19 GABRIELE TARQUINI

CHAMPION 1994

Formula 1 refugee Gabriele Tarquini became an instant hit with the UK public during his time in the British Touring Car Championship.

When he arrived on these shores with the Alfa Corse team, the Italian flair and passion struck a chord with the fans. The dominant Alfa, and the quirky humour from the driver, made headlines.

Tarquini had won fans in F1 as a hardtrier, always battling with uncompetitive machinery and he scored just a single point in his 78 grand prix weekends. But it didn’t get him down: he dovetailed his F1 commitments with seasons in the Italian Superturismo category, and switched from BMW to Alfa for 1993.

The 155 moved the goalposts in terms of two-litre tin-top thinking, and Tarquini exploited it to the maximum. His press-on style meant that nothing was left on the table in terms of effort on his way to the 1994 crown. However, Alfa’s star was short lived as the other manufacturers caught on to the aerodynamic tricks and he was never to experience such highlights again.

A part-season with Alfa to defend his BTCC title in 1995 was fruitless with an uncompetitive car, and it wasn’t until he switched to Honda in 1997, after a year away, that the results started to come again. He signed off his UK racing with sixth place in the 2000 contest in the Honda Accord. He had amassed 12 wins in the BTCC.