Target Racing
McLaren Trophy EVO
arget Racing was born in January 1997 from the experiences gained in the highest categories of motorsport (F.1, F.Indy, F.3000), combined with entrepreneurial spirit and passion, by Roberto Venieri. Target Racing made its debut in 1997 in the Italian Formula 3 and Formula 3 Federal Championships, staying there until 2002, the year in which the Ravenna team won the F.3 Tricolore with Milos Pavlovic and the CSAI F.Renault Monza Under 19 Trophy with Luca Persasi. 2003 saw the confirmation of Target Racing at the top of Formula 3, with the second consecutive Italian title won by Fausto Ippoliti, strong of two victories. A success, in Pergusa, also for Omar Galeffi, in a weekend dominated by the team with the double completed by Ippoliti who came second. 2004 saw the Romagna team leave with two Dallara 304-Opel entrusted to Alessandro Ciompi and Andrea Tiso. During the season, Ciompi then preferred to emigrate to another team not before having taken a pole with Target. In 2005, Target launched the young Riccardo Azzoli alongside the Greek Elias Papalias. The Lazio driver immediately stood out as one of the most interesting promises of the tricolor F.3 by winning the fourth final place while Papalias grew from race to race, well advised by team manager Roberto Venieri, making the sixth final place his own.
2006 represented a turning point for Target: the abandonment of the Dallara chassis for the equally Italian one of the SLC and the decision to compete in a more competitive championship like the German one. Target, in collaboration with the same SLC technicians, has thus dealt with the development of the single-seaters, deploying again Riccardo Azzoli and the promising Salvatore Gatto, who had already competed with Target in F.Azzurra. The results achieved by both are interesting, but unfortunately budget problems have frustrated the work done. After a 2007 in which Target lived a period away from the championships, but the work of preparing cars was not lacking, the Ravenna team returns in 2008 in person in the Italian F.3 championship, meanwhile become a single-brand Dallara-Fiat, deploying the 2007 champion of the F.Azzurra: Salvatore Cicatelli.
The 2008 season therefore proposed Target again, joined by Giuseppe Mazzotti's BVM, among the protagonists of the tricolor. Cicatelli has confirmed himself among the best national promises by taking the third place final and the possibility of trying the Ferrari F.1 in the end-of-season prize test. In 2009, instead, the tricolor series saw the increase its registered stock and media interest. And Target-BVM hits the title goal leading to the absolute victory in the category Daniel Zampieri, debuting in the F.3. An exceptional result, confirmed by the second place of the other driver of the Ravenna team, Marco Zipoli. At the end of 2009, Zampieri and Zipoli were able to test the Ferrari F.1 on the Jerez track. Zampieri was also chosen by Ferrari for the new drivers program called Driver Academy. Another reason for pride for Roberto Venieri and all his staff. In 2010, another exciting season for Target-BVM. This time it is with Cesar Ramos that the Italian team won the national title of F.3, a goal reached at the last appointment in Monza. A historic double that of the team based in Lugo di Ravenna which in the meantime has expanded its activity on the covered wheels by committing to the Lamborghini Trophy in the best way because even in this category Venieri took home the first place using the name Black Bull!
In 2011, a small big revolution. Target, always combined with the name BVM, enters the Renault 3.5 World Series with the drivers Daniel Zampieri and Sergio Canamasas. Roberto Venieri's team focuses on the preparation of the powerful cars made by Dallara, then leaving the management of the F.3 single-seaters to the BVM headquarters, but also continuing to deal with races with wheeled cars covered under the Black Bull signs. No longer the Lamborghini Trophy, but Endurance races, with a Ferrari 430 with which she tried her hand at the Blancpain GT and in the races organized by Peroni Promotions. In the Renault World Series, there is no lack of interesting results with the Spaniard Canamasas capable of signing a pole position in Budapest and conquering podiums obtaining the final eighth place. Not bad for a team debuting in such a high international championship!
