ANGELO FERRO found his roots in Chiavara, Italy. He found his love in San Francisco.

Ferro lives and works in the Bay Area, but his ties to Italy are obvious as the owner of the widespread Genoa Corporation, which includes Genoa Racing.

Ferro, whose business sprang from a flower market he owns in San Francisco, put the Genoa name on all his interests, including Genoa Racing, long a part of the Atlantic Series. He's the largest producer of table olives in North America. The San Rafael resident owns two North Bay car dealerships and a Novato automotive restoration shop, in addition to AngRay Fantastico flower market on Brannan Street in San Francisco.

Ferro is deeply involved with all of his interests, but right now he is preoccupied with his race team and the recent developments in open-wheel racing.

The merger between the IndyCar Series and the Champ Car World Series was generally greeted with great excitement and applause. The timing of the announcement, however, has left some teams and drivers scrambling, especially those in the Atlantic Series, which had run operated the auspices of the now-defunct Champ Car.

"They waited too long to make the deal. The timing was a bit off," Ferro said of the merger. "The deal helps a lot of people, but it hurts a lot, too. The guys with money will be able to (keep going), but the little guys won't be able to. It's going to cost a lot of money.

"Atlantic is a good series. Everybody seems to like it. The fans in South America and Mexico like it. I hope Mazda keeps it alive. If the deal had been done a couple months before, our schedule would be done now and it would be easier to get sponsors and drivers."

Ferro worked for three months to help get a television deal with a South American broadcaster to air Atlantic races, but the merger that forced Champ Car to cease operation also killed the deal at the last minute.

The Atlantic Series will carry on this season, however, and Ferro is determined to field at least one entry. He was close to signing a pair of young drivers when the merger threw everything into chaos, but still hopes to announce a deal before Tuesday when the team will be testing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey.

Sausalito's J.R. Hildebrand tested the Genoa car in Sebring, Fla., on Feb. 12 and came away impressed with the team - and with Ferro.

"He's an incredible guy," said Hildebrand, who signed with RLR/Andersen Racing of the Indy Pro Series, the development series for IndyCar. "He's got a great team and he gave me a wonderful opportunity to test for him."

Perhaps it's the fun-loving tone in his voice, or his elegant Italian accent, or even the way he floats across the floor when he dances, but Ferro has a way of putting people at ease, as legendary driver Jimmy Vasser found out in their first meeting in early 1990 at then-Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma.

"I had the talent, but nobody can do everything on their own. Sometimes you need somebody to give you a push. In a lot of ways, Angelo was that guy for me," Vasser said about the relationship that helped put his legendary career into full gear.

Ferro needed to find a replacement driver after his original driver quit because he was fed up with the mechanical problems in the car. So the call went out to a rising young star who was living conveniently close in San Francisco at the time.

Vasser eagerly jumped into the car as a last-minute replacement and, despite starting from the back row, managed to work his way up to fourth place within five laps before the wheel fell off - literally - in the Carousel. Vasser was a little upset he lost any chance to win the race, but he was still smiling at the end of the day.

"That was the beginning of a relationship that's been very dear to me. He's been like a second father to me, to be honest," Vasser said. "Whenever I needed work (and wasn't racing) to help pay the bills, he hired me to stock the shelves at his flower shop. I went to his and (wife) Irma's 50th anniversary last year and there were a lot of people who said things about him, and you realize he's helped a lot of people along the way, just like he helped me."

Ferro was born in San Francisco in 1932, but spent his childhood in the fertile Italian seaside town, near Genoa. He returned to the Bay Area at age 20 because he "wanted to keep my American citizenship papers and to learn English."

Italy is known for its great riches - wonderful food, beautiful flowers, beautiful women and incredible cars. Even after he returned to San Francisco, it wasn't long before Ferro was involved with all four.

Ferro was just 25 when he married Irma, whom he met in North Beach, San Francisco's Italian neighborhood. A businessman with a golden touch and an adventurous spirit, Ferro built up enough savings over the years so that when a friend of his suggested they go race midget cars, Angelo was able to buy a car and indulge his wild streak.

He was smart enough, though, to be able to turn that passion into a successful business. In 1978 he formed Genoa Racing and raced in the Can-Am Series, which produced such illustrious drivers as Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones and Jack Brabham. Ferro began importing drivers from Europe. His first was from Switzerland. The second driver he signed was an up-and-comer with a recognizable name and an impressive heritage: Juan Manuel Fangio Jr. The nephew of the legendary Formula One champion raced for Ferro in the Can-Am and Formula 3 series, even setting a track qualifying record in Can-Am at Sears Point, before moving to Formula One. Genoa, with an Italian driver, went on to win the 1986 Formula 3 championship.

Since then, Genoa Racing has shifted its focus back and forth, competing in just about every North American open-wheel racing series Ferro could find, including both IndyCar and Champ Car with drivers including Vasser and Greg Ray, who both came within points of winning the Formula Atlantic championship in different years for Genoa, only to be sideswiped by costly engine failures. Ray, the 1999 IRL champion, qualified for the 1998 Indy 500 in a plain black, unsponsored car owned by Thomas Knapp, currently the team manager for Genoa Racing.

"I remember we won at Les Trois Rivier, those were good wins," Ferro said fondly. "The Canadians follow open-wheel and sports car races than Americans. When Juan Fangio won there, he spoke perfect French, so they went wild for him."

Whenever the Atlantic season does start, Ferro plans to be at the track.

"I enjoy being with young people. I'm 75, but I stay with guys who are 25 and they make me feel young. I enjoy being with young people," Ferro said.

He can look back on the last three-quarters of a century with a youthful, whimsical smile, then Ferro can turn his head and look to the future with the same smile. No matter what happens with racing, Ferro will keep Genoa close to his heart.

Derek Wilson is an IJ staff writer. Check out his Marin motor sports blog at Contact him by e-mail at