VITTORIO BRAMBILLA

'Vittorio Brambilla' (November 11 1937 - May 26 2001) was a Formula One driver from Italy who raced for the March, Surtees and Alfa Romeo teams. His nickname was "The Monza Gorilla".

Contents

Career

Formula Three, Formula Two, Sports cars

Formula One, March 1974 – 1976

Surtees 1977 – 1978

Alfa Romeo 1979 – 1980

Death

Complete Formula One results

References

External links

Career

Born in Monza, Brambilla began racing motorcycles in 1957 and won the Italian national 175cc title in 1958. Before becoming a mechanic he also raced go-karts.

Formula Three, Formula Two, Sports cars

He returned to racing in 1968, in Formula 3 and won the Italian championship in 1972; by the time he was already racing Formula 2, where he won several races and bought his way into Formula 1. Brambilla was 2nd to Jacky Ickx in a 1970 2-heat Formula Two race at the Salzburg Ring in Salzburg, Austria.^[1] He drove a March BMW
to 4th place in Hockenheim, in a 1973 Formula Two
race. There were two 10-lap heats covering 168.7 miles.^[2] Brambilla won the City of Enna Cup, the 5th 1973 event in the European automaker's championship for 2,000 c.c. cars.
He averaged 121 miles per hour over 180 miles. He drove an Abarth-Osella.^[3] Brambilla captured the pole for the Monza 4-hour auto race in a BMW 3.5 CSL.^[4]

Formula One, March 1974 – 1976

Brambilla finished tied for 18th, last, in the Formula One World Championship standings.^[5] He amazed many at the 1975 Belgian GP, where he led; and at the 1975 Swedish Grand Prix, where he secured pole position. But his great day came at the Österreichring in 1975, when he got a victory in a wet Austrian Grand Prix. He is best remembered for spinning off and wrecking the nose of his car as he took the chequered flag and completing his slowing down lap with the front of the car destroyed and waving madly to the crowd. As the race was shortened, he only received 4.5 points instead of 9 for the win. In fact, the chequered flag was flown in error for the red. The race was halted on the 29th lap, with 60% of the race completed.^[6] He drove a March. 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 afterward but was unhurt. The session ended at that point with Niki Lauda leading. Before his accident Brambilla was 2nd fastest with a lap of 118.21 m.p.h.^[7] During 1976 he suffered several accidents and mechanical retirements, collecting only 1 point, while his teammate Ronnie Peterson won the 1976 Italian Grand Prix. He qualified his March in 8th position for the 1976 United States Grand Prix West.^[8] In the race Brambilla was tapped from behind by Carlos Reutemann before they reached the 1st turn. Brambilla skidded off the course and was stationary, sitting near the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Linden Avenue.^[9] He lost the right rear wheel on his March on the 35th lap of the 1976 United States Grand Prix after holding 5th place for a time.^[10]

Surtees 1977 – 1978

But in 1977 moving to the Surtees team he drove pretty well, securing 6 points. At the same time he also drove for the Alfa Romeo sports car team that year, achieving the World Championship for the team. Brambilla posted a time of 1:59:01.41 in qualifying his Surtees 8th
for the 1977 Monaco Grand Prix.^[11]
He was known for his 'Punch and Crunch' routine, in which, he would greet the unfortunate victim with an extremely strong handshake. He enjoyed watching the recipient wince whilst they were shaking hands. He would then follow this up with a rabbit punch to the back of one's neck.
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.^[12] His #19 Beta Surtees TS 19 finished 14th after
experiencing engine failure on lap 50.^[13]
In a multiple pileup at Monza in the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, in which Ronnie Peterson died, Brambilla suffered serious head injuries. Brambilla was hit by a flying wheel and returned to race in the 1979 Italian Grand Prix.^[14] The Italian Grand Prix was moved to the Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola for the next three years in October 1978.^[15]

