Those were his only points however, as he ended up tenth in the final championship standings; failing to qualify for races at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Le Mans.

Giovanardi and team-mate Nicola Larini made a guest appearance in the STW at the Norisring, where they both finished outside the top ten placings in both races.

He became again Italian champion in 1999, again beating his BMW rival Naspetti in a thrilling last race in Vallelunga; Giovanardi's advantage at the end of the season was only fourteen points after ten rounds.

The regulation change did not hinder Giovanardi as he won a touring car title for the fifth successive season, again at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo.

However, he switched to a Ravaglia Motorsport-run BMW for the 2003 season, but struggled with the rear-wheel-drive car taking only three podiums en route to ninth in the championship.

In late 2005 Giovanardi tested a Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch for the Triple Eight BTCC team at Pembrey in Wales.

It was a testing year for the team and Giovanardi, as he came close to a first win at Donington Park before a final-corner collision with West Surrey Racing's Colin Turkington.

He then secured a second win in the series at Brands Hatch; finishing his first BTCC campaign in fifth position, passing James Thompson by a single point at the final meeting of the season at Silverstone.

Until the first race at Brands, Giovanardi had been on a run of 39 consecutive points finishes which had begun at round 19 of the 2007 season, at Snetterton in late July.

Plato finished third in the championship, as Mat Jackson overhauled his points tally after a good final weekend of the season.

Indeed, Giovanardi trailed Turkington by thirteen points heading to the final round of the season, held on the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch.

He drove the #888 Vauxhall Vectra for Triple Eight, partnering 2009 Clio Cup UK champion Phil Glew, who made his BTCC début at the meeting.

The team had hoped to run Giovanardi for the remainder of the season, but he was replaced by James Nash ahead of the second round at Rockingham due to sponsor Uniq pulling out.

[6] Instead, Giovanardi found a temporary home in the Italian-based Superstars Series, driving N.Technology's brand new Porsche Panamera S, and won a race on the car's début at Mugello.

[7] Giovanardi claimed three wins in succession at Paul Ricard and Vallelunga enabling him to finish sixth in the series' Italian championship, while he lies fifth in the international points, with one round left.

In February 2014, Giovanardi was confirmed as Airwaves Racing's first driver for the 2014 British Touring Car Championship season in a Ford Focus ST Mk.III.

Giovanardi drove with Marc Hynes in the two main endurance races of the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series, the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama.

In 2010, Giovanardi will be driving for Britek Motorsport in the Armor All Gold Coast 600, sharing the team's Holden Commodore with Karl Reindler.