Marco Petrini was born in Florence, Italy on April 20, 1971. He graduated with a degree in Economics from The University of Parma in 1997. Currently, Marco works as a Manager for Socoplas, a plastic manufacturing company outside of Milan.
In 1999 he started his career as a race driver with Citroen Saxo Championship. It was a very prestigious event because large prize monies were offered for each race and there was enormous media coverage for each event. This was a difficult challenge for Marco as it was his introduction to racing and his competition was comprised of seasoned racers.
Despite the level of difficulty for a new racer, Marco was able to finish the event with competitive times. He was now ready for his next big race; The 2002 Italian Sports car Championship.
Marco secured local sponsorship and established it racing team; PROSPEED. Prospeed purchased a sportcar (made by an Italian constructor “Tampolli“) with an engine V6 3000cc for 300 HP and 700 kg of weight (pictured below). He was the primary racer of this vehicle.
So the 2002 Italian Sport car’s Championship (one of the most famous and competitive in Italy with 35 cars every race!) would have had Marco Petrini as the official Tampolli Driver. Although the car was very powerful and very difficult to setup (specially compared with a Citroen!!). Prospeed was able to secure one of the top 6 positions in every race they entered.
Prospeed went on to enter the 2003 Italian Sport car Championship. Unfortunately, due to mechanical difficulties with the race car, the team was not able to complete the competition. However, before ending the series, we were able to participate a 6 hour endurance race in Vallenga (Rome) with very good results.
However, this unfortunate year of events gave birth to PROSPEED’s best year ever!
Marco Petrini was contacted in winter 2004, by the new "European Maserati Trofeo" organiser. The organizer of the EMT was introduced to PROSPEED by viewing prior races and thought this team (and Marco) would be a good candidate for his race.
This trophy is based on the 4200 Coupe Maserati "Cambiocorsa" (gear shift on the steering wheel as the F1) and is directly organised and supervised by Ferrari-Maserati Company (based in Modena-Italy).
This particular race requires greater entrance fees and sponsorship so PROSPEED made a business decision to take on an additional racer.
The European Maserati Trofeo hosts 7 races throughout Europe, two of them are support events of the F1 Grand Prix.
At the end of the Trophy we ended 8th in the classification and 2nd of the double equips. Additionally, in Silverstone (UK), we won 3rd position at the F1 British Gran Prix (first of the Italians) and accepted our trophy in front of 150.000 spectators (picture below).
In 2005, PROSPEED and Marco Petrini participated at the Ferrari Challenge’ s of Monza with the powerful Ferrari 360 Challenge ( about 400 hp, 1200 kgs and the gear shift on the steering wheel – see picture below).
But the main event in the 2005 has benn the participation at the last race of the American Les Mans Series in Laguna Seca (CA) in the GT2 class with a Porsche GT3 RSR (460 hp, 1100 kgs and professional sequential gear box with cut-off system – see the picture below).
The Laguna Seca race has been a very big event for us, confirming the constant escalation in participating in important events by the Pro speed Team (the race has been broadcasted “live” from the Speed Channel and re-transmitted from CBS SPORT). In fact, in the last years, Pro Speed Team is proposing always new high level events in order to answer at the demand in term of visibility of our Sponsors/Partners, always more international. For this race Marco Petrini will share the cockpit (this endurance race have to be done by two driver) with Maurizio Fabris a professional Italian/English driver winning of the 2005 European Maserati Trofeo.
is also very suitable for sponsors, because have a strong TV coverage (like Sport Channel and CBS Sport) and, since the race last about 4 hours (and the race will be follow “live” from the Speed Channel and re-transmitted from CBS SPORT), the visibility for sponsor’s logos is very interesting (even when we think how much it cost the same amount of minutes, if we buy it as a TV-Spot) and involve also an incredible number of race-magazine all around the world. For this race Marco Petrini will share the cockpit (this endurance race have to be done by two driver) with Maurizio Fabris a professional Italian/English driver actually leading the European Maserati Trofeo.
In the 2006 season Pro Speed participated to the entire Italian Ferrari Challenge with a Ferrari F430 Challenge with two Gentlemen Drivers behind the steering wheel (Michele Ginanneschi and Giuseppe Fascicolo).
On the other side Marco Petrini came back to his “first love” : the Sport Cars. He participated to 3 (on a total of 9) races of the Italian Sport car Championship with a Lucchini SR2 with an engine Nissan 3000 cc (a car with 450 hp and 750 kg. Weight – see the picture below), ending in second position in his class with only 3 races, thanks to a nice series of victory.
In the 2007 Pro Speed confirm the participation at the Italian Ferrari Challenge 2007 with the same Giuseppe Fascicolo and the son of Michele, Manuel Ginanneschi.
On the other hand Marco Petrini start the season again with the same Lucchini of the 2006 but in the Italian Protoype Series (I.P.S.) organized by Peroni Promotion. This races were organized with the idea of the mini-endurance, so each car had to have two drivers. Marco Petrini was racing with the friend Fabio Piccone. After a difficult start of the season (the race in Monza was compromised by the Michelin Tyres), the second race see the victory of the Pro Speed duo.
But the real hit come in July, when the friend Chicco Villois invite Marco Petrini and Fabio piccone to a race in the International GT Open at the Magny Cours circuit with an Aston Martin DBRS 9 GT3 version (see the picture below). Despite some problem in the race organization (the closed the race one lap before and other problems in time keeping…) we ended both races with a 5th place.
Analysing the lap times of the two races, the Team Principal Chicco Villois decided to call Marco Petrini also for the rest of the season…. And this was the winning choice. In couple with Max Wiser (a young and talented Italian driver – www.maxwiser.com ) they arrived 3° in Oschersleben, 1° in Brands Hatch and 1° again in Monza.
Considering this result the 2008 season will see at the starting line Marco petrini and Villois Team still together, but with Marco Petrini this time will share the cockpit Diego Romanini (www.diegoromanini.com).
Unfortunately the season was not so great as we expected, also because we were victim of a great amount of technical problems and a big accident in the Valencia Street circuit, that caused the anticipated finish of the season for Marco Petrini
But the great revenge arrived in 2009.
Marco Petrini shared the cockpit with the fast Spanish Driver Luca Guerrero and the two had a great feeling from the beginning of the season.
The numbers speak clearly:
Race of Imola (18-19/04/2009)
Race 1 : 3°
Race 2: 6°
Race of Portimao (Portugal) (16-17/05/2009)
Race 1 : 1°
Race 2: no start for electric problem
Race of Spa (Belgium)(27-28/06/2009)
(only Race with a sostitute of Lucas)
Race 1 : 6°
Race 2: 2°
Race of Donington (UK) (4-5/07/2009)
Race 1 : 3°
Race 2: 2°
Race of Magny-Cours (FR) (19-20/09/2009)
Race 1 : 1°
Race 2: 4
Race of Monza (I) (3-4/10/2009)
Race 1 : 1°
Race 2: 2°
So 8 podium on 12 races…not bad at all!!
Do to personal and working duties Marco had to leave the championship two races before the end when he was 2° in championship. But also missing the last 4 races (2 each weekend) he ended 4° in the 2009 International Gt Open.
In 2010 Marco Petrini made some races of the new born Maserati Trofeo and the best result was at the first race where (without testing the car before as the other drivers) he finish 3rd with a great recover from the 16th position (trouble during qualification) to the podium. Considering that all the cars where the same this is a very good result.