Vittorio Brambilla

Vittorio Brambilla (; 11 November 1937 – 26 May 2001) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Monza Gorilla", Brambilla won the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix with March.

Born and raised in Monza, Brambilla competed in Formula One for March, Surtees and Alfa Romeo. A wet weather specialist, Brambilla won the curtailed in with a 27-second margin over James Hunt in only 29 laps.

Career

Born in the town of Monza itself, Brambilla began racing motorcycles in 1957 and won the Italian national 175cc title in 1958. He continued to race motorcycles on a casual basis throughout his career, finishing 12th in a guest appearance at the 1969 Italian 500cc motorcycle Grand Prix riding a Paton. Before becoming a mechanic he also raced go-karts. His older brother, Ernesto ("Tino"), was also a racing driver.

Formula Three, Formula Two, Sports cars

Brambilla returned to racing in 1968, in Formula 3 and won the Italian championship in 1972, by which time he was already racing Formula 2. Brambilla was second to Jacky Ickx in a 1970 2-heat Formula Two race at the Salzburg Ring in Salzburg, Austria.Ickx Wins Honors In Salzburg Race, New York Times, 31 August 1970, Page 48. He drove a March BMW to fourth place in Hockenheim, in a 1973 Formula Two race. There were two 10-lap heats covering .Mass Captures Formula Two Race, New York Times, 18 June 1973, Page 41. Brambilla won the City of Enna Cup, the 5th 1973 event in the European automaker's championship for 2,000 cc cars. He averaged over . He drove an Abarth-Osella.Brambilla Is Victor, New York Times, 16 August 1973, Page 75. Brambilla captured the pole for the Monza 4-hour auto race in a BMW 3.5 CSL.Merzario The Fastest, New York Times, 23 March 1975, Page 206.

Formula One

March (1974–1976)

In his first year of Formula One, Brambilla was as quick as his teammate Stuck, although more accident-prone. In the Swedish GP he ran in fifth until an engine problem. Brambilla finished tied for 18th, last, in the Formula One World Championship standings.Final Driver Standing, New York Times, 7 October 1974, Page 45. In 1975 he amazed many at the Belgian GP, where he led until encountering brakes problems after 54 laps, and at the 1975 Swedish Grand Prix, where he secured pole position until a transmission failure forced him to retire after 36 laps. His great day came at the Österreichring in 1975, when he won a wet Austrian Grand Prix. He spun off and wrecked the nose of his car as he took the chequered flag, and completed his slowing down lap with the front of the car destroyed while waving to the crowd (being the first victory of an Italian driver since the 1966 Italian Grand Prix with Ludovico Scarfiotti). As the race was shortened, with 60% of it completed, he only received 4.5 points instead of 9 for the win.Brain Surgery for Driver, New York Times, 18 August 1975, Page 17. A more serious accident occurred that season when Brambilla crashed his March through a new curve at Watkins Glen during qualifying for the 1975 United States Grand Prix. He backed into a guard rail afterwards but was unhurt. The session ended at that point with Niki Lauda leading. Before his accident, Brambilla was second fastest with a lap of .Lauda, in 'Training' Car, Paces Qualifying At Glen, New York Times, 4 October 1975, Page 22. During 1976 he suffered several accidents and mechanical retirements, collecting only one point at the 1976 Dutch Grand Prix. He qualified his March in 8th position for the 1976 United States Grand Prix West.Regazzoni Takes Coast Race Pole, New York Times, 28 March 1976, Page 175. In the race Brambilla was tapped from behind by Carlos Reutemann before they reached the first turn.Good Turn For Brambilla? Drivers In Grand Prix Get A Fresh, New Start, Los Angeles Times, 29 March 1978, Page E1. He lost the right rear wheel on his March on the 35th lap of the 1976 United States Grand Prix after holding fifth place for a time.Hunt Takes U.S. Grand Prix With Lauda Third, 11 October 1976, Page 47.

Surtees (1977–1978)

In 1977, Brambilla moved to the Surtees team, where he scored six points. At the same time he also drove for the Alfa Romeo sports car team, achieving the World Championship for the team. Brambilla finished eighth in the 1977 Monaco Grand Prix.Auto Racing, New York Times, 23 May 1977, Page E36.

