She was survived by her partner, Fiorenza. Maria Grazia 'Lella' Lombardi(March 26, 1941 - March 3, 1992) was an Italian female racing driver the second woman to start a Formula One race, after Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958, and the last woman to do so to date. We knew what shed done beforehand and clearly she was very capable.. Most of the scheduled practice was boycotted by a majority of drivers, who were adamant that the circuit barriers as erected on the round-the-houses circuit were badly assembled. While she had some poor seasons behind the wheel of poor cars, she also could consistently log top ten finishes. Lella Lombardi remains the only woman on F1's score sheet, but her passion brought impressive racing achievements elsewhere, too Montjuich 1975: Lella Lombardi hustles her March to sixth place and the only GP point for a woman albeit halved by the shortened race DPPI Author Paul Fearnley 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 However, as were her wishes, the team remained active after her death and remains so today. In the 1970s, ROC was more of an all star race than the challenge runs in different cars that it is today. Later that season, partnered by Giorgio Francia, she won the Vallelunga Six Hours; the pair would go on to win the 1981 Mugello Six Hours as well. Lombardi's career in the Grand Prix arena was done, but her career in motorsport was not. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. #Grand Prix: nr of GrandPrix in all seasons. Facebook gives people the power. In fact we got zero PR from it. Born Maria Grazia 'Lella' Lombardi in Frugarolo, Italy, and so far the only woman to have registered a top six finish in a World Championshop Grand Prix, she took half a point for finishing in 6th place in the prematurely terminated 1975 Spanish GP at Barcelona's Montjuich Park. Feeling this to be an overt bid by NASCAR to discredit her operation, her offer of help to these sisters-in-arms, though genuine, was made through gritted teeth. I don't know how you can positively spin that as earning it on merit. Career 1974 British Grand Prix Record keeping was scarce in the 60s and 70s, and the quiet, nondescript Lombardi wasnt one to steal the public eye, especially due to her sexuality. Some of this was cultural, while the rest was sheer bravado in a sport that still regularly claimed the lives of those who competed. Lombardis uncanny knack of pulling fish from the sea became apparent when they stayed on NASCAR boss Bill Frances boat in the Bahamas. She had raced hard against some of the best drivers in the world, and she finished in sixth place. We invite you to get behind the wheel with us, it's certain to be an interesting drive. In '74 the title was won by Bob Evans in a T332. We miss her passion, determination and modesty., Lombardi checked into Milans San Camillo Clinic in February 1992 and died on March 3, days short of her 51st birthday. First Race Born in 1942 in Italy. Newcomer Lella Lombardi, at just 5ft 2in, had wisely kept her head down unlike her hairy-chested March team-mate. PhotosCourtesy of and Copyright to Sutton Motorsport Images, Sign up for more restomod content to add horsepower to your inbox. It was something of a publicity stunt. I liked Lella a lot, Marie-Claude says. ), (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap), (key) (note: results shown in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap), (key) (Bold Pole position awarded by qualifying time. After a further two category victories in 1971, at Monza and Vallelunga, she returned to F3 in 1972 and, with her Lotus 69 running under the Jolly Club umbrella, finished 10th in the standings. Quite what Lombardi made of all of this confusion and acrimony is anyone's guess, but it took a great deal of intestinal fortitude and determination to climb aboard and race to a sixth place and half a point and a place in history. She wasnt rich her father was a butcher and, with no sponsors to begin with, she slept in her truck to save money. She was a racing driver first and foremost. Lella Lombardi (and every other woman to ever compete in F1 for that matter) is shit and didn't deserve to score anything. While trying to avoid Stommelen as he crossed the track, Carlos Pace crashed, and five spectators were killed by Stommelen's flying car. Growing up an all-around sportswoman, Lombardi had the opportunity to become anything she wanted, but she didnt fall in love with racing until she was in her twenties. In Formula One, more than any other branch of the sport, if you are not in the right car at the right time, then you stand little chance of success. She continued in sports cars until the beginning of the 80s, when she swapped over to the much less-publicized touring car racing. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. F1 Unlocked, LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Feature That same year she attempted to make her Grand Prix debut in the British GP at Brands Hatch, in a Brabham BT42 rented from Bernie Ecclestone for 5,000, entered by Hexagon of Highgate and sponsored by Allie Polymer Group. At the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi scored half a point, making her the only woman to ever score any championship points in Formula 1. Janet Guthrie and Christine Beckers were competing alongside Lombardi, who finished in 31st. This piece offers a snapshot into some of Lombardis most impressive racing achievements. Lombardi was born in Frugarolo, a small town in Piedmont in Italy. Lombardi and Beckers qualified fourth at Daytona, but crashed out after 78 laps when a slower Porsche