Luigi Villoresi

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Luigi Villoresi, born May 16, 1909 - died August 23, 1997, was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception.

Luigi Villoresi


Villoresi drove his Ferrari at 1950 Monaco Grand Prix



Luigi Villoresi (1909-1997) Called "Gigi"
250px
Luigi Villoresi
Nationality 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Italian
Years 1950 - 1956
Team(s) Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, Scuderia Centro Sud
Races 34 (31 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 8
Points 46 (49)
Poles 0
Fastest laps 1
First race 1950 Monaco Grand Prix
First win
Last win
Last race 1956 Italian Grand Prix


Luigi Villoresi (May 16, 1909 - August 24, 1997) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception.

Biography

Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed "Gigi", he was the older brother of race car driver Emilio Villoresi who co-piloted with him in several races at the beginning of their careers. From a prosperous family, Villoresi could afford to buy a car and began competing in local rallies at the age of twenty-two with a Lancia Lambda and a few years later acquired a Fiat Balilla with which he and his brother Emilio competed in the Mille Miglia. In 1935, he raced in the Coppa Ciano, finishing third and went on to capture the Italian driving championship in the 1100 cc sports car class. The following year he and his brother purchased a Maserati which they drove individually in different races. Emilio was so successful that he was signed to drive an Alfa Romeo for Scuderia Ferrari in the 1937 season. Unfortunately, Emilio died while testing an Alfa Romeo factory racer at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

In 1938, Luigi Villoresi became part of the Maserati team, driving the 8CTF model that Maserati had designed to compete with the dominant German Silver Arrows. In 1939 he won the South African Grand Prix but the onset of World War II interrupted his racing career. At war's end, he returned to race for Maserati until 1949 when he signed again with Ferrari debuting in Formula One on May 21, 1950.

1949

Villoresi finished 2nd in the 1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix-President Juan Peron Grand Prix. Alberto Ascari was the winner with a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes, 23.9 seconds, for an average speed of 70.6mph. Villoresi won the first Grand Prix de Bruxelles, beating Alexander Orley of the United States. The winning time was 85mi/h over 188mi distance. Orley was six seconds behind. Louis Rosier was victorious in a blue Talbot, in a 500km Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, in June 1949. He took the lead following 23 laps and came across the finish line in front of Villoresi. Villoresi was 3rd in a 60mi international race at Silverstone in September 1949. Italian drivers made a clean sweep of the first three positions with Ascari 1st and Giuseppe Farina 2nd. 100,000 fans looked on. English driver St. John Horsfall died when his car crashed at a turn.


1950 - 1951

Villoresi skidded on oil, penetrated a barrier, and killed three spectators at the Grand Prix des Nations race in Geneva (Switzerland). Nino Farina impacted Villoresi's car at high speed but was uninjured. Villoresi broke his left leg and suffered head injuries which were treated at a hospital. The Grand Prix of 272 kilometres was won by Juan Manuel Fangio. The 1951 British Grand Prix was taken by Jose Froilan Gonzalez of Argentina. Villoresi finished two laps behind the winner, with an average speed of 95.39mph. Villoresi completed 88 laps, 2 behind Gonzalez.


1952

In July 1952 Villoresi won the 6th Grand Prix de France, at Les Sables d'Olonne, driving a Ferrari. He captured the three hour, 208mi race, with an average speed of 69.3mph. Ferrari achieved a 1,2,3 sweep at the Grand Prix d'France in La Baule, in August 1952. Alberto Ascari was 1st, followed by Villoresi and Rosier. Ascari had already clinched the Formula One World Championship before this event. Villoresi drove a Ferrari to capture the 1952 Grand Prix of Modena in 1:5:21 over a distance of 100 laps, 230.6km . His average speed was 124.236km/h.


