Lorenzo Bandini

Lorenzo Bandini

Born	21 December 1935 Marj, Libya
Died	10 May 1967 (aged 31) Monte Carlo, Monaco
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1961 – 1967
Teams	Scuderia Centro Sud, Scuderia Ferrari
Entries	42
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	8
Career points	58
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	2
First entry	1961 Belgian Grand Prix
First win	1964 Austrian Grand Prix
Last win	1964 Austrian Grand Prix
Last entry	1967 Monaco Grand Prix

Bandini at 1965 1000km Nürburgring with Ferrari Dino

Bandini at 1966 German Grand Prix with Ferrari 312

Lorenzo Bandini (21 December 1935 – 10 May 1967) was an Italian motor racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Scuderia Centro Sud and Ferrari teams.

Career

Bandini was born in Marj,^[1] Cyrenaica,^[2] Libya, then an Italian colony. The family returned to Italy in 1939 and resided near Florence. When he was 15 his father died. Bandini left home and found a job as an apprentice mechanic in the Freddi workshop in Milan.^[2]

He made his way into auto racing from competing on motorcycles.^[3] He started racing cars in 1957 in a borrowed Fiat 1100. Goliardo Freddi, acknowledging Bandini's talent, decided to support him.^[2] Bandini would later marry Fredi's daughter, Margherita, in 1963, and remained involved with the family's garage in Milan.

He achieved a first class victory at the Mille Miglia, in a Lancia Appia Zagato, in 1958, and a class win the same year in the 500cc Berkeley in the 12-hour race at Monza. He then raced in Formula Junior until 1961. Bandini purchased a Volpini Formula Junior car and placed third in his first race in Sicily. In 1959 and 1960 he drove a Formula Junior Stanguellini. In 1960 he placed fourth in the Formula Junior World Championship.

In 1961 Bandini and fellow Italian driver Giancarlo Baghetti were both in contention for a seat at Ferrari. Ferrari opted for Baghetti, and Bandini went to drive for Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei's Scuderia Centro Sud. At a non-championship race, he finished third at Pau. Bandini drove his first world championship race at Spa later in 1961. He retired with engine failure. During the winter of 1961-1962 he drove in the Tasman races in Australia and New Zealand.^[2]

In 1962 Bandini was hired by Ferrari for the 1962 and 1963 seasons, and moved to Maranello, near the team's headquarters.^[4] His debut in a works Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix, finishing third.

For 1963 Bandini was retained by Ferrari for sports car races only. Along with Ludovico Scarfiotti, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours race and placed second in the Targa Florio that year, occasionally racing in Formula One for Scuderia Centro Sud.^[2] His string of good results, including a fifth place at the British Grand Prix, convinced Ferrari to retain him as a Formula One driver as well for the rest of the season.

In 1964 Bandini had his best Formula One season. He won the first Austrian Grand Prix at the Zeltweg circuit and scored two more podiums in Germany and Italy. At the Mexican Grand Prix, Bandini was running second when he decided to let his team mate John Surtees pass, enabling him to score enough points to win the World Championship.

In 1965 Bandini won the Targa Florio.

In 1966 Surtees left Ferrari in mid-season. Bandini was promoted to team leader. He was unlucky not to win the French and U.S. Grands Prix that year which he dominated before mechanical problems intervened while he was holding a huge lead. Bandini's best finish was a second place at the Monaco Grand Prix in a 2.4 liter V-6 Ferrari behind Jackie Stewart's BRM. Later in the season Bandini helped director John Frankenheimer with his movie "Grand Prix". Bandini recommended the location at the harbour chicane for a crash scene in the movie filmed at the Monte Carlo circuit. In "The Making of Grand Prix", actress Eva Marie Saint noted that, bitterly, this spot would be the site of Bandini's death in the race one year later.

In 1967 Bandini won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967 and the 1,000 km of Monza, both with Chris Amon.

Accident and death

On May 7, 1967, Bandini was racing at the Monaco Grand Prix, running second to Denny Hulme on the 82nd lap, when he lost control of his car at the harbour chicane. He had just entered an S-turn when his Ferrari's left rear wheel hit the guard rail, sending him into an erratic skid. It impacted a light pole and overturned.^[5] The car hit straw bales which lined the harbour side, rupturing the fuel tank, and sparks ignited the fuel as the car rolled over, with Bandini trapped beneath it. Marshals flipped his car upright and pulled Bandini, unconscious, out from the flaming Ferrari. It is thought that, during the effort to right the overturned car, fuel leaked on the hot brake line or the exhaust pipe and exploded. A second fire occurred when the fuel tank exploded after Bandini had been pulled away from the Ferrari.^[1]

Bandini's sustained third degree burns covering more than 70% of his body, as well as a chest wound and ten chest fractures.^[5] Three days after the crash, Bandini succumbed to his injuries at Princess Grace Polyclinic Hospital in Monte Carlo.

