As a greater number of females participate in entry-level racing from a young age, we will eventually see another one meet and surpass the groundbreaking achievements of Lella Lombardi. In 1979, she won the 6 hours of Pergusa and the 6 hours of Vallelunga. Lombardi's story has impacted generations of racers. Her career is defined by a success halfway taken away from her, let down by lack of sponsors and unreliable cars. The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix was cut short while Lombardi was running in sixth place. The Grand Prix cars of the '70s were not very reliable, particularly the further down the grid you traveled. She was 50 years old and was buried in Frugarolo. 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. Lombardi won the Fiat-engined Formula 850 Championship of 1970 in a Biraghi, scoring four victories at Monza against future F1 DNQ-ers Alberto Colombo and Giorgio Francia. Speaking in this month's. 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. Lombardis first F1 attempt was at the British Grand Prix in 1974 driving a Brabham supported by the Italian Automobile Club. 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. Purtroppo, il 3 marzo del 1992, morta di cancro. Check here for latest versions. 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. But her 1975 season, too, was a pretty unfortunate year. Two of his fellows, his brother Wilson and Arturo Merzario, retired after completingone token lap. 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. Though Zanon, a huge fan of Petersons, smoothed matters by helping her find employment elsewhere, the transition was not without problem. In her autobiography, Cowell describes motor racing as the be-all and nearly the end-all of my existence. We gave Ronnie a new chassis for Monaco after his misunderstanding with Carlos Reutemann in Belgium, says Herd. It was something of a publicity stunt. Apart from the Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi would fail to score any more points despite an impressive result of 7th in Germany. Delightful. Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi (26 March 1941 - 3 March 1992) was a racing driver from Italy. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Synopsis. She had raced hard against some of the best drivers in the world, and she finished in sixth place. Lomardi had a successful junior career in the lead up to her time in F1. 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. [12] Lombardi is considered an F1 trailblazer, after which women increasingly joined Formula One in many capacities aside from driving. Born Her next two entries at Le Mans were not quite as great. Wins Lella Lombardi, F1 driver | Formula 1 Statistics There was a multiple crash at the first corner involving at least nine cars, and there were other incidents for some 35 minutes, until finally the leading car suffered a structural failure and went over the barrier killing four bystanders. Thankfully, things began to change, helped by these motoring queer pioneers. [2] Initially, Lombardi tried to qualify for Formula One with a privately entered Brabham supported by the Italian Automobile Club but failed to qualify. The subsequent 75 V6 model was less successful and so Lombardi, though she had managed an eighth place in the 1986 Spa 24 Hours co-driven by Drovandi and Roberto Castagna, switched to a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth for 1987. She was taking home swaths of victories in the lower tiers of racing, ready to make a name for herself. You are currently using an outdated browser. I can - Lella Lombardi - Car Throttle 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. Join Facebook to connect with Lella Lombardi and others you may know. She finished, but she wasnt driving a particularly great car. 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. Her success gave visibility to trans people and a narrative the public hadnt come into contact with that transitions werent smokescreens for the perceived undercurrent of male homosexuality. She gave them a good going over before finishing third, only two seconds behind Bartlett and sharing fastest lap with Stewart. 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. Lella Lombardi - Wikipedia [14] This need for financial support is combated by the rise of the W-series, which started in October 2018. Lombardi succeeded at qualifying this time and would be in the field for the South African Grand Prix. Her experience has shaped the involvement of women in racing and how people perceive females in the racing industry. 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.. More statistics by age for Lella Lombardi Career chart profile Seasons: nr of season from first GP until the last. But he skipped 1952 season. [5] She was 50 years old and was buried in Frugarolo. She spoke okay English by then, plus Id worked with so many Italian drivers that I could almost speak the language.. She finished fifth overall, with four fourth places, two fifths and three sixths. Pete Lyons summed up the mess that FormulaOne stumbled into at this race: "The first 1975 GP in Europe was an unmitigated debacle. Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi was an Italian racing driver who participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix. She very tenacious, she from an early age she was attracted to four wheels and motors, preferring scale models to dolls. She scraped together enough money to go racing and competed in any car she could get her hands on. On retirement from racing in 1988, Lombardi formed her own team Lombardi Autosport. [12] Lombardi is also used as one of the reference points for females in racing. She and Fiorenza were a beautiful couple, reserved; the spotlight was never on them. She endeared herself to the media when she was asked how it felt to handle such big cars and replied: I dont have to carry it, I just have to drive it., WATCH: 10 iconic Williams moments as the team reach 750 GPs at Monaco. Thereafter she turned her attention to the European Touring Car Championship and played an important role in Alfas quartet of titles from 1982 by notching numerous class wins in its Group A GTV6 alongside a gamut of co-drivers: Anna Cambiaghi, Antonio Palma, Giancarlo Naddeo, Francia and Rinaldo Drovandi. Deceased Despite these early successes, Lombardis career was marred with obstacles. Lombardi enjoyed a successful association with Osella. As her former Formula 5000 teammate Ian Ashley noted to Motorsport Magazine: She was the first woman racing driver to seriously impress me. Her sex and sexuality were not topics of conversation in the paddock. I went with her from Snetterton to Norwich once: 30mph all the way. Lella Lombardi was also one of the first female racers in a same-sex relationship. [8] That winter, she met an Italian nobleman, Count Vittorio Zanon, who sponsored her entrance into F1. While trying to avoid Stommelen as he crossed the track, Carlos Pace crashed, and five spectators were killed by Stommelen's flying car. Lella Lombardi: Remembering F1's Female Trailblazer FORMULA 1 8.55M subscribers 131K views 11 months ago #F1 On the 30th anniversary of her death, we look back on the life and career of the. [4] Lombardi died of breast cancer in Milan on March 3, 1992. Enjoying his most competitive spell of F1, and with time against him at 37, the oldest man in the field can perhaps be excused his lack of concern for a friend and future co-driver. 1975 would prove to be an eventful season for the March Team, as Lombardi scored a Championship point in the Spanish Grand Prix. 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. 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. It was a deep irony that when Maria Grazia Lella Lombardi became the only woman to score a World Championship point in only her second GP, in Spain in a works March 751 in 1975 it was actually only half a point. 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. She won the 6 Hours of Pergusa and the 6 Hours of Vallelunga. Retirements in Belgium and Sweden were followed by a 14th place in Holland, 18th in France and another retirement in Great Britain. Lella Lombardis racing career has influenced the perceptions of subsequent generations of females in racing. 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. . READ MORE: 'Finding a new challenge is my motivation' Jamie Chadwick on whats next after clinching her second W Series title. In 1976 Lombardi was confirmed at March alongside Brambilla and Stuck. She had the strength of a man but a womans sensibility: she was kind and transmitted serenity. She wasnt far off team mate John Watsons times initially in a similar car, but failed to qualify by nine-tenths after a driveshaft failure. [2] At the opening race of the campaign in South Africa, Lombardi became the first woman, since Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958, to successfully qualify for a Grand Prix. MAGNUSSEN: EN NY RA - by Peter Nygaard This was despite the fact that she maintained a great relationship with team owner Robin Herd, who spoke only. 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. Lella Lombardi Biography | HowOld.co She'd signed a deal, backed by personal sponsor Lavazza, the leading Italian coffee provider double espressos for everyone! Remondi told Motorsport Magazine: She would often speak of sacrifices. The race continued for another four laps, resulting in Lombardis sixth-place finish. But, Much later, when her chassis was stripped down, the reason why she complained of persistent understeer that became snap oversteer became apparent, when it was discovered that the cast aluminium rear bulkhead had been cracked since Monaco. [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. At the Spanish Grand Prix in 1975, former butcher's delivery driver and ex Formula 3 Championship runner up, Lella Lombardi, became the first, and still only, female driver to win F1 World Championship points. She was, however, ahead of fellow non-qualifiers Vern Schuppan, Howden Ganley, Mike Wilds and Leo Kinnunen. The boys ganged up and got horribly rough on the track filthy tricks, kart-style but she could look after herself. Into 1974 Epstein signed Lella Lombardi, she had come through Italian racing and European F3 and immediately impressed with her handling of HU18.
