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Clay Regazzoni | |
|---|---|
 Regazzoni at the1971 Dutch Grand Prix | |
| Born | Gianclaudio Giuseppe Regazzoni (1939-09-05)5 September 1939 |
| Died | 15 December 2006(2006-12-15) (aged 67) Fontevivo,Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Swiss |
| Active years | 1970–1980 |
| Teams | Ferrari,BRM,Ensign,Shadow,Williams |
| Engines | Ferrari,BRM,Ford |
| Entries | 139 (132 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 28 |
| Career points | 209 (212)[a] |
| Pole positions | 5 |
| Fastest laps | 15 |
| First entry | 1970 Dutch Grand Prix |
| First win | 1970 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1979 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1980 United States Grand Prix West |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1970 |
| Teams | Ferrari |
| Best finish | DNF(1970) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Gianclaudio Giuseppe"Clay" Regazzoni (Italian pronunciation:[dʒaŋˈklaudjodʒuˈzɛppereɡatˈtsoːni]; 5 September 1939 – 15 December 2006) was a Swissracing driver andbroadcaster, who competed inFormula One from1970 to1980. Regazzoni was runner-up in theFormula One World Drivers' Championship in1974 withFerrari, and won fiveGrands Prix across 11 seasons.
Regazzoni competed in Formula One for 11 seasons, winning five Grands Prix. His first win was theItalian Grand Prix atMonza in his debut season, driving forFerrari. He remained with the Italian team until1972. After a single season withBRM, Regazzoni returned to Ferrari for a further three years from1974 (where he was the runner-up toEmerson Fittipaldi) to1976. After finally leaving Ferrari at the end of 1976, Regazzoni joined theEnsign andShadow teams, before moving toWilliams in1979, where he took the British team's first ever Grand Prix victory, the1979 British Grand Prix atSilverstone.
Regazzoni was replaced byCarlos Reutemann at Williams for1980 and moved back to Ensign. Following an accident at the1980 United States Grand Prix West, he was left paralyzed from the waist down, ending his career in Formula One. Regazzoni did not stop racing, and he competed in theParis–Dakar rally andSebring 12 Hours using a hand-controlled car during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996, Regazzoni became a commentator for Italian TV. He was known as a hard-charging racer.Jody Scheckter stated that if "he'd been a cowboy he'd have been the onein the black hat".[1] Regazzoni died in a car accident in Italy on 15 December 2006.
Gianclaudio Regazzoni was born inMendrisio,Switzerland, on 5 September 1939, a few days after the start of theSecond World War. Regazzoni grew up inPorza, in theCanton ofTicino, part of theItalian speaking region of Switzerland. He was married to Maria Pia, with whom he had two children: Alessia and Gian Maria.[2]
Regazzoni first started competing in car races in 1963,[3] at the comparatively late age of 24. Many of his early motorsport experiences were across the border in Italy, Switzerland having banned motor racing following thehorrific accident at the1955 24 Hours of Le Mans race. His first outings were in his ownAustin-Healey Sprite, with which he took two podium finishes from only his first three races.[3] This instant success encouraged Regazzoni to move up to aMini Cooper for the 1964 club racing season.
1965 saw Clay Regazzoni behind the wheel of an open-wheeled car for the first time, as he entered the EuropeanFormula Three championship with aBrabham. This first season brought moderate success, and improving form during 1966 (this time driving aDe Tomaso) brought him to the attention of ambitious Italian constructorTecno. Tecno offered Regazzoni the use of one of their F3 chassis for 1967, where his reliable, fast performances earned him the offer of a works Tecno drive inFormula Two for the following year. Despite this, Regazzoni continued to drive in Formula Three events during 1968 and, not for the last time, was lucky to survive a major accident. Exiting the chicane during theMonaco Grand Prix Formula 3 support race, Regazzoni lost control of his car and collided heavily with the crash barrier. The diminutive size of the Formula 3 machine allowed it to pass under the rail, the sharp metal edge of theArmco slicing across the top of the open cockpit. Regazzoni managed to duck down low enough in the driving seat for the rail to pass above him, missing his head by a tiny margin. The car eventually came to a halt when theroll hoop, behind Regazzoni's head and significantly lower than the top of his helmet, wedged itself underneath the barrier.[3]
In Formula Two, Regazzoni had found the ideal partner in Tecno. His hard-charging style perfectly matched the forward-thinking Tecno ambitions, and Regazzoni quickly developed a reputation as a tough competitor. Regazzoni was implicated in the death of young British driver Chris Lambert at the 1968 Formula Two Dutch Grand Prix. Some observers accused Regazzoni, who was running well up the field, of deliberately running Lambert'sBrabham off the track while lapping him. Lambert lost control and crashed into a bridge. Even though Regazzoni had been fully exonerated at the subsequent inquest, rumours persisted for many years afterwards.[3] Lambert's father pursued a private action against Regazzoni, which dragged on for five years before finally being abandoned. Regazzoni remained with Tecno throughout his three years in Formula Two, although he drove most of the 1969 season for theFerrari Formula Two team.[2] In 1970, they took theEuropean Formula Two Championship together.
