Michael Patrizi started karting in 1996 and quickly established himself as one of the quickest junior drivers on the competitive West Australian karting scene, finishing third at the 2000 Australian Karting Championships in the Junior Clubman class.
Patrizi’s karting soon went national, with constant trips across the Nullabor to the eastern side of Australia to compete with the country’s best. In 2000 Patrizi ran a private team using Tecno chassis in the Australian CIK Championships. In 2001, Patrizi's team switched to Birel chassis, a relationship that would continue throughout his karting career. The switch saw Patrizi finish fourth in the Intercontinental A class in the grueling Australian CIK Championship Series.
2002 was a pivotal year in Patrizi’s motorsport career. Patrizi's private outfit joined forces with Birel Team Pieper Motorsport team to form the Birel Australia/Patrizi Race Engines squad and the new relationship immediately saw success. At the Australian Karting Championships held over Easter at the Launceston circuit in Tasmania, Patrizi won the premier class in Australian karting, Formula 100.
Patrizi then went to the Suzuka circuit in Japan for the CIK-FIA Karting World Cup, qualifying on pole position in a field of drivers from across the globe. Patrizi finished second in the final, breaking the lap record at the Suzuka circuit that was previously held by Giancarlo Fisichella. Patrizi returned home to compete in the premier class of the Australian CIK Championships, Formula A, gaining many podiums. The West Australian also won the Clubman Light class at the West Australian Karting Championship, but bigger things were to come.
Patrizi’s performances in 2002 caught the eye of the factory Birel Motorsport team based in Lissone, Italy, and for 2003 the young Aussie moved to Italy to race in the CIK-FIA European and World Karting Championships in the Formula A class as an official factory driver. A serious accident in a race hampered Patrizi’s campaign, injuring his neck, but Patrizi raced on, driving with a neck brace to allow his championship challenge to continue.
Based with the team in Italy, Patrizi ventured home to Australia in Easter to defend his Australian Karting Championship crown in the Formula 100 class, finishing second at the event held in Ipswich, Queensland.
In 2004 Patrizi returned to Australia to make his car racing debut in Formula Ford, racing in the New South Wales and Victorian State Formula Ford Championships with the Anglo Motorsport team. Patrizi earned six podiums and two pole positions in his debut year of car racing, winning a round at the fast and challenging Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria.
Patrizi was invited by BMW Motorsport to attend its Formula BMW Scholarship evaluation test at the Bahrain International Circuit in January 2005. After impressing at the test Patrizi was awarded a BMW Motorsport Formula BMW Scholarship valued at $US50,000. Patrizi competed in the Formula BMW Asia Championship, which boasts rounds at such world-class venues as the Bahraini and Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix events, the Sepang circuit in Malaysia and Autopolis circuit in Japan. Patrizi became the first Australian driver to win a BMW Motorsport Formula BMW Scholarship.
Patrizi impressed in his rookie Formula BMW season driving for Team Meritus, finishing second in the overall championship and claiming the Rookie championship crown. Patrizi finished on the podium in eight of the 14 rounds, including two wins, one of which was at the Shanghai International Circuit on race day at the Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix, the other at the Taeback circuit in Korea. Patrizi’s season also boasted two poles and the young Aussie qualified on the front two rows of the grid for 11 of the 14 rounds.
Patrizi’s form in the Formula BMW Asia Championship saw him receive a prestigious honour when he was invited by Team Australia owners Derrick Walker, Craig Gore and John Fish to debut the team’s Formula BMW USA team at the Champ Car Grand Prix of Denver. Despite not knowing the team or track, Patrizi qualified the car in fourth position.
For 2006 Patrizi was presented with several racing options all across the world. But BMW Motorsport again presented the emerging Australian talent with a prestigious deal when the manufacturing giant offered him a fully-funded deal to race in the Formula BMW UK Championship. Patrizi races with the Motaworld Racing operation in the competitive series.
Mid-season Patrizi was selected to represent Formula BMW in the Intel London Grand Prix street demonstration in London's Hyde Park on 13 June 2006. Patrizi entertained the massive crowd with burnouts, along with fellow BMW Motorsport drivers Jacques Villenueve (1997 Formula 1 World Champion) and Andy Priaulx (2005 World Touring Car Champion).
Patrizi recording his ninth Formula BMW podium in July 2006 when he finished third in Round 11 of the Formula BMW UK Championship at the challenging Croft circuit.