In 2012 the double commitment World Series Renault 3.5 as BVM Target and Blancpain Endurance GT as Black Bull continue. Pilots for the 3.5 series the Italian Giovanni Venturini and the Russian Nikolay Martsenko. The points come soon, but after four appointments Venturini decides to leave the team. Venieri then relied on other drivers such as Sergey Sirotkin, Tamas Pal Kiss, Daniel Zampieri, Davide Rigon, always maintaining the presence of Martsenko. At the end of the season, the decision for 2013 to leave the World Series Renault 3.5 to dedicate himself full-time to the Black Bull project with the adhesion to the Blancpain Endurance GT, the Italian GT championship and the Italian Cup races of the Peroni Promotion using two Ferrari 458.
In 2013, Roberto Venieri's team tried its hand at the Italian Gran Turismo GT3 Championship with the name of Black Bull Swiss Racing and there was no lack of satisfaction. Immediately came the second place in the series with the Maino-Venturi drivers. The following year, 2014, the return to the formulas, precisely in the Italian Formula 4 training. The name of the team is Malta Formula Racing and once again the men of Venieri stand out by taking the second position with Mattia Drudi.
The presence in F4 continues in 2015 with the young Guzman and Kanayet, but alongside this program there is the return to the Gran Turismo world, precisely in the European Blancpain Endurance with the Birzhin-Mancini-Mastronardi drivers in three appointments: Monza, Le Castellet and Silverstone. The name of the team, Glorax.
2016 was an extremely demanding season for the Lugo team. In F4, under the insignia of DR Formula Racing, Raul Guzman took third place (also lined up Petrov and Wohlwend) while other great satisfactions came from Gran Turismo: in the Italian GT3 championship, Black Bull Swiss Racing won the tricolor title with Gai-Venturi, but not only. The debut in the Lamborghini Super Tropheo Europa saw the Venieri team, under the banner of Raton Racing, win the championship with Lind, also first in the Lamborghini Super Trophy World Final.
On the wave of these successes, DR Formula continued in 2017 in the Italian F4 with Petrov, Braquinho and Festante while in the tricolor GT3 Gai-Rugolo-Venturi they signed the second position, as occurred in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, where in the AM category Giannoni made the place of honor his own. At the end of the year, with Target Racing, first place in the GTX class was also won at the 12 Hours of Abu Dhabi with the Lammers-Sereethoranakul-Al Azhari drivers.
Another very demanding season was that of 2018. In Italian F4, as DR Formula, three drivers are deployed: Petrov, Morricone and Toth. In the Blancpain Endurance, there was participation in the legendary 24 Hours of Spa with the Di Folco-Costantini-Delhez-Debs crew, a marathon that ended in second place in the class. With Di Folco-Costantini, Venieri's team also participated for the first time in the entire International GT Open championship. Finally, there was no lack of commitment to the Lamborghini Europe Super Trophy where Giannoni, Lind-Larsson, Boguslavsky-Shaitar were deployed in the various classes with sporadic appearances of Forné and Atoev.
2019 marked the exit from the F4, but the commitment to the covered-wheel championships tripled. The year began with participation in the 24 Hours of Dubai, as Target Racing, with Lind-Altoè-Boguslavsky-Herbst, crew that took fifth place in the Pro Am category. Target Racing then tried its hand at the Lamborghini Middle East Super Trophy: in the Pro class came the absolute victory with Boguslavsky-Schandorff while in the Pro Am Larsson-Ohlsson they got third place. Participation in the Lamborghini Europe Super Trophy with Di Folco-Venditti, Giannoni, Vossos, Harkema-Bakker and Schandorff-Cecotto. Precisely this last pair of drivers got first place in the decisive World Final of the Lamborghini Super Trophy. Then there was the participation in the Blancpain Endurance GT3 as Raton Racing by Target and a well-deserved third final place obtained by Lenz-Costantini-Forné. Third place also as a team. And third place in class at the 24 Hours of Spa with Costantini-Forné-Di Folco. That's not all, because Raton Racing by Target raced in the International GT Open winning third place in the AM category with Liang-Giammaria. Another crew, Lenz-Di Folco while Perera took the start of a race.