There were concerns about the promptness of Bandini's rescue. However, investigators from the Principality of Monaco ruled on 10 May that "the security operation had functioned properly."^[3] The straw bales, having been banned from all Formula 1 races in response to the accident, were replaced by an extended guard-rail the following year.^[6]

Bandini's funeral was held in Reggiolo on 13 May.^[7] 100,000 people attended the funeral.^[8] He was later buried in the Lambrate cemetery, in Milan.^[9][10]

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	WDC	Points
1961	Scuderia Centro Sud	Cooper T53	Maserati Straight-4	MON	NED	BEL Ret	FRA	GBR 12	GER Ret	ITA 8	USA				NC	0
1962	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6	NED	MON 3	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER Ret	ITA 8	USA	RSA			12th	4
1963	Scuderia Centro Sud	BRM P57	BRM V8	MON	BEL	NED	FRA 10	GBR 5	GER Ret						10th	6
	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6							ITA Ret	USA 5	MEX Ret	RSA 5
1964	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6	MON 10				GBR 5	GER 3	AUT 1					4th	23
		Ferrari 158	Ferrari V8		NED Ret	BEL Ret	FRA 9				ITA 3
	North American Racing Team	Ferrari 1512	Ferrari Flat-12									USA Ret	MEX 3
1965	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 1512	Ferrari Flat-12	RSA 15	MON 2	BEL 9	FRA 8				ITA 4	USA 4	MEX 8		6th	13
		Ferrari 158	Ferrari V8					GBR Ret	NED 9	GER 6
1966	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 246	Ferrari V6	MON 2	BEL 3										9th	12
		Ferrari 312/66	Ferrari V12			FRA NC	GBR	NED 6	GER 6	ITA Ret	USA Ret	MEX
1967	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 312/67	Ferrari V12	RSA	MON Ret	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	CAN	ITA	USA	MEX	NC	0

Non-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	18	19	20	21
1961	Scuderia Centro Sud	Cooper T53	Maserati Straight-4	LOM	GLV	PAU 3	BRX	VIE	AIN	SYR 7	NAP 3	LON	SIL	SOL	KAN	DAN	MOD Ret	FLG 11	OUL	LEW	VAL	RAN	NAT	RSA
1962	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6	CAP	BRX	LOM	LAV	GLV	PAU 5	AIN	INT	NAP 2	MAL	CLP	RMS	SOL	KAN	MED 1	DAN	OUL	MEX	RAN	NAT
1963	Scuderia Centro Sud	BRM P57	BRM V8	LOM	GLV	PAU	IMO Ret	SYR	AIN	INT DSQ	ROM	SOL 4	KAN	MED 3	AUT	OUL
	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6														RAN 2
1964	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 156	Ferrari V6	DMT	NWT	SYR 2	AIN	INT WD	SOL Ret	MED	RAN
1965	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 1512	Ferrari Flat-12	ROC WD	SYR 3	SMT	INT 7	MED	RAN
1966	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 246	Ferrari V6	RSA	SYR 2	INT	OUL
1967	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari 312/67	Ferrari V12	ROC 2	SPC	INT	SYR	OUL	ESP

See also

• Lorenzo Bandini Trophy

References

1. "Hulme Takes Monaco Race; Bandini Seriously Hurt", New York Times, May 8, 1967, Page 59
2. "Lorenzo Bandini", The Times, May 11, 1967, Page 12.
3. "Italy's Bandini Dies Of Monte Carlo Burns", Stars and Stripes, May 11, 1967, Page 20.
4. Bandini Dies of Race Injuries, New York Times, May 11, 1967, Page 62.
5. "Hulme Wins Monte Carlo; Bandini Hurt", Sheboygan Press, May 8, 1967, Page 13.
6. Stanley, Louis.T (1969). Grand Prix 10. London: W H Allen Ltd. p. 15. ISBN 0-491-00272-6.
7. "Mass Held For Bandini", New York Times, May 12, 1967, Page 56.
8. "100,000 at Bandini Rites", New York Times, May 14, 1967, Page S4.
9. "Lorenzo Bandini (1935–1967)". Find A Grave Memorial. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
10. Photos of Bandini's tombstone. Accessed 2012-12-03.

External links

• Lorenzo Bandini's fatal accident on YouTube