Richie Hearn
Della Penna and Hearn’s partnership started back in 1994 when Hearn started his rookie year in the SCCA Player’s/Toyota Atlantic Championship for Della Penna Motorsports. He won 4 races that year and also took home Rookie of the Year Honors and came within two points of the championship title, the closest margin in the series’ 21-year history. In 1995 Hearn and Della Penna Motorsports captured the Toyota Atlantic Championship Title with 201 points. The following year, 1996, Hearn participated in three Champ Car events as well as participating in a full season of the Indy Racing League. Hearn scored a victory at the inaugural Las Vegas Speedway event and finished 3rd at the Indianapolis 500. 1997 marked Hearn’s first full season in CART as Hearn contested all 17 races events in a Ford-Cosworth powered Lola with Good Year tires. In 1998 Hearn earned a third place start and fifth place finish in the U.S. 500 in his Ford-Cosworth/Swift/Firestone machine. 1999 marked the last racing season for the Hearn/Della Penna partnership.
Currently Hearn owns and operates Hearn Motorsports running in the Formula BMW Series.
Norberto Fontana
In March of 2000, fellow Argentine Norberto Fontana tested the Della Penna Motorsports Champ Car with impressive results. For the first time in a premier open-wheel racing series, an Argentine driver and team owner have partnered. Fontana entered the partnership with a reputable background including serving as a Formula One test driver and competing in F1 for the Minardi and Sauber teams. He has championship titles in German Formula 3 (1995) and Swiss Formula Ford (1993). Fontana raced in the #10 Toyota/Reynard car and held an 11th place best finish in Cleveland. Currently, Fontana is racing for Toyota in the TC 2000 Touring Car Series and the TC series in Argentina where he has one championship in each class to his credit.
