Gianfranco Brancatelli

Last updated

Gianfranco Brancatelli
Gianfranco Brancatelli (1974).jpg
Brancatelli in 1974
Born (1950-01-18) 18 January 1950 (age 75)
Turin, Italy
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Flag of Italy.svg Italian
Active years 1979
Teams Kauhsen, Merzario
Entries3 (0 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1979 Spanish Grand Prix
Last entry 1979 Monaco Grand Prix

Gianfranco Brancatelli (born 18 January 1950) is a former racing driver from Italy.

Contents

Career

His racing career began in 1973, in the Formula Abarth series. In 1975, he advanced to Italian Formula 3 racing. Brancatelli entered 3 Formula One Grands Prix in 1979 with Kauhsen (2 failures to qualify) and Merzario (1 failure to pre-qualify).

After his departure from Formula 1, Brancatelli went on to race in several Touring Car series, with some success. He would finish 4th in the 1984 European Touring Car Championship driving a BMW 635 CSi for Eggenberger Motorsport. For the 1985 ETCC, Eggenberger switched to the turbocharged Volvo 240T (while the championship winning Tom Walkinshaw Racing would switch from their powerful V12 Jaguar XJS' to the V8 powered Rover Vitesse), and along with Swedish driver Thomas Lindström, Brancatelli became the European Touring Car Champion, winning six out of fourteen races (Anderstorp, Zeltweg, Salzburgring, Nürburgring, Zolder and Estoril), along with three 2nd places and two 3rd places.

In 1986, Brancatelli switched to Tom Walkinshaw Racing where he drove a Rover Vitesse in the 1986 FIA International Touring Car Championship (essentially a renamed ETCC), but dropped to 12th in the standings winning only once at Andestorp. In 1987 the Italian driver would again switch teams, driving a BMW M3 for Italian outfit CiBiemme Sport in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship where he partnered another former Formula One driver Johnny Cecotto to win the 500 km de Bourgogne at Dijon-Prenois. He finished 8th in the WTCC while finishing 5th in the 1987 ETCC, also for CiBiemme, winning twice at Estoril and Zolder.

The 1988 ETCC saw Brancatelli on the move again, this time going back to Eggenberger Motorsport where he would serve as a driver in the team's 3rd Texaco Ford Sierra RS500 in a number of rounds. Brancatelli would also win the 1988 Italian Touring Car Championship driving a privately Jolly Club entered Alfa Romeo 75.

Other than his success in the 1985 ETCC, arguably Brancatelli's biggest wins in touring car racing were the 1985 Guia Race of Macau driving a Volvo 240T, and the 1989 Spa 24 Hours driving an Eggenberger Ford Sierra RS500 along with Bernd Schneider (yet another F1 driver, this time a current one) and Win Percy. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brancatelli also travelled to Australia to drive in the Bathurst 1000 touring car race, though success would generally elude him. His best finish was in the 1987 WTCC round, the 1987 James Hardie 1000 where he and Johnny Cecotto would finish 7th outright and 3rd in class, though as they were the first registered WTCC drivers to finish the race they would receive top points for the round. His three other races at Bathurst in 1989, 1990 and 1991 would result in two failed to finish and one disqualification due to a technical infringement.

Brancatelli also raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on five occasions. His best finish was second place in the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Sauber C9 for Team Sauber Mercedes, co-driving with ex-Formula One drivers Mauro Baldi and Kenny Acheson. His four other races at Le Mans (1979, 1980, 1986 and 1990) all saw him fail to finish the race.

Brancatelli would continue racing until his retirement in the late 1990s.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910111213Pos.Pts
1976 Scuderia Everest March 752 BMW HOC THR VLL SAL PAU HOC ROU MUG
12
PER EST NOG HOC NC0
1977 Scuderia Everest Ralt RT1 Ferrari SIL
DNS
THR
DNS
HOC NÜR VLL
13
PAU
12
MUG
8
ROU
4
NOG
Ret
PER
Ret
MIS
Ret
EST
DNQ
DON 17th3
1978 Everest Racing Team Chevron B40 BMW THR HOC
DNQ
NÜR PAU MUG VLL NC0
Bob Salisbury Racing March 782 BMW ROU
DNQ
DON
8
NOG PER
Ret
MIS
Ret
HOC
1979 Racing Team Everest March 792 BMW SIL HOC THR NÜR VLL MUG PAU HOC ZAN
10
PER
7
MIS DON
Ret
NC0

Complete British Formula One Championship results

(key)

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456789101112131415Pos.Pts
1979 Willi Kauhsen Racing Team Kauhsen WK Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ZOL
Ret
OUL BRH MAL NC0
Dicksons of Perth March 772P Hart 420R 2.0 L4 SNE
Ret
THR ZAN DON OUL NOG MAL BRH THR SNE SIL
1980 Colin Bennett Racing Lotus 78 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 OUL BRH SIL MAL THR MNZ
Ret
MAL SNE BRH THR OUL SIL NC0

Complete Formula One results

(key)

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456789101112131415WDC Pts
1979 Willi Kauhsen Racing Team Kauhsen WK Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA USW ESP
DNQ
BEL
DNQ
NC0
Team Merzario Merzario A2 MON
DNPQ
FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN
Source: [1]