suffered a blow-out as Beckers drew alongside. Behind the wheel, female drivers compete at the highest levels. Italian racing driver (1941-1992) Lombardi at 1975 Dutch Grand Prix. She drove for the factory March team for the whole of the 1975 . World Titles The accident shortened the race but Lombardi still secured the only F1 championship points for a female ever and the first for somebody openly queer. Lombardi was within 1.1 seconds of John Watsons sister car by Thursdays end and had improved by three tenths when a broken driveshaft denied her a final Friday push. Many of the members of the March team expressed their regret at having been so resistant to her ideas, knowing that she could have become an open wheel success if only shed had a reliable car. Pete Lyons summed up the mess that FormulaOne stumbled into at this race: "The first 1975 GP in Europe was an unmitigated debacle. [12] According to The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World, because of Lella Lombardi, there are more women involved in other aspects of Formula One, especially "traditionally female" jobs such as modeling. The early days of her love affair with motorsports saw her sneak into Brooklands racing circuit wearing mechanics overalls, offering to help any mechanic or driver who would accept it. Even Jochen Mass, declared the precipitate winner after 29 laps, scrambled from his McLaren with a face like thunder and threatened violence to smug officials. Having survived being held as a prisoner of war, she returned to racing after WWII, founding her own motor racing team in 1946 and competing in a number of races across Europe. 18 (12 starts) Pitting on lap seven because of flat spots, he would, amid the chaos, recover to finish a lapped fifth. Just her racing. There were two other female drivers in the field: American Janet Guthrie and Belgian Christine Beckers. A start in the 1976 Brazil Grand Prix with a 14th place finish would be the end of Lombardi's career with the March team; she was then replaced by the great Ronnie Peterson. races, teams and much more. And much of the team that backed him in Formula 1 were wealthy gay men. The founder brought a pair of 1975 Brabham BT44B Grand Prix cars with help from the driver Loris Kessel, selling the other seat to whoever could afford them for selected races of the 1976 championship. Lella Lombardi races, wins and teams | Motorsport Database - Motor Sport Magazine Find out about British F1 driver, Lella Lombardi, their career, history and character information incl. 0 In 1974, Lombardi was the first female racing driver to qualify and compete at the Race of Champions in Brands Hatch. The world in general, and motor racing in particular, was a less enlightened place in the mid-'70s than present day. She was a loner, really. We may earn a commission from links on this page. The first race that season was in South Africa, and Lombardi made it in. The Nov. 15 event runs from 6:30-10 p.m. Lombardi made history at the 1975 . In situations where options are slim, you have to take every opportunity that comes your way. . She had the strength of a man but a womans sensibility: she was kind and transmitted serenity. This took place in 1951, but before then shed been a moderately successful motor racer and pilot in the RAF. At that time, sixth place was the final points-scoring position in a race. Theres a lot of glamour surrounding the first girl to do Motor well in Formula One, but in some Sports ways the whole business is overrated. She finished, but she wasnt driving a particularly great car. She moved on to Formula Three in 1968. [8] That winter, she met an Italian nobleman, Count Vittorio Zanon, who sponsored her entrance into F1. 1976 Austrian Grand Prix. Lombardi, in contrast, had nothing to lose and charmed the media by peeking over the language barrier. Formula 1 was at its most macho: James Hunt was having sex for breakfast; the Monza Gorilla was muscling a works March; and, on a hill overlooking Barcelona, officials, team bosses and drivers were at each others throats. Philanthropic enthusiast Count Zanon agreed and offered March 50,000 to run Lombardi in F1 in 1975. Her legacy, however, was assured 40 years ago when, on a hill overlooking Barcelona, she scored that half-point and proved her point: I am not a feminist, only a free and independent woman., The first race of 2023 is yet to be run, but Ferrari is already downplaying its chances in the Bahrain Grand Prix, and pinning its hopes for the F1 season on catching up with upgrades, IndyCar might be running semi-vintage machinery, but the racing excitement and driver pool is second to none in his season preview Preston Lerner asks if 2023 can be its rebirth, Ferrari's ability to challenge the searing pace of Max Verstappen and Red Bull in 2023 rests on it remedying its engine reliability woes, says Mark Hughes. Just racing and fishing.. There were 34 contestants for the 25 places on the grid, which made the prospect of the Italian getting into the race remote. Recognised by his signature yellow Brabham, Beuttler remained forever, a dash of colour in a grey field. Instead, it was her achievements that did the talking for her. Her best result was ninth at Riverside, but notably when James qualified 11th at Ontario, Lella was only two places behind the man who would be world champion in 1976. Such was her tenacity that she basically taught herselfand also worked for her parents to save the money to pay for her first car, which she bought at the age of 24. Lella Lombardi is one of only two women to start a world championship race in the history of F1 Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi, the only female driver to finish in a points position in a Formula One world championship motor race, was born on this day in 1941 in Frugarolo, near Alessandria in Piedmont. In 1975 Lombardi took part in all F1 championship weekends apart from the first two races, Argentina and Brazil. History of Motorsport . Born near Turin, Italy, neither of Lombardis parents knew how to drive. During the 1980s Lombardi raced touring cars but her form struggled due to ill health - initially chest pains, although the reality would turn out to be much worse. After driving the delivery van for her familys butchers shop, she raced karts briefly, before saving everything she could to buy her first car, which she drove in Formula Monza in 1965. That she was a woman was an irrelevancy to Lella. And their respect. He eventually qualified fifth, from where he triggered a first-corner pile-up. Lombardi's next race, the Spanish Grand Prix, saw her make history. Lombardi is one of two female drivers to qualify for Formula One and is the only female who scored points in Formula One. She is the only woman to win points in Formula One, winning half a point in the Spanish Grand Prix. She was charming but stubborn and independent, and a tremendously careful road driver. That was the first time we saw her, says John Webb, the UKs most go-ahead promoter of the period. She was in an unreliable car whose problems were only intensified by the fact that the mechanics didnt take Lombardi seriously when she reported complaints to do with the handling. [2] Initially, Lombardi tried to qualify for Formula One with a privately entered Brabham supported by the Italian Automobile Club but failed to qualify. Vit would come back in and say, Yeah, yeah, cars perfect. READ MORE: F1s 'one-win wonders' how many do you remember? The 5000 we spent renting a car from Bernie Ecclestone was our only investment in Lella, says Angela Webb. While failing to qualify, Pete Lyons, arguably the leading F1 journalist of that era, nevertheless described Lombardi'sintroduction to the world of Formula One like this: "Lella Lombardi drove her BT42 the same chassis with which Pace failed to qualify in France in a brisk enough, and clean enough, manner to impress people favourably.". Thats unusual for a racing driver. I totally trusted him. Vittorio Brambilla was one of only two to set a time on Friday afternoon. She continued to impress, and ran the series in 1974. Only when Ronnie Peterson described the same handling characteristic in 1976 did the penny begin to drop. Lombardi thus joined the ShellSPORT Luxembourg squad for the 74 Rothmans F5000 Championship and her Lola T330 wore 208 as a nod to the famous radio stations frequency. Lombardi grew up in Italy and developed an interest in racing by . Lombardi's performances in 1975 were hampered by a cracked rear bulkhead Robin Herd freely admitted in an interview we did in 2009 that he and Max Mosley had "had her over" in 1975, and said that he was most impressed with her performance finishing seventh at the Nurburgring in a race of attrition as she was battling with a puncture. [12] Lombardi is considered an F1 trailblazer, after which women increasingly joined Formula One in many capacities aside from driving. She finished 14th at the Brazilian Grand Prix that year, and subsequently, the team decided to replace her with Ronnie Peterson. We gave Ronnie a new chassis for Monaco after his misunderstanding with Carlos Reutemann in Belgium, says Herd. The success of becoming the first women to score points in F1 was sadly rather overshadowed due to the death of five spectators during the race. It was in one of their BMW-powered 2-litre prototypes that she became the first woman to win a round of an FIA-sanctioned World Championship, the 1979 Enna-Pergusa Six Hours, with hill-climb specialist Enrico Grimaldi as her co-driver. And they finished 11th at Le Mans, despite a long delay because of an electrical glitch that stranded Beckers without engine or headlights; her resourceful fix surprised the team. [15] As an example of successful women produced by Formula One,[16] Lombardi is credited with making Formula One accessible to women. Poor Lella, shed had bad traction all along. Many male drivers at the time couldnt bear to lose to Lombardi, a woman, and would do everything in their power, including tampering with her car, to keep her from succeeding. Well, I dont agree at all. 26 March 1941. So we were perfectly happy to have Lella. I feel sorry for her and wonder about it even now.. She wasnt interested in fashion and usually wore trousers if she was in civvies. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Catawiki is continuously updating its technology. Lombardi finished seventh in Augusts German GP, despite a puncture. The Grand Prix cars of the '70s were not very reliable, particularly the further down the grid you traveled. Certainly, she would have achieved better results. Lella Lombardi is a name firmly etched into the motorsport history books. Lombardi is one of two female drivers to qualify for Formula One and is the only female who scored points in Formula One. Things like that just dont worry me. Not only was she a novice in Formula One, but her car also suffered a broken gearbox in the vital Final Qualifying Session. Elford: When asked in a press conference how she was coping with such a hefty car, she replied, I dont have to carry it, I just have to drive it.. Create your free account today and explore our weekly auctions curated by our team of experts. She was charming but stubborn and independent, and a tremendously careful road driver. The race suffered a major tragedy when the rear wing on Rolf Stommelen's Embassy Hill broke, sending him into the barrier. She was undaunted. Nine tenths shy of the grid, she had, in a better car admittedly, lapped as quickly as Tom Bels and faster than Vern Schuppan, John Nicholson, Howden Ganley, Wilds and Leo Kinnunen. Lombardi was a versatile racer and tried her hand at numerous disciplines throughout her career. She didnt care. However, this race only lasted 23 laps until Lombardi was forced to retire with a fuel system problem. She won the race again in 1981 with Giorgio Francia, with whom she had also won the Vallelunga Six Hours. On retirement from racing in 1988, Lombardi formed her own team Lombardi Autosport. 