An opportunity then arose for Patrizi to compete in the final two rounds of the Champ Car Atlantic Championship with Team Australia in the #5 Aussie Vineyards car. Despite not driving the car until Friday practice of his debut Atlantic round, Patrizi was hugely impressive on his first ever visit to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, qualifying 12th and finishing a remarkable eighth in the highly-competitive 25-car field. Patrizi beat home some of the established front-runners of the Atlantic category as well as setting a fastest lap in the wet conditions that was quicker than both Graham Rahal and Simon Pagenaud, who finished first and second at Montreal in their battle for the championship.
www.michaelpatrizi.com
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2003
New Zealand 125 National Karting
Champion
2003 New Zealand Open Dirts Kart Champion
2004
New Zealand 125 National Karting Champion
2004
New Zealand Open Dirts Kart Champion
2005
Runner-Up NZV8 Development Series Championship
2006
Third NZV8 Development Series Champ
ionship
2006 Fifth V8 Brute Utes International Event
2006
Graduated MotorSport New Zealand Elite Motorsport Academy
2008
New Zealand V8 Development Series Champion |
Brad Lowe was born on October 5th 1985. At the tender age of 3 he began his dream of driving cars. Although not racing his first car till the age of 18 he grew up driving and gaining expieriance in many machines and cars. Growing up Brad did a lot of work for his father, proving he was capable of driving every machine and vehicle “Lowe Earthmoving” owned, by the age of 10.
At the age of 12 Brad found he had a talent for athletics namely shotput, discus, javelin and his specialty hammer throw. For the next 6 years Brad trained with some of Australias best coaches and was invited to join one of Australias elite sports schools. Brad won many state and national title including coming 4th at the Junior o\Olympics against the worlds best.
During this time Brad father had been building and racing V8 Dirt Modifieds and at 18 was old enough to start racing himself. In his first race Brad impressed all by coming from the back to surprisingly win, this starting off his dream. He continued to impress in his Dirt Modified winning his first 6 races straight and in that year claiming the rookie driver of the year award. It was during this first year of speedway that an introduction to icon Ian Luff, that Brad started his push towards road racing. Apart from his fathers V8 Dirt Modified, Brad also drove in the AMCA Nationals, competed in the MG Series and the HQ Holden Series, drove a Nissan Supertourer in the Touring Car Challenge and also drove in the Lotus Challenge. He posted wins in 5 of the 6 classes he competed in that year.
In 2005 Brad decided to take the next step. The Australian National Formula Ford Series and the Aussie Racig Car Series are 2 of the most hotly contested series in Australia. At his first attempt, Brad qualified his Formula Ford on pole, a feat wich had not been done by a rookie state driver before. So impressed were V8 Supercar team WPS Racing, that he was invited to test one of the WPS V8 Supercars at Queensland Raceway. Although only getting a handfull of laps his maturity and driving ability impressed the team.
2006 and 2007 were spent contesting the National Formula Ford Series, although a lack of luck, in what was the most competitive field seen in years, put a dampner on what had been a stellar career to date. At the end of 07 Brad was aproached by Justin Cotter of Synergy Motorsport, this cementing Brads most promising year in motor racing, 2008.
Through Synergy Motorsport, Brad was contacted by V8 Supercar team owner Jim Morton (Ford Rising Stars Racing) and had been asked to be involved with the team as their team rookie.
With the alliance of Synergy Motorsport and Ford Rising Stars Racing and also the faith of team bosses Justin Cotter and Jim Morton, Brad has been contracted to race Formula Ford in a brand new 2008 Spectrum 011c and be FRSR rookie test driver in there FPR prepared BF supercar.
In 2009 Brad’s aim is to move into the Fujitsu V8 Supercar series.
Results
2004
• V8 Dirt Modified: Won my first race i ever went in followed by the next 5 in a row. Won rookie of the year
and had 4 round wins.
• MG Series: Finished on the podium in every round. 3rd in the championship.
• Lotus Series: First road race. Started rear of field in the 20 car grid for the third race. Finished 4th and
had the fastest lap for the race. Next round got pole position and won all 3 races.
• HQ Series: Finished on the podium every round including winning a wet endurance race from the back of
the field lapping up to 4th place and being over a second a lap faster than anyone.
• Touring Car Challenge: Qualified 3rd but never got to race because of engine problems.
2005
• V8 Dirt Modified: 3 Rounds, won 2.
• NSW Formula Ford: 2 podiums in a 95 model Stealth.
• National Formula Ford: 1 Round. Qualified on pole and won.
• Aussie Racing Cars: 5 Rounds driving for WPS Racing. 2 podiums.
• V8 Supercars: WPS test day. 5 laps was within 3 seconds of there lead drivers.
2006
• National Formula Ford: String of bad luck. Highest placing was 2nd.
• Touring Car Challenge: 4 Rounds. Qulaifed on front rown for all rounds. 3 podiums including a win. also
did Aussie Racing Cars: 1 Round. Bathurst qualified 13th. Finished 2nd for the round.
2007
• Touring Car Challenge: 1 Round. Qualified on pole. Won all 3 races.
• National Formula Ford: Developed and raced the brand new Spirit WL07 chassis. Consistent top 3 but a
lack of reliability meant minimal finishes
• Aussie Racing Cars: 5 Rounds for Garry Rogers Motorsport. 2 podiums
• Bathurst 12 hour: gearbox issues meant dnf
www.synergymotorsport.com.au
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