Complete European Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCar1234567891011121314Pos.Pts
1980 BMW 3.0 CSi MNZ
DNQ
VAL
16
BRH
Ret
SAL BRN
DNQ
PER NÜR SIL ZOL NC0
1981Dieter Schmid BMW 635 CSi MNZ VLL DON
5
SAL BRN PER SIL ZOL 8
1982Luigi Team Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6 MNZ
6
VLL
6
DON
Ret
PER
DNS
MUG
7
BRN
7
SAL
6
NÜR
Ret
SPA
Ret
SIL
Ret
ZOL
7
30
1983Jolly Club Milano Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6 MNZ
?
VAL
24
DON
Ret
PER
6
MUG
Ret
BRN
Ret
ZEL
14
NÜR
Ret
SAL
8
SPA
6
SIL
23
ZOL
Ret
1984BMW Italia BMW 635 CSi MNZ
2
VAL
4
DON
Ret
PER
4
BRN
5
ZEL
6
SAL
3
NÜR
1
SPA
Ret
SIL
1
ZOL
Ret
MUG
4
4th151
1985 Eggenberger Motorsport Volvo 240T MNZ
Ret
VAL
2
DON
4
AND
1
BRN
2
ZEL
1
SAL
1
NÜR
1
SPA
3
SIL
3
NOG
6
ZOL
1
EST
1
JAR
2
1st240
1986 TWR – Bastos Texaco Racing Team Rover Vitesse MNZ DON
4
HOC
Ret
MIS AND
1
BRN
4
ZEL
DNS
NÜR
3
SPA SIL
Ret
NOG
Ret
ZOL JAR
4
EST
4
12th123
1987CiBiEmme Sport BMW M3 DON
Ret
EST
1
AND
2
ZOL
Ret
ZEL
1
IMO
2
NOG
Ret
5th150
1988 Jolly Club Ford Sierra RS500 MNZ DON EST JAR
Ret
26th80
Eggenberger Motorsport DIJ
2
VLL
Ret
NÜR
2
SPA
Ret
ZOL SIL
4
NOG

Complete World Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCar1234567891011DCPts
1987 CiBiEmme Sport BMW M3 MNZ JAR
ovr:8
cls:6
DIJ
ovr:1
cls:1
NÜR
Ret
SPA
Ret
BRN
ovr:5
cls:3
SIL
Ret
BAT
ovr:7
cls:3
CLD
ovr:4
cls:2
WEL
Ret
FUJ
ovr:6
cls:3
8th158

Despite finishing 7th outright at Bathurst, as the highest placed registered WTCC car Brancatelli was awarded 1st place points for the round.

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position in class) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap in class - 1 point awarded all races)

YearTeamCarClass12345678910111213DCPtsClass
1988 Eggenberger Motorsport Ford Sierra RS500 A SIL OUL THR DON THR SIL SIL BRH SNE BRH BIR DON SIL
ovr:1
cls:1
23rd109th

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCar12345678910111213141516171819202122Pos.Pts
1989 Ford Motorsport Eggenberger Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth ZOL
1

23
ZOL
2

Ret
HOC
1

14
HOC
2

8
NÜR
1

10
NÜR
2

10
MFA
1

11
MFA
2

13
AVU
1

DNS
AVU
2

DNS
NÜR
1

13
NÜR
2

11
NOR
1

11
NOR
2

Ret
HOC
1

9
HOC
2

11
DIE
1

5
DIE
2

2
NÜR
1

11
NÜR
2

10
HOC
1

4
HOC
2

9
9th162

Complete Australian Super Touring Championship results

YearTeamCar12345678910111213141516DCPts
1997 Team Petronas PX2 Ford Mondeo Ghia LAK
1
LAK
2
PHI
1

Ret
PHI
2

Ret
CAL
1
CAL
2
AMA
1
AMA
2
WIN
1
WIN
2
MAL
1
MAL
2
LAK
1
LAK
2
AMA
1
AMA
2
NC0

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
1979 Flag of Italy.svg Carlo Pietromarchi Flag of Italy.svg Carlo Pietromarchi
Flag of Italy.svg Maurizio Micangeli
De Tomaso Pantera Gr.5
+2.0
108NCNC
1980 Flag of Italy.svg Scuderia Lancia Corse Flag of Italy.svg Piercarlo Ghinzani
Flag of Finland.svg Markku Alén
Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Gr.526DNFDNF
1986 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Silk Cut Jaguar
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Win Percy
Flag of the United States.svg Hurley Haywood
Jaguar XJR-6 C1154DNFDNF
1989 Flag of Germany.svg Team Sauber Mercedes Flag of Italy.svg Mauro Baldi
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Kenny Acheson
Sauber C9 Mercedes-Benz C13842nd2nd
1990 Flag of Japan.svg Nissan Motorsports International Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mark Blundell
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Julian Bailey
Nissan R90CK C1142DNFDNF
Source: [2]

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
1987 Flag of Italy.svg CiBiEmme Sport
Flag of Germany.svg BMW Motorsport
Flag of Venezuela.svg Johnny Cecotto BMW M3 21637th3rd
1989 Flag of New Zealand.svg Mark Petch Motorsport Flag of New Zealand.svg Robbie Francevic Ford Sierra RS500 A14DNFDNF
1990 Flag of New Zealand.svg Mark Petch Motorsport Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Robb Gravett Ford Sierra RS500 1118DNFDNF
1991 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Allan Moffat Enterprises Flag of Australia (converted).svg Charlie O'Brien Ford Sierra RS500 1158DSQDSQ

References

  1. Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 409. ISBN   0851127029.
  2. "Gianfranco Brancatelli, Italy". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
Sporting positions
Preceded by European Touring Car Championship
Champion

1985
With: Thomas Lindström
Succeeded by
Preceded by Guia Race
Winner

1985
Succeeded by
Preceded by Italia Superturismo Championship
Champion

1988
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Spa 24 Hours
1989
With: Win Percy & Bernd Schneider
Succeeded by