As well as single seater racing, Regazzoni participated insports car racing, including the1970 24 Hours of Le Mans where he andArturo Merzario raced aFerrari512S. However, the pair retired after completing only 38 laps. This would prove to be Regazzoni's only appearance at the24 Hours of Le Mans, although he tested for the 1972 event.
For the following two years, Regazzoni was a permanent fixture in Ferrari's sports car racing squad. With the new312B-based312P cars underneath him, Regazzoni regularly ran at or near the front of the field.[citation needed] Regularly partnered withJacky Ickx, the pairing took second place in the BOAC 1000 km atBrands Hatch in 1971, and won the first heat during the Imola 500 km. Regazzoni also won theKyalami 9 Hours race, this time in partnership withBrian Redman. Further successes followed in 1972, with second places at the1000 km Buenos Aires, partnered again by Redman, and the prestigious Spa 1000 km race. The high point of the season came when the Regazzoni/Ickx partnership won the Monza 1000 km race.[4]
With his departure from Ferrari in 1973, Regazzoni's sports car results dried up. His uncompetitiveAlfa Romeo 33 TT was thoroughly outclassed by the Ferrari and Matra opposition.[citation needed] At the end of 1973 Ferrari withdrew from sports car racing, and Regazzoni's move to rejoin the Ferrari Formula One team in 1974 effectively ended his sports car career, as he could not then race for other manufacturers.[citation needed]
During the early races of the1970 Formula One season Ferrari only entered one car, for BelgianJacky Ickx, but at the fourth round inBelgium, the team decided to run a second car to try out some younger drivers. ItalianIgnazio Giunti was given the second seat in Belgium, where he finished fourth, while Regazzoni took his place at the following round inthe Netherlands, also finishing fourth. Giunti was back in the seat for the following Grand Prix inFrance, but finished fourteenth, three laps behind the winner and eventual 1970 World ChampionJochen Rindt.
Regazzoni was back in the Ferrari for theBritish Grand Prix, where he finished fourth again, but this time Regazzoni kept the race seat. Four podium finishes followed for Regazzoni during the final six rounds of the 1970 season, including a win atMonza, Ferrari's home race. However, the race was overshadowed by the death of Championship leader Rindt, during qualifying for the race. A first pole position, at the final round inMexico, capped a hugely successful first season in the top formula. Regazzoni finished third in the Drivers' Championship with 33 points, 12 points behind posthumous World Champion Rindt.
Following the death of Giunti at a sports car event during the winter of 1971, Ferrari opted for Ickx and Regazzoni for the1971 Formula One season.[5] Prior to the start of the European legs of the Formula One World Championship, Regazzoni won the prestigiousRace of Champions atBrands Hatch, beatingJackie Stewart into second place. Despite this early promise, theFerrari 312B and B2 proved to be inferior to the Stewart/Tyrrell 003 combination. Regazzoni only managed three podium finishes during the season, as well as a pole position at theBritish Grand Prix. The Swiss finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship that year, 49 points behind World ChampionJackie Stewart.
Further disappointment for Regazzoni followed in1972, with only a single podium finish, inGermany, although he scored two points more than the previous season. Regazzoni again finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship, 46 points behind World ChampionEmerson Fittipaldi.
