Luigi Villoresi

Luigi Villoresi (16 May 1909 – 24 August 1997) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who started racing in Formula One at the time of its inception.

Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed "Gigi", he was the older brother of race car driver Emilio Villoresi who co-piloted with him in several races at the beginning of their careers.

From a prosperous family, Villoresi could afford to buy a car and began competing in local rallies at the age of twenty-two with a Lancia Lambda and a few years later acquired a Fiat Balilla with which he and his brother Emilio competed in the Mille Miglia.

In 1935, he raced in the Coppa Ciano, finishing third and went on to capture the Italian driving championship in the 1100 cc sports car class.

The following year he and his brother purchased a Maserati which they drove individually in different races.

Emilio was so successful that he was signed to drive an Alfa Romeo for Scuderia Ferrari in the 1937 season.

In 1938, Luigi Villoresi became part of the Maserati team, driving the 8CTF model that Maserati had designed to compete with the dominant German Silver Arrows.

In 1939, Maserati introduced the Maserati 4CL which Villoresi drove to victory at the 1939 South African Grand Prix.

Unfortunately, his brother Emilio died later that year while testing an Alfa Romeo 158/159 Alfetta factory racer at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

A little over two weeks after his brother's death, he drove his Maserati to victory at the 1939 Adriatic Grand Prix.

His racing career was interrupted by the onset of World War II.

Villoresi finished second in the 1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix-President Juan Peron Grand Prix.

Alberto Ascari was the winner with a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes, 23.9 seconds, for an average speed of 70.6 mph. Villoresi won the first Grand Prix de Bruxelles, beating Alexander Orley of the United States.

The winning time was 85 mi/h over 188 mi distance.

Orley was six seconds behind.

Louis Rosier was victorious in a blue Talbot, in a 500 km Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, in June 1949.

He took the lead following 23 laps and came across the finish line in front of Villoresi.

Villoresi was third in a 60 mi international race at Silverstone in September 1949.

Italian drivers made a clean sweep of the first three positions with Ascari first and Giuseppe Farina second as 100,000 fans looked on.

English driver St. John Horsfall died when his car crashed at a turn.

Villoresi skidded on oil, penetrated a barrier, and killed three spectators at the Grand Prix des Nations race in Geneva (Switzerland).

Nino Farina impacted Villoresi's car at high speed but was uninjured.

Villoresi broke his left leg and suffered head injuries which were treated at a hospital.

The Grand Prix of 272 kilometres was won by Juan Manuel Fangio.

At war's end, he went to America to compete in the 1946 Indianapolis 500, and afterwards he then returned to race for Maserati until 1949 when he signed again with Ferrari debuting in Formula One on 21 May 1950.

The 1951 British Grand Prix was taken by José Froilán González of Argentina.

Villoresi finished third, two laps behind the winner, with an average speed of 95.39 mph. Villoresi completed 88 laps, 2 behind Gonzalez.

In July 1952 Villoresi won the French Grand Prix at Les Sables d'Olonne, driving a Ferrari.

He captured the three-hour, 208 mi race, with an average speed of 69.3 mph. Ferrari achieved a 1,2,3 sweep at the Grand Prix d'France in La Baule, in August 1952.

Alberto Ascari was first, followed by Villoresi and Rosier.

Ascari had already clinched the Formula One World Championship before this event.

Villoresi drove a Ferrari to win the 1952 Grand Prix of Modena in 1:5:21 over a distance of 100 laps, 230.6 km. His average speed was 124.236 km/h.

Villoresi displayed his agility as a driver in the 1953 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Giuseppe Farina made contact with the Maserati driven by Onofre Marimón as he was approaching the finish line.

Villoresi made a brilliant manoeuvre while racing at 100 mi/h The crowd came to its feet to witness his quick thinking in pulling his car off the track at great speed.

Villoresi then finished third after winner Fangio and Farina, who was two seconds behind at the end.

The race marked the first time a Ferrari did not win an event in races counting toward the Formula One World Championship.

Fangio drove a Maserati to an average speed of 110 mi/h over the 313 mi grand prix.

Already 41 years old, Villoresi served as an elder statesman for the Formula One team, notably as Alberto Ascari's mentor who became his closest friend.

In 1954, he and Ascari joined the new Lancia racing team but Ascari's death in the spring of the following year profoundly affected Villoresi and his career went into steep decline.