Carlo Vallarino Gancia

Carlo Vallarino Gancia is an Italo-Brazilian businessman.

Biography

Early life

Although the Gancia family is famous as the owners of an Italian wine-producing company (the founder of which is also called Carlo Gancia), Carlo Vallarino was born in Brazil. His father, Piero Vallarino Gancia, was an amateur racing driver and later founded the Confederação Brasileira de Automobilismo, the national motorsport authority of Brazil. [cite web |url=http://paginas.terra.com.br/educacao/projetovip/0830.htm |title=30 de agosto - nascimentos |publisher=paginas.terra.com.br |accessdate=2007-09-05 |language=Portuguese ]

After growing up in Brazil, Gancia graduated from the University of Southern California with a Master's degree in economics. He went on to work in several businesses in Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Luxembourg and Monaco.cite web |url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/cref-gancar.html |publisher=grandprix.com |title=People: Carlo Gancia |accessdate=2007-09-05 ]

Motorsport

Gancia was involved in motorsport from an early age, helping Brazilian Formula One drivers such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Carlos Pace and Nelson Piquet to obtain sponsorship. He also ran a go-kart factory which helped to start Ayrton Senna's racing career. In addition, Gancia himself also raced at a competitive level, winning a series of Brazilian Touring Car championships.

By 1992, Gancia was assisting Pedro Diniz's racing career, and met Italian Formula 3000 team owner Guido Forti. [cite web |url=http://www.f1rejects.com/teams/forti/profile.html |title= Forti-Corse - full profile |publisher= f1rejects.com |accessdate= 2007-09-05] The two made a deal whereby Diniz drove for the Forti team in F3000 in 1993 and 1994, and Gancia bought the shares of Guido Forti's original business partner, Paolo Guerci, thus taking over the role of fundraising. [cite web |url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-forti.html |title= Constructors: Forti Corse S.R.L.|publisher=grandprix.com|accessdate= 2007-09-05]

Forti moved up to F1 in F1|1995 with Diniz as one of the team's drivers. Although Gancia had helped to secure a good budget, the FG01 chassis was slow and unsuccessful. When Diniz broke his original three-year contract with the team by moving to Ligier for F1|1996, much of the sponsorship disappeared and Gancia looked towards Indy Car racing as an alternative.

When the Shannon Racing Team company arrived mid-season as a potential major sponsor, Gancia sold his shares and left the team. A few months later, an ownership dispute between Shannon and Guido Forti led to the team's collapse and withdrawal from F1.

Gancia currently works for Image Group, a São Paulo-based company which promotes, markets and televises American open-wheel racing formulae such as the IndyCar Series in Brazil. [cite web |url=http://www.brazzil.com/content/view/9607/41/ |title=Willy Herrmann, the German Guy Who Became Brazil's Mr. Formula Indy |publisher=brazzil.com |date=2006-05-23 |accessdate=2007-09-05 ]

References