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 83.87 miles per hour. Heavy rain caused a slick track and slower times.^[16] In December 1979 Alfa Romeo revealed its Formula One race car for the 1980 season. The company named Patrick Depailler, Brambilla, and Bruno Giacometti 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 520 horsepower. 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.^[17]

Death

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. [1], [2]

Complete Formula One results

() (Races in 'bold' indicate pole position)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Team	WDC	Points
1974	March	ARG	BRA	RSA 10	ESP DNS	BEL 9	MON Ret	SWE 10	NED 10	FRA 11	GBR Ret	GER 13	AUT 6	ITA Ret	CAN DNS	USA Ret			March	18th	1
1975	March	ARG 9	BRA Ret	RSA Ret	ESP 5 ★	MON Ret	BEL Ret	'SWE' Ret	NED Ret	FRA Ret	GBR 6	GER Ret	AUT 1 ★	ITA Ret	USA 7				March	11th	6.5
1976	March	BRA Ret	RSA 8	USW Ret	ESP Ret	BEL Ret	MON Ret	SWE 10	FRA Ret	GBR Ret	GER Ret	AUT Ret	NED 6	ITA 7	CAN 14	USA Ret	JPN Ret		March	19th	1
1977	Surtees	ARG 7	BRA Ret	RSA 7	USW Ret	ESP Ret	MON 8	BEL 4	SWE Ret	FRA 13	GBR 8	GER 5	AUT 15	NED 12	ITA Ret	USA 19	CAN 6	JPN 8	Surtees	16th	6
1978	Surtees	ARG 18	BRA DNQ	RSA 12	USW Ret	MON DNQ	BEL 13	ESP 7	SWE Ret	FRA 17	GBR 9	GER Ret	AUT 6	NED DSQ	ITA Ret	USA Inj	CAN Inj		Surtees	19th	1
1979	Alfa Romeo	ARG	BRA	RSA	USW	ESP	BEL	MON	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA 12	CAN Ret	USA DNQ			Alfa Romeo	-	0
1980	Alfa Romeo	ARG	BRA	RSA	USW	BEL	MON	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED Ret	ITA Ret	CAN	USA				Alfa Romeo	-	0

★ Half points awarded for shortened race

References

1. ''Ickx Wins Honors In Salzburg Race'', New York Times, August 31, 1970, Page 48.
2. ''Mass Captures Formula Two Race'', New York Times, June 18, 1973, Page 41.
3. ''Brambilla Is Victor'', New York Times, August 16, 1973, Page 75.
4. ''Merzario The Fastest'', New York Times, March 23, 1975, Page 206.
5. ''Final Driver Standing'', New York Times, October 7, 1974, Page 45.
6. ''Brain Surgery for Driver'', New York Times, August 18, 1975, Page 17.
7. ''Lauda, in 'Training' Car, Paces Qualifying At Glen'', New York Times, October 4, 1975, Page 22.
8. ''Regazzoni Takes Coast Race Pole'', New York Times, March 28, 1976, Page 175.
9. ''Good Turn For Brambilla? Drivers In Grand Prix Get A Fresh, New Start'', Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1978, Page E1.
10. ''Hunt Takes U.S. Grand Prix With Lauda Third'', October 11, 1976, Page 47.
11. ''Auto Racing'', New York Times, May 23, 1977, Page E36.
12. ''At Long Beach, Calif.'', New York Times, April 2,
1978, Page S8.
13. ''Complete Results of 1978
Long Beach Grand Prix, Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1979, Page H10.
14. ''2 Reported Indicted In Fatal Crash'', New York Times,
October 3, 1979, Page D18.
15. ''Italian Grand Prix Moved From Dangerous Monza
Track'', Los Angeles Times, October 27, 1978, Page SD_B4.
16. ''Rain Sets Back Prix Qualifying'', Washington Post, October 6, 1979, Page D2.
17. ''Alfa Romeo Racer Shown'', Los Angeles Times, December 11, 1979, Page D8.

External links

★ Vittorio Brambilla tribute on YouTube