0 Showing Editorial results for lella lombardi. Half points awarded, Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance), Non-classified finish (<90% race distance). She was taking home swaths of victories in the lower tiers of racing, ready to make a name for herself. [14] This need for financial support is combated by the rise of the W-series, which started in October 2018. She was 50 years old and was buried in Frugarolo. asks Mark Hughes. BBC News came to her first test with us at Goodwood and she wanted to know why. It was too much too soon. People were staring and peeping. [10], Lombardi retired from racing in 1988. The latest news, updates and more straight to your inbox. That she got as far as she did is a testament to her character. Born in 1941 in Frugarolo, Italy, Lombardi first started driving as the delivery person for her family shop (they were butchers). Only half points were awarded that day because the race got cut short. Lombardi raced a Lola-Chevrolet finishing unclassified in 14th. Juan Manuel Fangio started in 1950 and had last race in 1958. Lombardi returned to F1 in 1976 for the British Grand Prix but failed to qualify the aging RAM Racing Brabham BT44 she was piloting. There were only two drivers per car back then, and we managed the two-and-a-bit-hour stints easily. Unfortunately, a major miscalculation in the Jean Sage-run team led to their retirement, when they ran out of fuel. With Elfords help, Lombardi and Beckers had accepted an invitation to contest Daytonas Firecracker 400 on Independence Day, along with home star Janet Guthrie. You are currently using an outdated browser. Thankfully, things began to change, helped by these motoring queer pioneers. The race only continued for four more laps before it was stopped. At the start of 1975,Lombardi was back on top. She was third behind Keith Holland and champion-elect Bob Evans when a race at Snetterton was temporarily halted after six laps because of rain, then finished fifth after a collision with Holland while fighting for the lead on the restart. If shed been a bit more glamorous perhaps more people would have noticed.. They were better than her only championship event that year, just only just. Wins She was just the second female driver to ever race in the Formula One World Championship, preceded only by Maria-Teresa de Filippis' pioneering race career in 1958 and '59. Lombardi is commemorated by a sculpture in her birthplace, Frugarolo. Italics Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. That year, she won both the 6 Hours of Pergusa and the 6 Hours of Vallelungaevents she was competing in as part of both the World Sportscar Championship and the Italian Sportscar Championship. [12] Lombardi is also used as one of the reference points for females in racing. If shed been a bit more glamorous perhaps more people would have noticed.. Born in Frugarolo, Italy, on March 21 1941, she reached adolescence understanding that two aspects of her nature were at odds with public opinion of the day: she loved cars and she was gay. Born Maria Grazia Lombardi on the 26th March 1941, Lomardi grew up in Frugarolo in the Piedmont area of Italy, where her first job saw her drive the delivery van for her familys butcher shop. She was tough and had great duration.. Lombardi practiced her skills behind an F1 car in several non-championship events. I really think that there are too many women who perhaps feel that motor racing is essentially a masculine affair. She raced in Italian F3 for the next two years, finishing 10th in the championship both times and beating rated hotshoe Maurizio Flammini in a heat at Vallelunga. This perhaps shows us how much attention was paid to the lives of female racers at the time. She was judged purely as a racing driver. As Angela Webb, one of the race promoters who knew Lella, says in a retrospective in Motorsport Magazine: She stayed in Italy and flew to each race, yet never asked for expenses. Michele Mouton came within a whisker of becoming the World Rally Champion, Lilian Bryner has won the Spa 24 Hours, and Sabine Schmitz has twice triumphed at the Nrburgring 24. Lella only complained about the inequality of Formula 1 because nobody had listened to her about changes for the car. She tried to to form her own touring car team in 1989 with the help of Guisy Remondi, but Lombardis condition degenerated to the point where she was unable to run it. She raced with the talented racer/journalist Marie-Claude Beaumont in 1975 in an Alpine A441 under the far-sighted Francois Guiters Ecurie Elf Ladies Team, and later won the 1979 Enna Six Hours with Enrico Grimaldi (becoming the first woman to win an FIA Championship event). That includes both domestic and international flights. Last Race Lella Lombardi Photo: Love Entertainment "That is a correct assessment, yes," she laughs.
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