2020 was characterized by the pandemic dictated by Covid-19 and the championships all started late. Target Racing with great organizational effort has nevertheless participated in the Lamborghini Europe Super Trophy and has obtained brilliant results. The Ravenna team has in fact won the title of best team 2020 and with Mantovani it has won the AM category. In the overall drivers' standings, Target Racing got third place with the Rossel-Di Folco pair and sixth with Guzman-Pavlovic. Target Racing then continued the technical collaboration with Raton Racing by deploying a Lamborghini Huracan at the 24 Hours of Spa.
The 2021 season saw Target Racing always try its hand at the Lamborghini Europe Super Trophy, a program to which it added participation in the new GT2 championship organized by SRO. Also in 2021, due to the problems dictated by Covid-19, the organizational efforts have been considerable with regard to the logistics and operation required for everything related to the presence in two categories of European scope. Bureaucracy however brilliantly overcome by the team. Target Racing as always stood out on the track by obtaining the third place final in the World Final of the Lamborghini Super Trophy with the Guzman-Van Berlo drivers. The same pair of drivers, during the various seasonal stages, have consistently occupied the very first positions confirming the competitiveness of the Huracan managed by the team based in Lugo di Ravenna. Also important is the commitment to the GT2 series to which Target Racing has registered a Lamborghini Huracan.
The 2022 season saw Target Racing win victories, podiums and great bonuses. The Ravenna team has been engaged in a new context: the Italian Porsche Carrera Cup. With AB Racing, the results were immediately very positive so much so that they reached second final place in the championship with the South African rider Keagan Masters and the fourth position in the Michelin Cup with Francesco Maria Fenici. An exciting season to say the least for Target Racing, which combined this program with participation in the Lamborghini Super Trophy. In the series that has seen her as the protagonist for years, Target Racing has won second place in the team ranking, third place in the PRO ranking with Teekens-Moretti and fourth among PRO-AM with Petelet-Gvazava.
2023 saw Target Racing again engaged in the European Lamborghini Super Trophy. It was a year full of successes for the Ravenna team that in the Vallelunga Finals sanctioned the title in the Pro Am category with Au-Schandorff. This pair of riders, during the season won race 2 of Le Castellet, the first race of the Nurburgring, in Valencia came another success, finally the double in the Finals played on the Roman circuit. But also in the overall standings Target made its voice heard with Soderstrom-Ali, who placed in first position in race 2 of the Vallelunga Finals and protagonists during the season with several podiums conquered, so much so as to finish in the top 5 in the final standings.
Also in 2024, Target Racing participated in the Lamborghini Europe Super Trophy. And as in previous years, it was a success that did nothing but confirm the goodness of the work of Roberto Venieri's team. In fact, the triumph in the ranking reserved for teams has arrived, an important result that came on the occasion of the Finals that took place in Jerez. The season has given victories and podium placements. In Imola, the first overall position was won by Largim Ali and Oliver Soderstrom while in the next stage of Spa, Hampus Ericsson took the second overall place repeated in Le Mans by the pair Ali-Soderstrom. At the Nurburgring, Target hoamed up cups getting the second place overall with the usual Ali-Soderstrom and the victory in the ProAm class with the returning Au-Schandorff, while among the AM, Hulin Han crossed the finish line in second position. Target has also monopolized the Super Trophy podiums in Montmelò, where three races were played to recover the second cancelled race in Le Mans. Well, on the Catalan track, Target placed Ali-Soderstrom in second, third and second place respectively. The Luchetti-Aliabadi pair scored third place in the ProAm class in race 3 as well as Hulin Han in the AM class. Finally, the triumph described above sanctioned in Jerez with the first final position in the team ranking, thanks also to an overwhelming victory of Au-Schandorff after starting from the pole. Ali-Soderstrom turned out vice champions in the Pro class, Ericsson ended the season in fifth place, while in the AM class, Han in the final general classification took fourth place.
