Franco Girolami
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Franco Girolami | |
|---|---|
Girolami in 2022 | |
| Nationality | |
| Born | 14 February 1992 Isla Verde, Cordoba Province, Argentina |
| Relatives | Néstor Girolami (brother) |
| TCR Europe career | |
| Racing licence | |
Franco Girolami (born February 14, 1992) is an Argentine motor racing driver. He won Formula Renault Plus, TC2000, Top Race V6, TCR Europe and TCR Italy championships.[1]
Girolami is the brother of the WTCR driver Néstor Girolami.[2]
Girolami started his sports career in 2008, focusing on the next years in open-wheel championships. In 2011, he won the Formula Renault Plus championship and was runner-up in Formula Renault Argentina. In the next year, he was TC2000 champion with six wins in 10 races.[1]
In 2013, Girolami made his debut in Súper TC2000 with the Chevrolet Argentina factory team, and the next year in Top Race V6.[3][1]
Girolami returned to being a full-time Súper TC2000 driver only in 2020 with Fiat Racing Team.[4] Between 2015 and 2019, he raced with Gabriel Furlán's team in TRV6, with Mitsubishi cars. He won the title in 2018 with three wins and one point ahead of seven-time champion Agustín Canapino.[5] Third was his brother Néstor. In 2019, he won five races and was second in the championship, behind Matías Rossi, while in 2020, he won two races and finished third.[1][6]
Girolami's first race in a championship outside of Argentina was in 2018, in Stock Car Brasil, invited by Denis Navarro.[7] In 2020, he participated in rounds of TCR Italy and TCR Europe championships.[1] He won the first race of 2021 TCR Italy at Misano after starting in pole position.[8] Weeks later, he also achieved his first victory in TCR Europe, at Zandvoort, and became the championship leader.[9] He won for the second time at Monza, but lost the championship to Mikel Azcona.[10]
In 2022, Girolami claimed the TCR Europe title in his first season with Audi Sport Team Comtoyou PSS. He had four wins and podiums at all rounds, outscoring runner-up Tom Coronel by more than 100 points.[11][12] The following year, he won the TCR Italy Touring Car Championship with Aikoa Racing.[13]