Grease-stained hands and racing dreams: FD Racing is born in Brescia

The origins

FD Racing is a story about passion, friendship and tradition. A story rooted in a family from Brescia with motorsport in their blood.

Filippo Danieli is 29 years old and grows up surrounded by classic cars: his grandfather, Gino Danieli, was one of the founders of the Mille Miglia when it was reborn as a regularity race in 1982, after a twenty-five year hiatus. That love was passed down from generation to generation, all the way to him – and for years he has spent his free time maintaining and repairing historic cars alongside his father and uncle.

In 2025, Filippo decides to turn that passion into something concrete. He finds a co-driver, Tommaso Favagrossa, and together they found the team. Their baptism of fire comes straight away: the Gran Premio Nuvolari, at the wheel of a 1959 MG A, affectionately nicknamed “Victoria”. The result is not what they had hoped for, but at the finish line friends and family are waiting for them, in a moment of celebration that already makes it all worthwhile.

The team grows

That experience proves contagious. Several friends begin to dream of racing, and the Danieli Workshop becomes a gathering place. Among laughter, hard work and grease-stained hands, the guys take their first steps in classic car maintenance: they find themselves in the garage until late at night, after work or university, dismantling an engine or fixing a bodywork detail.

Enrico Bergamini, Paolo Valzelli and Luca Cavicchioli – all under 30 – join the team. Luca even takes the biggest step of all, buying his first classic car: “Stella Giuseppa”, a 1971 Fiat 500L. In 2026 she takes to the track at the Franciacorta Historic, side by side with Victoria.

Regularity races

The world of regularity racing is still little known, and FD Racing wants to change that. It is a more accessible discipline than speed racing: what matters is not who finishes first, but precision and attention to detail.

A race means hours behind the wheel, driving through unknown roads and villages, taking in breathtaking scenery. But it is not all romance: you can set off in 30-degree heat and end up in a downpour, after a full day at the wheel. Working as a pair, exhausted, demands a strong connection between driver and co-driver.

Brescia, after all, is the perfect place to enter this world. The tradition of the Mille Miglia has made the city a reference point for historic cars, and throughout the year there is no shortage of races, rallies and regularity events.

In the drivers’ own words

“For us, the goal is not just to race: what truly matters is building a genuine relationship with the cars. None of us was born a mechanic – what little we know we have learned by getting our hands dirty, through hands-on experience, thanks to the patience of those who guided us, above all Paolo Danieli, Filippo’s father.

We want to live the experience of the drivers of the past: no mechanic following us, if something goes wrong it’s up to us to get out and sort it. And that is exactly what draws us in: the chance to truly learn something, to be together and to get our hands on the cars.

A few months ago, the passion was so fierce that Stella Giuseppa literally caught fire: a motor cable sparked and the bonnet began to smoke. Luca and Paolo had to step in with a fire extinguisher. Today, after so much work, the old girl is back to her former glory.

Some of us turn up at the garage at six in the morning, others come after work – but we all share the same desire to learn, by taking things apart, trying things out, working on the engines. In the end, more than the result, what counts are the hours spent in the workshop, the unexpected moments during races, and the time spent together.”