1953 - 1954

Villoresi displayed his agility as a driver in the 1953 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Giuseppe Farina made contact with the Maserati driven by Onofre Marimón as he was approaching the finish line. Villoresi made a brilliant manoeuvre while racing at 100mi/h The crowd came to its feet to witness his quick thinking in pulling his car off the track at great speed. Villoresi then finished 3rd after winner Fangio and Farina, who was two seconds behind at the end. The race marked the first time a Ferrari did not win an event in races counting toward the Formula One World Championship. Fangio drove a Maserati to an average speed of 110mi/h over the 313mi grand prix.

Already 41 years old, Villoresi served as an elder statesman for the F1 team, notably as Alberto Ascari's mentor who became his closest friend. In 1954, he and Ascari joined the new Lancia racing team but Ascari's death in the spring of the following year profoundly affected Villoresi and his career went into steep decline.

Villoresi was critically injured while testing a Lancia Aurelia near Rimini, Italy in April 1954. He was riding with his mechanic when he skidded while attempting to avoid a Fiat driving in the opposite direction. Both Villoresi and his mechanic were pinned beneath the Lancia. A group of farmers came to their aid, using oxen to lift the car. Both men remained conscious. Villoresi sustained a number of deep head wounds, facial lacerations, and bruises all over his body. He was listed in serious, but not critical condition.


1955 - 1958

Villoresi was 3rd after Ascari and Luigi Musso in the May 1955 Naples Grand Prix, a 153.5mi event. Villoresi was in a Lancia.

He wrecked his car in the 1956 Grand Prix of Rome, a 2-Litre sports car event. The race was won by Jean Behra in a Maserati.

Villoresi was one of 9 drivers, from a starting field of 303, in a January 1958 Monte Carlo auto rally, who completed the first leg of the rigorous touring car event, without incurring a penalty. The 1900mi endurance event featured cars from 8 different European starting locales. 72 survivors crossed the finish line but 13 were disqualified because of lateness. The 59 who remained from the opening round faced a 655mi, 22 hour portion, extending from Monte Carlo through the maritime Alps. Villoresi drove a Lancia.

Villoresi retired from Grand Prix racing in 1957 after 31 Formula One championship starts without a victory but made it to the podium eight times while scoring a total of 49 championship points. Villoresi continued rally racing and won the Acropolis Rally in Greece in 1958 before retiring to a home in Modena.

Luigi Villoresi died in 1997 at the age of eighty-eight.

Major victories


Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 WDC Points
1950 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 125 Ferrari V12 GBR
 MON
Ret 		500
 SUI
Ret 		BEL
6 		FRA
DNS 		ITA
 NC 0
1951 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 375 Ferrari V12 SUI
Ret 		500
 BEL
3 		FRA
3 		GBR
3 		GER
4 		ITA
4 		ESP
Ret 		5th 15 (18)
1952 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 500 Ferrari Straight-4 SUI
 500
 BEL
 FRA
 GBR
 GER
 NED
3 		ITA
3 		8th 8
1953 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 500 Ferrari Straight-4 ARG
2 		500
 NED
Ret 		BEL
2 		FRA
6 		GBR
Ret 		GER
8 * 		SUI
6 		ITA
3 		5th 17
1954 Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati 250F Maserati
Straight-6 		ARG
 500
 BEL
 FRA
5 		GBR
Ret * 		GER
DNS 		SUI
 ITA
Ret 		20th 2
Scuderia Lancia Lancia D50 Lancia V8 ESP
Ret
1955 Scuderia Lancia Lancia D50 Lancia V8 ARG
Ret 		MON
5 		500
 BEL
 NED
 GBR
 ITA
DNS 		20th 2
1956 Scuderia Centro Sud Maserati
250F 		Maserati
Straight-6 		ARG
 MON
 500
 BEL
5 		22nd 2
Luigi Piotti FRA
Ret 		GBR
6 		GER
Ret
Officini Alfieri Maserati ITA
Ret †
* Indicates shared drive with Alberto Ascari
† Indicates shared drive with Joakim Bonnier

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1946 52 28 121.249 18 7 200 0 Running
Totals 200 0
Starts 1
Poles 0
Front Row 0
Wins 0
Top 5 0
Top 10 1
Retired 0
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