This is the story of Ignazio Giunti, dear friend, and extraordinarily talented driver on a rapid rise, killed on January 10, fifty years ago, in one of the most absurd tragedies in the history of racing, during the 1000 Km of Buenos Aires.
Among Italian drivers he was a true promise of Formula One, and at the same time an already established champion with Alfa Romeo and Ferrari Touring cars and Prototypes, ace of rare driving talent and sensibility, and one of the last Champions of racing era still weaved on heroic stories and tragic and terrible events.
The Goddesses of Destiny have decided his fate, and his pint of glory, but did not leave him enough time to fill the pages of his book of dreams. In a way, his premature death, signed the final stage of competitions made up of wonderful cars and fascinating circuits, which was slowly turning towards the end, accepting the new concept of modern racing principles.
What remains is the memory of the driver born in Rome in noble and wealthy family and raised in the environment of improvised street races so common in those times.
His innate talent and his attitude to challenge destiny projected him towards early success, making him noticed in the Roman racing cars reality made of small workshops that prepared production cars for agonism. In the short span of time, and with almost any car capable of racing, Ignazio had cut his teeth, becoming the "number one" among the Roman drivers.
Urbane with well-prepared Giuliettra 1300, “Gigetto” Giraldi expert for Fiat 500, and Bardahl team from Florence, (the first one that engaged talented Roman driver for racing Abarth 850 TC in European challenges), were first successful steps in Giunti’s career. In 1965, he won 11 of 12 class races in European challenges and was awarded as the most successful Bardahl’s driver.
The road to serious professional career was paved.
Another Roman, one of the wizards of the Alfa Romeo brand preparation and tireless talent-scout among the rookie drivers, Franco Angelini, was struck by the tightrope driving ability beyond limits of the young Giunti, that already thrilled numerous supporters, and wanted forcefully that young man among the drivers of his own Scuderia.
Angelini’s white and red GTA (AR613274) soon elected as “Regina di Vallelunga” and its driver acclaimed as “Reuccio” (the little King), had become an unbeatable symbiosis of the Roman circuit, and the fame gained by Giunti, always a winning driver, was now a national reality, and his personal relationship with Angelini became true friendship.
Tempted with single-seater racing, Giunti also gathered some experience with Gino De Sanctis’, Formula 3 car in national Championship, debuting at Monza circuit. But Angelini’s GTA remained his first choice and he continued successful participations in hill-climb and track races. His career was now a serious campaign and during 1966 season he faced even the Le Mans thrill... sharing a 1.3 liter ASA RB 613, with Spartaco Dini, though their race unfortunately finished during 8th hour because of clutch failure.
His results did not pass unnoticed by the racing arm of the Portello factory, Scuderia Autodelta, directed by the volcanic and brilliant engineer Carlo Chiti. Ing. Chiti noticed the young driver who knew how to race and win and he chose him to reinforce the already superb official racing team.
Ignazio Giunti became one of the official Alfa Romeo drivers, and part of the "family" led by Chiti, a nice reality without the intrigues of the court and with a collective spirit where the simple rules of mutual respect and friendship reigned.
The Roman boy with his good manners, his perennial smile and kind attention to everyone soon became a friend of his colleagues and favorite of the team's technicians and mechanics. His entrance in Autodelta was signed with immediate victory in the Belmonte-Avola hillclimb, and shortly after, he won the Budapest ETCC race at Nepligét Park, with Enrico Pinto as co-driver.
The next year arrived a class victory in ETCC Belgrade Grand Prix, and at the end of the season resulted in him becoming the winner in the touring-car class in the 1967 European Hillclimb Championship... where except for his second placement in debuting race... he won all of the others.
In 1967, Alfa Romeo started its adventure in Group 6 Prototype racing and was presented the new T-33 Spyder, a nice looking, 2 litre V-8 sportscar designed in Servizio Esperienze Speciali, and prepared for competition by engineer Carlo Chiti.
This promising project needed further development... showing only in a few events its future value and as his best result with the new car, Giunti arrived second behind teammate Andrea de Adamich in the Trofeo Bettoja race at Vallelunga.
With the improved version presented in 1968, Giunti won the Italian Sportscar Championship, scored 2nd place overall in the Targa Florio just behind the more potent 2.2-litre Porsche 907 of Umberto Maglioli and Vic Elford, second place in 500 Km of Imola behind the sister car of Nino Vaccarella and Teodoro Zeccoli, then 5th overall in the 1000 Km of Nürburgring and a class win, 4th overall, in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 1969 is remembered as the year of development of the rather problematic Alfa Romeo 33/3 sportscar, fitted with a new 3-litre V-8 engine. Giunti finished 2nd to Jacky Ickx in a Mirage-Ford M3, in the 500 Km of Imola, and afterwards he obtained two 6th placements in the Solituderennen at Hockenheim, finishing also 2nd to his teammate Dini in the European Touring Car Championship, while driving some races with GTA in Division 2.
In 1969, he also drove Alfa Romeo 33/2 for French SOFAR team, winning the Criterium de Cevennes road race.
Already noticed and followed by Enzo Ferrari, Giunti was contacted by SEFAC and though his position in Autodelta was solid and his relationship with teammates and Chiti excellent, the Ferrari offer was the opportunity not to be missed. Giunti’s desire to join the elite drivers in F 1, and the promise made by Ferrari to give him the possibility to confirm his abilities in the highest category, was decisive for his choice, and he signed as official driver of Scuderia Ferrari in 1970 season.
