For the last article in the 10 in 10 series, we look at the longest standing and most historic team in the World Championship, Netrex Grand Prix. Whatever the year, whatever the situation, Netrex will always be involved at the top end of the field somehow in some capacity. Last year it was Michele D’Alessandro taking a surprise victory at Austria and this year could very well see them mount a surprise title challenge. The Italian team have managed to secure another all Italian line-up, like last season, with Michael Francesconi and Giordano Valeriano.Many people might not have heard of Michael Francesconi but those who are briefed on the world outside of Formula SimRacing will know that Michael has been known to be extremely competitive in leagues such as SimRacingZone and GPVWC. The capture of Michael will be an extremely good asset to Netrex Grand Prix and may feel worthwhile in the long run.
Giordano Valeriano is also a very good steal for Netrex Grand Prix. The Italian, who is a former Musto Racing Driver, has the experience and the skillset to challenge very well in the midfield. His morale might be down after a disappointing last season, only scoring 1 point, but he will be hoping to cling onto past experiences and produce some good results this season.
Michael Francesconi
WC STARTS: 4
WC WINS: 0
WC POINTS: 0
BEST WC POSITION: 35th (2012)
OTHER FSR ACHIEVEMENTS: 11th in ACE (2015)
Giordano Valeriano
WC STARTS: 14
WC WINS: 0
WC POINTS: 1
BEST WC POSITION: 30th (2016)
OTHER FSR ACHIEVEMENTS: 12th in ACE (2016)
We managed to catch up with Michael earlier.
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Michael: “Personally, I have no great goals, point first and foremost to have fun. Surely it will be tough for me to make great achievements, however I will try to do my best and bring the most possible points to the team.”
Who do you think will be your biggest rival this season?
Michael: “Surely everyone will be very tough rivals. It will not be easy to compete with drivers of this level. It will be important not to make mistakes in the race and be very consistent, and maybe at the end of the year it will raise us some satisfaction.”
How strong do you think the grid looks this year?
Michael: “The level is very high this year, as every year. Here are the best sim drivers in the world, and is already an honour to run with these drivers.”
This rounds off the 10 in 10 series, we hope you enjoyed it and tune in for the start of the World Championship season tomorrow at Bahrain on the official Formula SimRacing Youtube channel at 16:30pm GMT!