Regazzoni opted to leave Ferrari in1973, in favour ofMarlboro-sponsored BRM for what was reported as "an astronomical fee".[2] Here he joined young driverNiki Lauda, and the two became firm friends. After a huge crash during theSouth African Grand Prix, he was pulled from the blazing wreckage byMike Hailwood, who was later awarded theGeorge Medal for his heroism in saving Regazzoni's life.[6] It proved to be an unsuccessful year for Regazzoni, despite a pole position in the1973 Argentine Grand Prix season opener. He was reported to have become disillusioned with "uncompetitive machinery" as he scored just two points during the entire season, his worst points haul from a full season in Formula One.[2] He achieved a lowly 17th place in the championship.
Ferrari had a big personnel shake-up at the start of1974, afterLuca Cordero di Montezemolo was hired to run the Italian team. Both Regazzoni and, on Regazzoni's recommendation, Lauda were picked up by Ferrari. Regazzoni was soon back on the podium. Seven podium finishes, including a win inGermany, his first since his debut season win at Monza four years earlier, as well as a pole position atNivelles, allowed Regazzoni to outscore the up-and-coming Lauda. Entering the last race of the season, in theUSA Regazzoni was well in contention for the title, and only needed to finish ahead of rival, Emerson Fittipaldi, to take the crown. Regazzoni suffered handling problems during the race due to a defectiveshock absorber and could finish only 11th after two pit stops.[7] He finished second in the Drivers' Championship, his career-best, just three points behind Fittipaldi.
Ferrari retained Lauda and Regazzoni's services for1975 and the pair took six victories between them: five for Lauda, and one for Regazzoni at the1975 Italian Grand Prix. Regazzoni also won his home Grand Prix, the non-championshipSwiss Grand Prix, the only Swiss driver to have done so. Ferrari secured the Constructors' Championship, and Lauda won the first of his three World titles. Regazzoni finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 25 points.
1976 would prove to be the start of Regazzoni's downward slide in Formula One. Despite a promising start of the season, with a dominating win from pole position at the inauguralLong Beach Grand Prix, and a further three podium finishes, Ferrari entered a period of internal turmoil following Lauda's accident at the Nürburgring. Following Lauda's loss of the Drivers' Championship at the very last race of the season in Japan, Ferrari elected to replace the Swiss withCarlos Reutemann despite Lauda's protest. TheArgentine never got on with Lauda as well as Regazzoni did.[8] When he left Ferrari, Regazzoni was the longest serving Ferrari driver with 73 races with the team. The record would hold for 12 years untilMichele Alboreto broke it at the1988 Hungarian Grand Prix.[9]
Following his release from Ferrari, Regazzoni opted for a move to the Ensign team. His move to such a small team surprised some, but Regazzoni opted for the small outfit in preference to an offer fromBernie Ecclestone to drive forBrabham, as he preferred "to race with nice people".[10] His season with Ensign, despite managing a points finish on his debut inArgentina, was not successful. Regazzoni finished in the points only a further two times, and ended the season with a total of five points. In May Regazzoni participated in theIndianapolis 500 driving aMcLaren-Offenhauser forTheodore Racing. He crashed heavily in practice but managed to qualify. He finished in 30th place after a fuel cell gave out during his first pit stop.
Regazzoni moved to Shadow in1978, as a replacement forAlan Jones who had left to joinWilliams. Only two points scoring finishes followed for Regazzoni and he finished the season 16th in the Drivers' Championship, 60 points behind World ChampionMario Andretti.
