Nicola Fabrezia
| Nicola Fabrezia | |
| [[Image:|150px]] | |
| Age | 35 |
| Nationality | Italy |
| Car # | 05 |
| Years Competed | {{{career}}} |
| Current Team | Team Mueller GmbH |
| Championships | 0 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| First Race | 2012 Round of Karjala |
| First Win | N/A |
| Last Win | N/A |
| Last Race | 2012 Round of Karjala |
| TM Master Cup Series Driver | |
Nicola Fabrezia is an Italian race car driver currently competing in the TM Master Cup Series for Team Mueller GmbH.
Childhood and early career[edit | edit source]
Fabrezia was born on July 14th, 1989 in the Italian town of Derpinza. The son of local small engine mechanic and former karting driver Alberto Fabrezia, he was quickly acquainted with the world of motorsports. Working in his father's shop, he soon saved enough money to build himself his own kart and by the age of 10, was a karting regular.
Fabrezia quickly began to make a name for himself among Italy's karting circles, gaining a reputation for being an aggressive yet skilled driver. Despite a few minor altercations with fellow drivers, Nicola was generally well liked and quickly began to show signs of talent.
Italian F3000 and Touring Car success[edit | edit source]
After winning winning the Italian Karting Championship in 06' and the World Karting Championship the following year, Nicola made the move into Italian F3000 for 2008 with the Scuderia Derpinza team. Despite showing blistering pace on occasion, inconsistency and overaggression dogged Fabrezia. Many believe this was in large part influenced by Nicola's "win or die trying" mentality, along with rookie error. Despite the third-most DNF's in the series that season, Nicola proved capable and finished 3rd in the final standings.
He departed F3000 on very sour terms at the end of a relatively lackluster 2009 season and Fabrezia made a move into the International Touring Car Championship for 2010 where he accompanied Tony Durp at the factory STS team. In only his first race at Snetterton, he shocked the field by winning the race from the pole. He was able to win on four other occasions but yet again, a potential championship eluded him after a string of retirements late in the year and he finished a close second in the points to teammate Durp.
Again, Fabrezia started out strong by winning the first two rounds of the 2011 campaign, aided by a very competitive redesign of the STS Arrow. What looked to be a championship year was shot down by a contaversial penalty given by series officials; after an obscene remark about a backmarker in the 8th round at Mugello, Nicola was docked 20 points and effectively put into second place behind Durp in the standings. Fabrezia was never able to make up the deficit despite a late season surge and again finished runner-up in points.
TM Master Cup career[edit | edit source]
At the final round of the 2011 ITTC season at Brands Hatch, Fabrezia announced that he was pursuing a TMMC drive and would not return for a third year despite strong ties with STS. There were rumors throughout the year that Fabrezia had been negoatiating with several TMMC teams, despite no confirmation from either party.
Shortly before the 2012 Karjala Grand Prix, Fabrezia announced that he would drive a Mueller MZ6 for Team Mueller GmbH in the upcoming event as a one off developmental effort to prepare for the 2013 season. The entry was accepted by TM officials but Nicola failed to make the field in Muller's debut into TMMC competition.
Personality and criticism[edit | edit source]
His unpredictable behavior both on and off the track has conjured himself a rather healthy following of fans both back home in Italy and around the world as Nicola managed to find a niche for the way he managed himself both on and off the track. Called "idiotic", "insane", "badass" and "a bit off" by some, it is his carefree attitude, hothead personality and sheer blunt open mindedness that has won him fame along with criticism. For example, Fabrezia made headlines by urinating in the gravel pit at Barcelona back in 2009 after a late race punt in a battle for 8th position. His "middle finger salute" to league officials afterward further ignited criticism. He was fined $10,000 by the FIA for his actions and was considered to be the primary reason why he earned the boot from Scuderia Derpinza. Several other run-ins with series officials have further cemented his trademark attitude which fans have come to know him by including a physical altercation with a ITCC official in Estoril during the 2011 campaign. Still, it is primarily this attitude which has made Fabrezia a fan favorite as well.