supplier. In 1988, Tatuus was contracted to manufacture vehicles for the newly introduced Formula König, producing tube-frame racecars equipped with wings and slick tires; notably, future seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher won the inaugural season.

Formula 3 team

While not a constructor in Formula 3, Tatuus participated as a team in the Italian Formula Three championship starting in 1989. Fabrizio Bettini earned rookie of the year honors with two podium finishes across seven races, piloting an Alfa Romeo-powered Dallara 389 chassis. In 1991, Niko Palhares secured one pole position and one podium finish, marking Tatuus’ first entry at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix Formula Three support race. Palhares finished second overall in the Italian championship in 1992 but did not complete the Monaco race. That same year marked Tatuus’ debut at the Masters of Formula 3, where Palhares placed 14th.

In 1993, Fiat designated Tatuus as their official factory team. Although results were modest in the Italian championship (with Gianantonio Pacchioni finishing seventh), Pacchioni triumphed at the renowned Monaco F3 support event. At the Masters of Formula 3 held at Circuit Park Zandvoort, local driver Tom Coronel joined the lineup and finished 20th while Pacchioni placed seventh. The subsequent season saw Pacchioni achieve third place overall alongside rookie Simone Rebai. For the Masters event that year, Rebai was replaced by Roberto Colciago, who outperformed Pacchioni by finishing seventh.

Following a championship win in the Formula Alfa Boxer series with a Tatuus chassis, future IndyCar competitor Tony Kanaan joined the team, attaining one victory and concluding fifth overall as the highest-placed international driver. After this period, Tatuus redirected its focus towards Formula Renault competition.

Formula Renault period

In 1993, Gianfranco De Bellis joined as co-owner, guiding Tatuus to concentrate on producing Formula Renault vehicles. Their initial Formula Renault model was the Tatuus RC95. The factory squad competed in the Eurocup Formula Renault with Italian driver Rino Mastronardi, Norwegian Tommy Rustad, and Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi. During their inaugural season, Rustad secured three victories. By 1996, Bernoldi dominated the series by winning six out of ten races, earning the championship title; his teammate Danilo Cascio ended the season in seventh place.

Success also came from customer teams: David Cook (racing driver) clinched the highly competitive British Formula Renault championship piloting a Tatuus chassis, surpassing future prominent racer Darren Turner. In France, customer driver Antoine Brousseau finished as runner-up, while German racer Alexander Müller (racing driver) captured his national championship for Tatuus.

The 1997 campaign was notably strong for Tatuus: they secured a one-two finish in the European championship with drivers Jeffrey van Hooydonk and Max Busnelli. Seven of the top ten finishers drove Tatuus cars. In Germany, customer teams dominated the podium with Robert Lechner leading ahead of his teammates. The British titleholder Marc Hynes also competed in a Tatuus chassis. The French championship remained fiercely contested among manufacturers such as Mygale and Martini; Tatuus’ Benoît Tréluyer achieved sixth place overall with one victory and four podium finishes.

Throughout 1998 and 1999, Tatuus maintained its supremacy by capturing multiple European, British, and German championships. In France’s intensely competitive series, Tatuus triumphed again in 1999 when Lucas Lasserre won the title amid strong challenges from Mygale and Martini. That year, Tatuus chassis claimed 14 victories out of 21 French races and dominated British events with 12 wins from 13 races; Brazilian driver Antônio Pizzonia secured the British crown.

USF2000

Tatuus entered the USF2000 series in 1997 with a factory-backed team. Rino Mastronardi won the second race at the streets of St. Petersburg, starting from third on the grid and finishing ahead of competitors Matt Sielsky and Buddy Rice. Mastronardi only participated in that event; other drivers for the remainder of the season included Steven Rikert and Giuliano Losacco. Tatuus finished second in the manufacturers’ standings with 40 points, trailing behind Van Diemen, which amassed 93 points.

In 1998, Tatuus continued running its factory team while supplying chassis to customer outfits. Factory driver Ryan Hampton finished second overall in the championship, with RM Racing’s customer driver Robby McGehee taking third place. The following year, 1999, saw no factory team entries from Tatuus; however, their chassis were utilized by teams such as A. J. Foyt Enterprises, which fielded driver Larry Foyt. Without full-time factory participation, Tatuus was not eligible to contend for the manufacturers’ title.

The Tatuus RC98 chassis remains active within the SCCA’s Formula Continental category, achieving significant success at club-level racing and prestigious competitions like the SCCA National Championship Runoffs and the June Sprints.

In 2017, Tatuus was appointed as the exclusive chassis supplier for the U.S. F2000 National Championship. A revised version featuring enhanced power output and increased aerodynamic downforce was introduced as the spec chassis for the Pro Mazda Championship starting in 2018.

Formula Ford Zetec

Tatuus made its entry into the Formula Ford Zetec segment in 1998. By the following year, their chassis had already achieved notable results, with German driver Timo Bernhard driving for Jenzer Motorsport to secure four podium finishes and a third-place overall in the German Formula Ford championship. After 1999, Tatuus did not introduce updates to their Formula Ford Zetec chassis. Nevertheless, the Tatuus design continues to claim victories and championship titles within the French Formula Ford Zetec competition as of .

