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Forti Corse, commonly known as Forti, was an Italian motor racing team chiefly known for its brief, and unsuccessful, involvement in Formula One in the mid-1990s. It was established in the 1970s and competed in lower formulae for two decades. The team's successes during this period included four drivers' championships in Italian Formula Three during the 1980s, and race wins in the International Formula 3000 championship, in which it competed from 1987 to 1994. In the course of events, Guido Forti formed a sponsorship deal with the wealthy Brazilian businessman Abílio dos Santos Diniz family that gave his racing driver son, Pedro, a permanent seat in the team and the outfit a suitably high budget with which to enter Formula One. Forti graduated to F1 as a constructor and entrant in 1995, but its first car - the Forti FG01 - proved to be uncompetitive, and the team failed to score a point. Despite this setback, Forti was committed to a three-year deal with Diniz, which was broken when Pedro moved to the Ligier team prior to the 1996 season, taking most of the team's sponsorship money with him. Nevertheless, Forti continued to compete in the sport, and even produced a much-improved FG03 chassis, before succumbing to financial problems mid-season after an ultimately fruitless deal with a mysterious entity known as Shannon Racing. The team competed in a total of 27 Grands Prix, scoring no points, and is recognised as one of the last truly privateer teams to race in an era when many large car manufacturers were increasing their involvement in the sport.
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