RICHARD ANTINUCCI THROUGH THE YEARS

Since entering his first car race in 1998, Richard has raced in 3 continents and in several top-flight championships, including Formula Renault 2000, F3 and — since 2007 — US open-wheel.

Richard started his racing career in 1989 at 8 years old in karts progressing on to win numerous races and championships in Italy. It was at the tender age of eight that he had his first taste of motor racing. This started a journey that has brought him from America, where he was raised and educated, to Italy, UK, Japan and eventually back to the US. Richard is proud of his American and Italian heritage and also claims Sioux Indian blood.

Richard, who has based himself in sunny San Diego, California, spent his formative years in Oregon, Arizona and Virginia. When he was in his early teens his family moved to live in Rome, Italy. It was in 1989 that Richard first got behind the wheel of a kart in Virginia. In '92 and '93 he raced in the 60cc "Little Wolves" class.

His chosen career, however, didn't really take off until his move to Europe. In '94 and '95, driving a 100 junior, he won the Championship of Champions sweeping the three races, claimed two races in the Italian Championship, was sixth in the World Championship, seventh in the European Championship and took part successfully in several other events. His karting career continued until the end of 1997 with him adding wins in Italian Championships, the European Belgian Grand Prix, and third in the World Cup.

In 1998 he followed in the footsteps of then-reigning Formula 1 World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve, and enrolled in the Henry Morrogh Driving School before taking the step up to single-seater racing. He was given the Best Student Award and to prove his expertise immediately went on to win his first race: an Italian Formula Ford event in Rome.

Although Richard craved to be a racing driver, he was aware of the value of education and so it was only after graduating in June 1999 with an International Baccalaureate that he enrolled in a full racing season. For 2001 he opted to race in Formula Renault, winning races both in the Eurocup and the demanding Italian Championship. In 2002 he moved on to the British Championship finishing runner-up in the standings, with five race wins including winning the prestigious Spa Festival.

The next step was Formula 3. He has shelved 2002 as a learning year, however in this season he still achieved two strong second places and a credible 7th place in the Korea Superprix, a blue-ribband event. The year finished on a high note with two tests for the BMW Williams F1 Team. He was picked for a Silverstone aero coast-down test and later on again when a commercial for a team sponsor was filmed at Portugal's Estoril circuit.

Richard joined Carlin Motorsport for the 2003 British F3 Championship achieving several strong podium finishes before moving to Promatecme in August. In his first race with his new team he was the fastest Mugen-Honda qualifier at Thruxton and at Donington on September 7th in wet conditions he started last from the pit lane on slick tyres and went on to finish an impressive 2nd in the race. Richard finished the Formula 3 season in dominant form by winning both races in the Korean Grand Prix and clinching the Blue Riband award for the most successful driver in the Korean and Macau double header.

The American driver, in his Hitech Racing Dallara, was never headed by any of the opposition from the 34 car grid that represented the crème de la crème of the Formula 3 World. He started the first race from third but thanks to a superb start overtook the front row men — Lewis Hamilton and Nelsinho Piquet — off the line. Race two was a repeat of race one, although this time Richard started from pole. He built up a healthy cushion on the pursuing pack and when he took the second win had led every lap of both races. The Macau weekend saw him finish third in one race but retire in the other through no fault of his own. At both circuits he was consistently at the top of the timesheets.

Richard stuck to Asia for 2004, and his All-Japan F3 Championship deal turned out to usher a rollercoaster year. Early on he proved his employer (Tom's, Toyota works outfit) right, keeping the lead in the series until round 8. In spite of a relation with the team that begun to grow strained in the second half of the season, Antinucci was the squad's best man in the final standings, finishing ahead of current F1 driver Kazuki Nakajima, courtesy of 12 podium finishes in 18 starts. This season led to a subdued 2005 : after parting ways with Tom's Toyota, he took the Midland (Kolles) Team offer to drive in the European F3 Championship. After 4 rounds in uncompetitive equipment he decided to opt out and seek a new opportunity. The lone highlight of his brief 2005 was a wet Hockenheim (Germany) race: on a soaked track he set the fastest lap, a full second clear of the second best time in the charts.

The 2006 European F3 storyline was straight from the David-and-Goliath script in late '50s blockbuster movies. Taking on well-funded teams and drivers with factory support, Richard was able to guide Austrian HBR team to astonishing wins at Le Mans and Barcelona, as well as posting podium finishes that raised eyebrows. Therefore he could well say to have said hello to the Old Europe stage of his career on a high.

As a matter of fact 2007 was to be the year of the comeback. Back in the US, that is, and in the family as well, since his debut in open-wheel in the States has been made possible by way of a deal with his uncle's team, Cheever Racing, in Indy Pro Series. Taking into account Richard's lack of experience on ovals, the driver and the former Indy 500 winner set their sights on the road course events. After a period of acclimatisation for both the team and the driver in the spring rounds, the package started to pan out in the summer, and Antinucci quickly went from underdog to front runner, posting his maiden win at Mid-Ohio and winning the pole and another event at Infineon Raceway. Antinucci closed the year in style, passing the oval rookie test on the fly and making his Rolex Grand-Am debut at Miller Park in a Cheever Racing DP and enjoying the ride enough to leave Utah with the fastest lap on the timing sheets.

In 2008 Antinucci took part to his first full Indy Lights season, joining then reigning Sam Schmidt Motorsports stable. The series turned out to be a fiery duel with talented Brazilian Raphael Matos, with Antinucci and AFS Andretti Green driver going to the wire : at the season finale in Chicagoland the Brazilian had a tiny 4-point lead when the lights went green. Sadly the Sam Schmidt Motorsports driver was collected in a crash on lap 26 by Sam Guthrie, which knocked him out of the race and title hunt for good. The Italian-American wound up second, after having posted two wins and nine Top 5 finishes.

In 2009, Richard made his IndyCar Series debut and posted Team 3G’s best qualifying results of the season, as well as top–ten lap times in two races.

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Last update : Tuesday, October 27, 2009