Marco Apicella

This diminutive Italian was a contemporary of Caffi, Tarquini, Larini and Barbazza in the national F3 series in 1984-85. He was certainly quick but also somewhat erratic, sampling three different chassis in 1985 and taking a couple of wins at Misano. In 1986 he was teamed with Larini in Enzo Coloni's Dallaras and the young hot-shots dominated proceedings, with Apicella taking the runner-up slot

If he felt something of a bridesmaid in that formula, it was as nothing to his experiences in the FIA F3000 championship, where he spent five seasons (1987-91) as ‘the man most likely to’ searching in vain for a win. After testing for both Minardi and Modena Lamborghini, he joined the wave of Europeans invading the Japanese F3000 series in a bid to revive his career. Marco was a surprise choice for a one-off Jordan ride in the 1993 Italian GP, but his race was short lived, with the unlucky Italian being eliminated in a first-lap mêlée

Tangible success came at last for the Italian when he was crowned 1994 All-Japan F3000 champion driving for the Dome team. Although the following year, when he raced the 5-Zigen team's Reynard, proved less successful, Apicella continued competing in Formula Nippon, turning in some solid performances, whilst also testing the Dome F1 challenger which ultimately failed to make n appearance in the Grand Prix arena.

In 1999 he reappeared in Europe to take occasional drives in a Riley & Scott sports car, bagging a fourth place at Brno. His vast experience was also put to good use in the newly inaugurated Italian F3000 series, Marco winning rounds at both Vallelunga and Misano for Monaco Motorsport. But it was back to Japan for Apicella as the new millennium dawned to compete in the Japanese GT series firstly in a JLOC-Lamborghini and the TOMs-Toyota in 2003-04. He was still successfully competing in 2006 back with the JLOC squad in thre GT300 class.