Those were tough years for 512 Ferrari Prototype cars ...unable to fight efficiently with the mighty Porsche 917, but n the 12 Hours of Sebring, Giunti shared with Vaccarella the winning Ferrari 512S, in which the sporting director Franco Gozzi decided to put American driver Mario Andretti during the final hour with evident promotional intent.
It was the team’s decision to cross the finish line ahead of the Peter Revson and Steve McQueen Porsche 908/02 with the best American driver of the moment. With Nino Vaccarella, Giunti arrived 2nd in the 1000 Km of Monza, then 4th in the 1000 Km of Spa-Francorchamps, then 3rd in the Targa Florio, and also 3rd in the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, sharing again the car with Mario Andretti. As the swan song and last glimpse of Ferrari 512 story, Giunti won, dealing the renewed 512M with Jacky Ickx, at 9 Hours of Kyalami.
In 1970, his F 1 dream started in impressive Spa Francorchamps GP debut where Ignazio finished the race in an excellent 4th position, wearing also for the first time his new, beautifully designed integral helmet, a gift of his fiancée Mara Lodirio. Regardless to this extraordinary start in F 1, Giunti discovered soon the power of internal politics in Scuderia Ferrari. He was relegated to a second team’s 312B F 1 car and compelled to share it with Gian Claudio Regazzoni, whilst as the first driver was confirmed Belgian Jacky Ickx. Giunti had three more opportunities during season in French Grand Prix at Clermont Ferrand where he finished in 14th place, then Austrian Grand Prix where he arrived 7th, and Italian Grand Prix at Monza where he had to retire because of engine problems. Italian Monza Grand Prix, confirmed Regazzoni as the official second driver as he won the race, and for Giunti arose the problem of possible participations of Mario Andretti, the driver important for Ferrari for financial American involvement in races where Andretti was willing to start.
For Giunti it was a clear delusion but comforted by personal promises of Enzo Ferrari to have his chance in 1971, Giunti opted to remain in Scuderia Ferrari, regardless of tempting other offers by diverse European teams.
In anticipation of the displacement limit for the cars of the Group 6 Prototypes which went from 5 to 3 liters with atmospheric aspiration, Ferrari abandoned the further development of the 512 model, and opted for the new 312B prototype, intending to exploit the engine used for the F 1 cars.
Smaller and more agile than the mammoth Sports cars with exaggerated power engines, the new Ferrari 312B was a graceful spider, easily maneuverable, almost an F 1 with covered wheels, a car congenital to Giunti’s driving style. Victory in the Group 6 Championship was the goal in the Scuderia's plans, and Ignazio Giunti was the right driver to complete this task.
The season’s opening round was the 1000 Km of Buenos Aires race, held on 10 January 1971. Giunti with the Ferrari 312PB had Arturo Merzario as teammate. He was leading with authority that race at the beginning of the season that could have launched him towards an international career of the highest level, but instead, he lost his life in one of the most incredible accidents in the history of car racing. The tragedy at the 38th lap of 1000 km of Buenos Aires remains a cornerstone in the history of competition safety and goes far beyond the terrible event that served to open a reflection about mistakes made.
French driver Jean Pierre Beltoise, running out of fuel in the last hairpin before the paddocks, against all regulations valid for racing, against all common sense and against all logic of the responsible and intelligent person, pushed his light blue Matra MS660 in a point with weak visibility across the track, in a desperate attempt to reach pits and refuel.
In an environment like that of the Buenos Aires racetrack... characterized by an insufficient level of safety and few emergency vehicles... and in the presence of unconvinced race marshals unable to enforce the regulations, Beltoise's behavior assumed the meaning of an ominous omen, and for a few laps in the continuing race, drivers somehow managed to dodge that obstacle on the track.
Then, with the vision completely covered by Mike Parkes' huge Ferrari 512, which he had brought with the abrupt and sudden maneuver towards the left to pass the stationary Beltoise’s car in the middle of the trajectory, Giunti found the Matra in front of his car, without any possibility of maneuvering, and the impact was tremendous, with the disintegrated Ferrari immediately firing and pirouetting for nearly 100 meters.
The pilot's death was instantanous and the whole show of the rescue only served to avoid the closure of the circuit and the end of the race, foreseen in cases of accidents with the death of the participants.
The rest is a well-known story of denied justice to the unfortunate Italian driver, story encircled with empty words about the fate and misfortunes that are on the agenda in racing. Beltoise, jumping aside, avoided by a miracle of ill fate avoided afterwards any serious consequence for his irresponsible act.
Giunti would have turned eighty this year on August 30th. Instead, he lost his life when he was just over twenty-nine. He was probably the last driver of the romantic era of motor racing based on the unwritten code of chivalry, respected and honored by the drivers of the time, and he will remain forever in the memory of fans and his admirers.
Today, speaking about his spectacular, almost acrobatic driving always near and over limits, that thrilled the public might recall the image of a reckless pilot in perennial challenge of fate. This description is not true.
Giunti was above all an intelligent and sensitive driver who in all circumstances carefully measured all the possibilities, and chose the solutions, yes, taken to the limit, but always solutions that he could control and always with a due way out in case of need. In this, it was the paradigm of the born racing driver who felt the vehicle as an extension of his own senses, and with whom he created the symbiosis capable of making the most of the circumstances. In short, he was not the classic "heavy foot" who, in order to win a race, was ready to sacrifice the car remaining immune to the sense of danger.
The small number of accidents and never a case of incorrect behavior in the race, except the lawful battle on the track, speaks in favor of this judgment.
Leaving so prematurely, Giunti left his dreams unfinished, an unfulfilled promise to his aficionados, and an immense void to all who knew and loved him.
Vladimir Pajevic
Roma
