Diego Alessi

Diego Alessi is an Italian former racing driver who was active until 2016, reaching his peak in 2013, when he was the ADAC GT Masters champion in a Callaway Competition's Chevrolet Corvette. A year earlier, he was second in the ADAC GT Masters.

Diego Alessi

Successful beginning of a career in a touring car racing

Born in November 1971 in Rome, Italy, Alessi started a career in the Italian Touring Car Championship in 1996. He recorded the best result in 1999, finishing third in the Super Production Championship with Santucci Motorsports' BMW 320i.

He contested in the same series until 2002, driving a BMW 320i and Nissan Primera.  In 2003, Alessi switched to sports car racing. His first GT car was a Porsche 996 GT3-RS, which he was driving in the Italian GT Championship and few rounds of the FIA GT Championship, including Spa 24 Hours.

Trofeo Maserati regular contestant until 2006

In 2003, Alessi also entered the Trofeo Maserati Europe, finishing 13th in the points. He stayed in that competition until 2006, finishing best in the 7th place in 2005.

Parallel to Maserati drives, he was active in other competitions.In February 2004, he made a debut at Daytona 24 Hours in a JMB Racing's Ferrari 360 Modena, not finishing the race. In 2005, he participated in one round of the Superstars Series, one round of the Belcar series and in the non-championship race Mil Milhas Brasileiras, driving BMW cars in all those races.

Third place in the 2007 FIA GT3 European Championship

In 2006, parallel to his Maserati Trofeo commitments, Alessi entered the FIA GT3 European Championship with AF Corse team, driving a Maserati Gransport Light. After two rounds, he moved to BMS Scuderia Italia to drive an Aston Martin DBRS9. At Spa 24 Hours, he was also driving an Aston Martin, not finishing the race.

He stayed with BMS Scuderia Italia in 2007, scoring one victory and finishing third in the FIA GT3 European Championship. He was sharing the #23 Aston Martin DBRS9 with Alex Frassinetti. In 2007, Alessi was also driving Ferrari 360 Modena for Vittoria Competizioni in the Italian GT Championship, finishing 16th in the GT2 class.

2008 – a season with Pontiac in the Grand-Am Rolex Series

In 2008, Alessi moved to the US, participating full season with Matt Connolly Motorsports in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. He was driving the #21 Pontiac GTO.R in the GT class, sharing a car with many different co-drivers and scoring three podiums. At the end of the season, he was 11th in the GT classification.

Outside North American commitments, he participated in one round of the FIA GT3 European Championship, driving an Aston Martin DBRS9 for Brixia Racing at Brno and winning one race.

Return to the European championship in 2009

In 2009, Alessi was driving Pontiac GTO.R in three rounds of the Rolex Series but his main competition was the FIA GT3 European Championship in a Marc Sourd Racing's Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R GT3. He was sharing a car with Luca Pirri and they finished 13th in the points with two podiums. In October 2009, Alessi made a debut in the ADAC GT Masters, driving a Chevrolet Corvette for Callaway Competition at Oschersleben.

In 2010, Alessi spent a season in the FIA GT3 European Championship with British team Chad Racing, driving a Ferrari 430 GT3 and finishing 17th in the points. Of other competitions, he had one-off appearances in the Italian GT Championship and Superstars GT Sprint in a Corvette and finished third in the GTN class at Spa 24 Hours, sharing a Mosler MT900 R GT3 with Romain Grosjean, Vincent Radermecker and Ron Marchal.

Alessi scored his greatest results in a Chevrolet Corvette

Switching a focus on ADAC GT Masters in 2011

In 2011, Alessi joined Callaway Competition as a full-time driver in the German GT championship (ADAC GT Masters), sharing the #28 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06.R with Daniel Keilwitz. In their first season together, Alessi and Keilwitz reached two podiums, finishing 17th in the final standings.

In 2012, they significantly improved their results, winning three races and finishing in the second place at the end, losing a title to Mercedes' Maxi Götz and Sebastian Asch. Alessi and Keilwitz were the race winners at Zandvoort, Sachsenring and Nurburgring.

Diego Alessi in 2013

ADAC GT Masters champion in 2013

In 2013, Alessi and Keilwitz started a season with a victory in the opening round at Oschersleben, driving the #2 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06.R. Later in the season, they added four more wins to their account (two at Red Bull Ring, Lausitzring and Slovakia Ring), taking the championship title with 5-point advantage ahead of nearest rival.

It was a peak of Alessi's career. He stayed for two more seasons in the ADAC GT Masters with Callaway Competition, not scoring podiums or wins ever again. In both seasons (2014 and 2015), his co-driver was Patrick Assenheimer.

Alessi left German GT racing in 2016, participating in just one race that year. He joined Grasser Racing Team to drive a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 at Spa 24 Hours, taking 42nd place.

Photos: Diego Alessi FB,