Formula Renault

Tatuus was commissioned to develop and produce Formula Renault vehicles adhering to new technical specifications. The Tatuus FR2000 made its debut in 2000 across multiple Formula Renault championships and remained active until 2010, when it was succeeded by the Barazi-Epsilon. In 2002, Tatuus launched the Tatuus FR1600 tailored for Formula Renault 1.6. The company also introduced the Tatuus FRV6 for the 2003 Formula Renault V6 Eurocup season, which competed throughout Europe until the series ended and then continued racing in Formula V6 Asia from 2006 through 2009.

Toyota Racing Series

Under contract from Toyota New Zealand, Tatuus developed the Toyota FT40 model for the inaugural Toyota Racing Series in 2005. This chassis served for ten seasons before being retired after the 2014 campaign, with its final event—the New Zealand Grand Prix—won by Nick Cassidy. The FT50 succeeded it in 2015, retaining the same engine but upgrading from a five-speed to a six-speed Sadev transmission. Cassidy conducted testing of the FT50 at Adria International Raceway in July 2014 prior to its competitive debut.

Other racing series

In 2006, Tatuus introduced the Tatuus FC106 specifically for use in Formula Challenge Japan, where it remained the standard car until 2013.

The Tatuus N.T07 served as the sole vehicle for all seasons of the International Formula Master between 2007 and 2009.

The Italian Formula Abarth series utilized the Tatuus FA010, equipped with a 1.4L Fiat-FPT powerplant. This chassis was later adopted by other competitions including Formula Masters China (2011), Panam GP Series (2012), and Formula Russia (2013). Beginning in 2014, an updated FA010 was employed in the Florida Winter Series organized by the Ferrari Driver Academy. That same year, Tatuus secured a contract to supply all cars for the newly established FIA-compliant Formula 4 Italian Championship. The Tatuus F4-T014 featured a detuned version of the Formula Abarth engine, restricted to 160hp. In 2015, both ADAC Formula 4 and BRDC Formula 4 adopted Tatuus chassis, with BRDC confirming its use starting from their Autumn Trophy event.

Group CN

In 2012, Tatuus unveiled its inaugural vehicle for the Group CN sports car category, competing in series such as the Italian Prototype Championship, V de V Proto Endurance, and Speed Euro Series through a revived factory team. Factory driver Davide Rigon achieved second place at the Speed Euro Series round held at Imola. Meanwhile, Raffaele Giammaria secured three podium finishes and ranked fifth overall in the Italian Prototype Championship. The following year, multiple teams campaigned the Tatuus PY012 across various championships. The factory squad participated selectively in V de V Proto Endurance, where drivers Brandon Maïsano and Sebastián Merchán claimed victory in the six-hour race at Magny-Cours.

W Series

The debut 2019 campaign of the all-female W Series featured T-318 cars built to F3 specifications and powered by Alfa Romeo engines, with all vehicles managed by Hitech Racing.

Racecars

Year	Model		Powerplant	Number produced	Competition	Location
1982	Tatuus ??		Fiat 875cc I2	15	Formula Monza	Template:ITA
1984	Tatuus ??		Fiat 903cc I4	70	Formula Panda	Template:ITA
1988	Tatuus Formula König		Volkswagen 1.4 L I4	50	Formula König	REDIRECT Template:DEU
???	Tatuus ??		SEAT 903cc I4	25	Formula Marbella	Template:ESP
1993	Tatuus Formula Alfa Boxer		Alfa Romeo 1.7 L flat-four	25	Formula Alfa Boxer	Template:EUR
1995–1997	Tatuus RC95/96/97		Renault F3R 2.0 L		Formula Renault 2.0	Template:EUR
1998	Tatuus RC98		Ford Zetec 2.0 L	15	USF2000	Template:USA
			Renault F3R 2.0 L		Formula Renault 2.0	Template:EUR
			Ford Zetec1.8 L	10	Formula Ford 1800	Template:EUR
1999	Tatuus RC99		Renault F3R2.0 L		Formula Renault 2.0	Template:EUR
2000	Tatuus FR2000		Renault F4R2.0 L	930	Formula Renault 2.0	Worldwide
2002	Tatuus FR1600		Renault K4M1.6 L	130	Formula Renault 1.6	Worldwide
2003	Tatuus FRV6	rowspan=2	rowspan=2\|Renault V4Y RS3.5 L V6	30	Formula Renault V6 Eurocup	Template:EUR
2003	Tatuus FRV6		\| \|Formula V6 Asia \|Asia	30
2005	Toyota FT40		Toyota 2ZZ-GE1.8 L	40	Toyota Racing Series	Template:NZL
2006	Tatuus FC106		Nismo Renault F4R2.0 L	30	Formula Challenge Japan	Template:JPN
2007	Tatuus N.T07	rowspan=2	rowspan=2\|Honda K20A2.0 L	50	International Formula Master	Template:EUR
2007	Tatuus N.T07	\| \| \|Formula Master Italia \|Template:ESP		50
2010	Tatuus FA010	rowspan=6	rowspan=6\|FPT 414TF1.4 L	120	Formula Abarth, Panam GP Series, Formula Pilota China, Formula Masters Russia, Formula 3 Tatarstan Championship, Florida Winter Series	Worldwide

External links

FR2000 Technical Specifications