HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIMONE

And it's 30! Today is the birthday of our creator and founder Simone Marchetti, who reaches an important milestone blowing out Thirty candles. The entire staff of Cavalieri Garage & Co. wishes a Happy Birthday to the person behind the scenes, the true mind behind our motorsport and automotive projects.

And it doesn't end here, for the occasion, we have prepared a small overview of 17 (not coincidentally) key points that do justice to the entrepreneurial and sporting career of our founder.

FIRST TIME AT THE RACETRACK

At just three years old, the first entry into the racetrack and the first contact with the passion of a lifetime. More precisely, on the occasion of the Mugello race of the 1996 International Touring Car Championship won by Nicola Larini's Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI.

THE DEBUT BEHIND THE WHEEL

Three years later, in 1999, another beautiful first time. Not as a spectator, but directly behind the wheel of the first kart at the Rastellino Karting Track, a few kilometers from Modena. At just six years old, the first meters were covered within the legendary Mondialpista in Parma, which would host Simone's first race in the 50cc category in September of that year.

VICTORY AT THE ITALIAN 100 JUNIOR ACSI CHAMPIONSHIP 2007

In 2007, everything seems to be working well, after a bitter 2006 and a title lost in the last race due to mechanical issues with the Birel kart. The new kart is a PCR, just reborn after years of crisis, and it proves to be perfect throughout the season both in the 100 Junior ACSI and in the Open Masters races. The victory is not easy at all, but it arrives, completing PCR's year of successes after the European KZ2 title won by Thomas Knopper.

THE CHAMPIONS CUP WIN IN PARMA

Putting a seal on a race held on the Mondialpista in Parma was the dream of all karting enthusiasts. Simone's dream comes true at the 2008 Champions Cup, in a final race characterized by great driving and technical superiority. Here's the onboard footage:

SINGLE-SEATER DEBUT

The long-awaited moment arrives on a freezing morning in December 2008. Simone takes to the track with a Formula Azzurra car from the MG Motorsport team at the Varano de' Melegari circuit. The test is a reward for achieving a podium in the Bridgestone Cup in the same year, a prestigious karting event.

POLE POSITION AT MONZA IN F.AZZURRA

Thanks to the worsening weather conditions in the final stages of qualifying, the pole position in the debut single-seater race is a fact, and it holds even more significance when achieved at the Temple of Speed, Monza.

THE ENGLISH TRIP AND THAT LAP AT SNETTERTON

In 2009, alongside commitments in Italy, participation in the Formula Renault championship organized by BARC in England is added. This allows Simone to gain experience on English tracks driving a single-seater powered by Renault Sport engines. At Snetterton, during qualifying, one of the most beautiful laps of his driving career.

THE Formula 3 TEST WITH THE BIGS

In the summer of 2009, the collective tests of the Italian F3 championship take place at Mugello. For the occasion, even drivers with less experience are put on the track with the Dallara F308 cars that are part of the championship. In the same days, some teams participating in that year's F3 Euro Series also take the opportunity to test their cars and official drivers. Simone, engaged in the test with LineRace team, has the opportunity to share the track with great names from the subsequent years of motorsport. Among others, the test includes: Jules Bianchi, Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Gutiérrez, Adrien Tambay, Stefano Coletti, Tom Dillmann, Christian Vietoris, Sam Bird, Marco Wittmann, Alexander Sims, César Ramos, Roberto Merhi, Brendon Hartley, Mirko Bortolotti, Renger Van Der Zande, Robert Wickens, Nick Tandy, and Edoardo Mortara.

BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL

After a 2010 of recovery due to an accident at Imola, Simone returns to the track in 2011 driving various single-seaters including Formula Renault and Formula 2000, at the Varano de' Melegari and Imola circuits. In the following years, there will be plenty of opportunities to see him behind the wheel of the most significant F2000, F. Renault, and F3 single-seaters from the '00s and '10s.

NOVEMBER 2014: RACENETWORK'S FIRST STEPS

In 2014, the very first version of the RaceNetwork project came to life. Starting as a small hosting service dedicated to simracing, RaceNetwork becomes a startup within a year, then entering the market of professional driving simulators between the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017.

The events of this period are crucial for Simone's entrepreneurial career, the most important of which is undoubtedly the beginning of the partnership with Dallara. Today, RaceNetwork represents a reference point in simulation technologies related to motorsport and is an integrated brand within the consulting section of Cavalieri Garage & Co.

THE SMARTBIT GROUP

Simone's entrepreneurial career takes different forms in 2018, when, faced with various ongoing projects, the need arises to create an entity capable of coordinating them. Thus, in July of that year, the holding company "SM Digital Solutions" is founded, later rebranded as "SmartBit" in January 2021. The group deals with motorsport, automotive, marketing, and entrepreneurial culture through its owned brands: RaceNetwork and Netmind Social Agency. Over the years, the SmartBit network has given rise to the Openminded project, a community of entrepreneurs and professionals with common goals. It's worth noting that in the second half of 2020, the non-profit Data Mining For Health was also founded, a project that supports communities in need through distributed computing using high-profile hardware.

THE RACENETWORK TV'S EXIT

Between 2017 and 2018, Simone works with his collaborators on the RaceNetwork TV platform, capable of offering motorsport enthusiasts organized live and on-demand content. Born as a satellite project of RaceNetwork itself, it soon gets in touch with the heads of Motorsport Network, who decide to include some of the resources used to create their own-owned channel, Motorsport.tv. At the end of 2019, the agreement is followed by the official exit.

ALPHATAURI AND THE REDBULL FAMILY

At the beginning of 2019, initial contacts with Red Bull Italy bring Simone and RaceNetwork closer to various areas, including the Faenza-based Scuderia Toro Rosso, which would change its name and identity to AlphaTauri for the 2020 season. In that year's Italian GP, Pierre Gasly's historic victory behind the wheel of the AT01 takes place.

FIA MOTORSPORT GAMES

In 2019, the first edition of the FIA Motorsport Games takes place in Vallelunga. Among the various disciplines included, the Digital Cup saw RaceNetwork involved in the organization and management of the event.

MIRAGE MOTORS

Since 2018, Simone has been working on the development of a one-off model that comes to life in 2020: the Mirage Motors Modena M01. A project that utilized eco-friendly materials for the body construction and focused on optimizing the engine for the use of biofuels. In 2022, the M01 was used by the German Aerospace Center DLR as the basis for the development of the zero-emission prototype ZEDU-1.

SCUDERIA FERRARI: F1-75 e 499P

The collaboration with the Sporting Management of Scuderia Ferrari and RaceNetwork begins at the end of 2020. The new Dynisma DMG-1 simulator chosen by Maranello is the most advanced in the world and will be crucial in the design of the F1-75 car of 2022, which returns to victory in the Bahrain GP after 45 races, and the 499P Hypercar, which returns to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023 and wins on its debut after a 40-year absence. RaceNetwork was part of the working group responsible for these successes.

THE STARTUPDAY 2023

Simone participates as a speaker at the 2023 sTARTUp Day, held in Tartu, Estonia, sharing his experience as a startup founder and entrepreneur, along with the Estonian digital residency obtained at the end of 2021.

...CAVALIERI GARAGE AND THE FUTURE

Wishing our founder a Happy 30th Birthday once again, we hope that the future of our project, rooted in Simone's experiences, can be equally rich in achievements related to our passions and areas of expertise.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.