Ronnie Quintarelli: What made SUPER GT star unique among 'gaijin' drivers
A trip down memory lane with Ronnie Quintarelli, detailing how he came to Japan and the circumstances that shaped his illustrious career... (Photos: Toyota, SUPER GT)
Last weekend marked the first SUPER GT race without Ronnie Quintarelli on the grid since 2007. Although the Italian remains a fixture of the paddock as an ambassador and advisor for his long-time employer Nissan, long-time observers of the series would have surely felt like something was out of place when Sunday’s Okayama season opener began without Quintarelli at the cockpit of the #23 NISMO entry.
Following Quintarelli’s retirement at the end of the 2024 season, I had the chance to speak to the four-time GT500 champion about the early part of his career, and the unlikely path he took from the senior karting scene in Europe to stardom in Japan.
The circumstances by which he made the move go a long way to explaining why Quintarelli is the way he is — why he fell in love with Japanese culture, ultimately settling down in the country, even refusing the chance to race for the Spyker team in Formula 1 in the process, and how that opened the door to joining Nissan in 2008.
A small extract from this interview appears in an article on The Japan Times published in recent days, but I wanted to provide the interview in full to my paid subscribers as there was so much good detail that there won’t be chance to publish elsewhere. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed my conversation with Quintarelli.