Ronnie Quintarelli (born 9 August 1979) is an Italian racecar driver, currently competing in
Super GT. A four-time champion, he holds the all-time record for the most drivers' championship titles won in the GT500 class of Super GT.[1]
In 2005, he scored his maiden
GT win in the
1000 km Suzuka race with
André Couto and
Hayanari Shimoda and later made his way to the
Super GT. After spending two seasons under the
Lexus banner, Quintarelli moved to the
Nissan camp, securing multiple victories. Driving for the
Mola team, he won two consecutive titles in
2011 and
2012 partnered by
Masataka Yanagida. He later joined the
Nismo Official Team alongside
Tsugio Matsuda. The pairing cruised to two more titles in
2014 and
2015 which made Quintarelli the most titled driver in the history of the series. While still fighting for the title in 2016 with a third place, the
Nissan teams struggled at the beginning of the following year but Quintarelli and
Matsuda rallied to finish the season in second place. In 2018, they were again steadily at the front of the Nissan roster, and managed to snatch a win at
Fuji Speedway. Unfortunately, they would not hit the top-5 again, eventually taking eighth place in the championship. [3]
In
2019, the
Nismo pairing completed the championship in third position with four podium finishes and three pole positions scored by Quintarelli himself. In
2020, they remained in contention for the title until the very last race by taking two wins in the two rounds held at
Suzuka. The final event of the season at
Fuji Speedway (the track hosted four events to simplify logistics during the
COVID-19 pandemic) saw a record 11 teams in contention for the title with tight margins. Quintarelli moved from sixth place to the lead in the opening lap, although tyre issues cost him track position later. He and Matsuda would eventually end up ninth in the race and sixth in the championships. They returned to the
Nismo team for
2021.
Quintarelli driving in the 2014 Super GT season at Suzuka
The
2021 season started with a double retirement as contact involving team-mate
Tsugio Matsuda at
Okayama and a broken engine at
Fuji Speedway impacted the rest of the season.
The number 23
Nismo car still secured one win at
Suzuka and a third place at
Autopolis, but the Quintarelli-Matsuda pairing had to settle for ninth in points. For the
2022 season, all the
Nissan teams debuted the new
Z GT500 model. However, the
Nismo team suffered the tragic loss of its Director Yutaka Suzuki, who prematurely died during the winter. Despite the positive start at
Okayama with a third place, contact and a mechanical issue jeopardized the following two events. A brilliant second place in wet conditions at
Sugo put Quintarelli and
Matsuda back in title contention. Unfortunately, two more technical problems in the two final events at
Autopolis and
Motegi forced the pairing to seventh place in the standings.
Finishing in 3rd in
Okayama International Circuit in the first race of the
2022, the Italian driver extended his all-time record streak in
Super GT to 15th consecutive year at least 1 podium/season as a non-Japanese driver.
Personal life
Based in
Yokohama,
Kanagawa. Quintarelli speaks Japanese fluently and serves as a TV color commentator for the
Super Formula series. In recent years, he devoted his efforts towards the people affected by earthquakes, raising awareness and providing support to the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami relief. Together with fellow
Super GT regular
Andrea Caldarelli, he led a fundraising campaign in favour of the populations impacted by the
2016–2017 Central Italy earthquakes. His cross-border charity efforts, together with his sporting results, earned him the title of Officer of the
Order of the Star of Italy.[4]
Ronnie Quintarelli (born 9 August 1979) is an Italian racecar driver, currently competing in
Super GT. A four-time champion, he holds the all-time record for the most drivers' championship titles won in the GT500 class of Super GT.[1]
In 2005, he scored his maiden
GT win in the
1000 km Suzuka race with
André Couto and
Hayanari Shimoda and later made his way to the
Super GT. After spending two seasons under the
Lexus banner, Quintarelli moved to the
Nissan camp, securing multiple victories. Driving for the
Mola team, he won two consecutive titles in
2011 and
2012 partnered by
Masataka Yanagida. He later joined the
Nismo Official Team alongside
Tsugio Matsuda. The pairing cruised to two more titles in
2014 and
2015 which made Quintarelli the most titled driver in the history of the series. While still fighting for the title in 2016 with a third place, the
Nissan teams struggled at the beginning of the following year but Quintarelli and
Matsuda rallied to finish the season in second place. In 2018, they were again steadily at the front of the Nissan roster, and managed to snatch a win at
Fuji Speedway. Unfortunately, they would not hit the top-5 again, eventually taking eighth place in the championship. [3]
In
2019, the
Nismo pairing completed the championship in third position with four podium finishes and three pole positions scored by Quintarelli himself. In
2020, they remained in contention for the title until the very last race by taking two wins in the two rounds held at
Suzuka. The final event of the season at
Fuji Speedway (the track hosted four events to simplify logistics during the
COVID-19 pandemic) saw a record 11 teams in contention for the title with tight margins. Quintarelli moved from sixth place to the lead in the opening lap, although tyre issues cost him track position later. He and Matsuda would eventually end up ninth in the race and sixth in the championships. They returned to the
Nismo team for
2021.
Quintarelli driving in the 2014 Super GT season at Suzuka
The
2021 season started with a double retirement as contact involving team-mate
Tsugio Matsuda at
Okayama and a broken engine at
Fuji Speedway impacted the rest of the season.
The number 23
Nismo car still secured one win at
Suzuka and a third place at
Autopolis, but the Quintarelli-Matsuda pairing had to settle for ninth in points. For the
2022 season, all the
Nissan teams debuted the new
Z GT500 model. However, the
Nismo team suffered the tragic loss of its Director Yutaka Suzuki, who prematurely died during the winter. Despite the positive start at
Okayama with a third place, contact and a mechanical issue jeopardized the following two events. A brilliant second place in wet conditions at
Sugo put Quintarelli and
Matsuda back in title contention. Unfortunately, two more technical problems in the two final events at
Autopolis and
Motegi forced the pairing to seventh place in the standings.
Finishing in 3rd in
Okayama International Circuit in the first race of the
2022, the Italian driver extended his all-time record streak in
Super GT to 15th consecutive year at least 1 podium/season as a non-Japanese driver.
Personal life
Based in
Yokohama,
Kanagawa. Quintarelli speaks Japanese fluently and serves as a TV color commentator for the
Super Formula series. In recent years, he devoted his efforts towards the people affected by earthquakes, raising awareness and providing support to the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami relief. Together with fellow
Super GT regular
Andrea Caldarelli, he led a fundraising campaign in favour of the populations impacted by the
2016–2017 Central Italy earthquakes. His cross-border charity efforts, together with his sporting results, earned him the title of Officer of the
Order of the Star of Italy.[4]
Italian
