TONY Ricciardello secured a 12th Sports Sedan title aboard his family’s legendary Chev V8-powered Alfa Romeo GTV despite a fraught weekend at the Gold Coast 500.
The West Aussie entered the season finale with a 33-point lead over reigning series winner and perennial 2023 pacesetter Jordan Caruso (Audi-Chev).
Electrical issues for the Alfa in Race 1 cut the margin in half, before the title was put beyond doubt when Caruso’s Audi was struck down with its own mechanical trouble in Race 2.
Gear selection woes for the Italian machine then contributed to a rare crash for Ricciardello in Sunday’s finale, nosing into the tyre barriers after a spin at the beach chicane.
He limped home 17th while Super3 star Cameron McLeod romped to a third-straight race win, giving the new Sports Sedan-specification MARC Mustang a perfect debut.
The season, though, belonged to Ricciardello.
“I’m glad the championship is wrapped up. It was a good tussle all year,” Ricciardello told the category’s Facebook page.
“We went through three spoilers this weekend through a bit of crashing and bashing. (But) it’s all good, I’m really happy.
“The team put a massive effort in, we had a pretty big week since Tuesday night.
“All year it’s one of those things, trying to manage the car on the road as we go, and to finish off with Bathurst and Indy has been good.
“We probably didn’t finish how we wanted but the championship is what we’re here for and now it’s 12 times.”
Remarkably, the Ricciardello Alfa’s latest success comes over 30 years after it made its race debut.
Tony’s father Basil had it built by K&A Engineering to replace a near-identical looking car his team had been fielding since 1984.
Debuting in 1992, the replacement machine won its first Australian Sports Sedan title in 1994 with Brian Smith at the wheel.
A heavy crash for Smith at Surfers Paradise in 1997 led to a rebuild and a chance for then 18-year-old Tony – who had just a handful of Formula Ford races to his name – to step up.
Ricciardello Jnr won his first national title in the Alfa the following year, before adding further success in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019.
In between there were a couple of pauses as Ricciardello moved in and out of V8 Supercars, but the Alfa always came back, and it’s always been competitive.
There was no national title in 2020 and ’21 due to COVID-19, while Ricciardello remained on hiatus last year before returning to the scene in 2023.
Ricciardello’s Alfa wasn’t the fastest car this season, Caruso’s Audi scored all five pole positions, but it enjoyed a more reliable run than its chief rival.
“We probably missed a few years on the Kumho tyre and we probably chased the tyre this year, we weren’t really happy with the feel of the tyre,” Ricciardello said of his year.
“Jordan was probably the quickest all year, and I’ve done it before where I’ve been quickest all year, had a DNF and lost the championship.
“It’s one of those things. Those guys put in a massive effort as well. Even when things are going good, Sports Sedans are a big upkeep.”
Just as the rapid Alfa has continually evolved over the last 25 years, so too has Ricciardello himself.
Having won his first title as a teenager, he’s now 44 and with four kids in tow, the latest having just turned one.
“It’s pretty busy with four kids…. it’s like a kindergarten on wheels!” he added of the family atmosphere in the Ricciardello pits.
“I’ve been doing it for that long that when the helmet’s on and you’re in the car, you’re ready to go.
“It’s just enjoyable. It’s been a good year.”