Brambilla continued with Surtees in 1978. At the 1978 United States Grand Prix West he placed 17th in qualifying, with a time of 1:23.212.At Long Beach, Calif., New York Times, 2 April 1978, Page S8. His No. 19 Beta Surtees TS 19 finished 14th after experiencing engine failure on lap 50.

In a multiple pileup at Monza in the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, Brambilla suffered serious head injuries when he was hit by a flying wheel during a multiple car collision on the opening lap. In reaction to that race, in which Ronnie Peterson sustained fatal injuries, it was announced in October 1978 that the Italian Grand Prix would move to the Autodromo Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola for the next three years although this did not actually happen until 1980. The 1979 Italian Grand Prix was at Monza again, and Brambilla recovered and returned to participate in that race."2 Reported Indicted In Fatal Crash", New York Times, 3 October 1979, Page D18.

Alfa Romeo (1979–1980)

Brambilla drove briefly for the Alfa Romeo Formula One team in 1979 and 1980. On the first day of qualifying for the 1979 United States Grand Prix Brambilla was timed at . Heavy rain caused a slick track and slower times.Rain Sets Back Prix Qualifying, Washington Post, 6 October 1979, Page D2. In December 1979, Alfa Romeo revealed its Formula One race car for the 1980 season. The company named Patrick Depailler, Brambilla, and Bruno Giacomelli as its drivers. The racer was nearly identical to one driven by Giacomelli in the 1979 Italian Grand Prix. It was a wing car design with a V-12 engine that generated more than . Alfa Romeo announced that it was working on a 1,500 cubic centimeter turbocharged engine which was to begin track testing in a Formula One car in the summer of 1980.Alfa Romeo Racer Shown, Los Angeles Times, 11 December 1979, Page D8.

Retirement and death Brambilla retired at the end of the 1980 season. In the early 1990s, he opened a Formula One memorabilia shop in Milan, occasionally driving the safety car during the Italian Grand Prix. He died at Lesmo, near Milan, of a heart attack at the age of 63 while gardening at his home. He reportedly collapsed while mowing the lawn.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pts Scuderia Picchio Rossa Brabham BT23 Ford THR HOC BAR ROU 13th 3 North Italian Racing Developments Brabham BT30 PER Brabham BT23 TUL Scuderia Ala d'Oro Brabham BT30 IMO HOC Scuderia Ala d'Oro Brabham BT30 Ford HOC THR NÜR JAR PAL 18th 2 March 712M ROU MAN TUL ALB VLL Vittorio Brambilla VLL Vittorio Brambilla March 712M BMW MAL THR HOC PAU PAL HOC ROU ÖST IMO MAN PER SAL ALB HOC NC 0 Beta Racing Team March 712M BMW MAL 4th 35 March 732 HOC THR NÜR PAU KIN NIV HOC ROU MNZ MAN KAR PER SAL NOR ALB VLL Brian Lewis Racing March 732 BMW BAR HOC PAU SAL HOC MUG KAR PER HOC VLL NC 0 Project 3 Racing March 752 BMW EST THR HOC NÜR PAU HOC SAL ROU MUG PER SIL ZOL NOG VLL 13th 9 Project Four Racing March 762 Lancia HOC THR VLL SAL PAU HOC ROU MUG NC 0 Vittorio Brambilla March 732 Ferrari PER EST NOG HOC Willi Kauhsen Racing Team Elf 2J Renault SIL THR HOC NÜR VLL PAU MUG ROU NOG PER MIS EST DON NC 0

Complete Formula One results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pts Beta Utensili March 741 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA 18th 1 Beta Team March March 741 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA 11th 6.5 March 751 RSA ESP5 MON BEL SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT1 ITA USA Beta Team March March 761 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA JPN 19th 1 Beta Team Surtees Surtees TS19 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA USW ESP MON BEL SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN JPN 16th 6 Beta Team Surtees Surtees TS19 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA USW 19th 1 Surtees TS20 MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN Autodelta Alfa Romeo 177 Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 ARG BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA NC 0 Alfa Romeo 179 Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12 CAN USA Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 179 Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12 ARG BRA RSA USW BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA NC 0 Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance completed.

Notes

Vittorio Brambilla

Bron en licentie