Frank Williams gave Regazzoni his final drive in a competitive car alongside Alan Jones. TheWilliams FW07 proved to be very competitive, especially in the final part of the season, with FW07s winning all but two of the final seven races of the1979 calendar. The first win was for Regazzoni, atSilverstone, the first of over 100 victories for the Williams Grand Prix team. In deference to the team'sSaudi sponsors, he celebrated on the podium withLilt.[6][11] However, despite his achievement, once again he was replaced byCarlos Reutemann at the end of the season. At theItalian Grand Prix, motorsport journalistNigel Roebuck asked Regazzoni why he continued to drive at the age of 40, with no prospect of a competitive seat. Regazzoni replied, "I love [Formula One], and most of all I love to drive racing cars. So why should I stop when I feel this way?".[12] At the end of the year he was invited to compete in the1980 International Race of Champions, the last active Formula One driver, alongsideMario Andretti, to do so.[13]
Lacking an offer for a competitive drive in1980, Regazzoni re-joined Ensign. His season came to an abrupt end only four races into the year. He crashed during the1980 United States Grand Prix West, held atLong Beach, when the brake pedal of his Ensign failed at the end of a long, high-speed straight travelling at approximately 280 km/h.Ricardo Zunino's retired Brabham was parked on the escape road. Regazzoni later recalled, "I hit Zunino's car, then bounced into the barrier. For about 10 minutes I lost consciousness. Then I remember terrible pain in my hips..."[12] The crash left Regazzoni paralyzed from the waist down, ending his competitive career. On recovery, Regazzoni sued the race organisers, claiming their safety procedures were sub-standard. However, the race organisers demonstrated that the procedures were adequate and won the case.[5]
After this accident, Regazzoni became known for his activities in helping disabled people get equal opportunities in life and society. Despite his disability, Regazzoni was determined to live as full a life as possible.[citation needed] Regazzoni won back his racing licence and became one of the first disabled drivers to participate in high-level motorsports. Although his injuries made a Formula One return impossible, Regazzoni raced with some success inrally raids (e.g. theDakar Rally) and sportscars (e.g. the12 Hours of Sebring). These achievements paved the way for the wider acceptance of disabled persons in motoring and motorsports. Regazzoni's last competitive race was in 1990, although he was occasionally offered test drives in racing cars during the 1990s. In 1994, he returned to the Long Beach Grand Prix (at that point an IndyCar race) to compete as a Pro in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.
An account of his life can be found in his autobiographyÈ questione di cuore ("It's a Matter of Heart") published in the mid-1980s. His post-Formula One career occasionally saw him as a commentator for Swiss and Italian television. A second book about his experience at the Dakar Rally,E la corsa continua ("And the race goes on") was published in 1988. He once commented toNiki Lauda, his ten years younger teammate, that "if you drive as tensed up as you behave yourself towards women, you will never become great."[14]
On 15 December 2006, Regazzoni was killed when theChrysler Voyager he was driving hit the rear of a lorry on the ItalianA1 motorway, nearParma.[15] Crash investigators estimate that he was travelling at approximately 100 km/h at the time[16] and, despite early speculation, an autopsy specifically excluded a heart attack from being responsible for Regazzoni's loss of control.[17] His funeral was held on 23 December, inLugano, and was attended byNiki Lauda,Arturo Merzario.Jackie Stewart,Emerson Fittipaldi, andPeter Sauber,[18] among many luminaries from the Formula One world.
In the 2013Ron Howard filmRush, which depicts therivalry betweenJames Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1976 Formula One season, he is portrayed byPierfrancesco Favino.
‡ Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Tecno Racing Team | Tecno TF68 | Ford | HOC | THR | JAR 5 | PAL 3 | TUL | ZAN Ret | PER 4 | HOC Ret | VAL NC | 6th | 13 | ||||
| 1969 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 166 | Ferrari | THR 10 | HOC DNS | NÜR Ret | JAR 11 | TUL | 10th | 5 | ||||||||
| Tecno Racing Team | Tecno TF69 | Ford | PER 4 | VAL | ||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Tecno Racing Team | Tecno TF69 | Ford | THR 8 | HOC 1 | BAR 8 | ROU 2 | 1st | 44 | |||||||||
| Tecno TF70 | PER 1 | TUL Ret | IMO 1 | HOC 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 1971 | Shell-Arnold Team | March 712M | Ford | HOC | THR | NÜR | JAR | PAL | ROU | MAN | TUL | ALB | VAL | VAL Ret | NC | 0 | ||
| 1977 | Project Four Racing | Ralt RT1 | BMW | SIL | THR | HOC | NÜR Ret | VAL | PAU | MUG | ROU | NOG | PER | NC | 0‡ | |||
| Ardmore Racing | Chevron B40 | Hart | MIS 6 | EST | DON | |||||||||||||
| 1978 | Everest Racing Team | Chevron B40 | BMW | THR | HOC | NÜR | PAU | MUG | VAL | ROU | DON | NOG | PER | MIS Ret | HOC | NC | 0 | |
| 1979 | Racing Team Everest | March 792 | BMW | SIL Ret | HOC | THR | NÜR | VAL | MUG Ret | PAU | HOC | ZAN | PER | MIS Ret | DON | NC | 0 | |
Source:[19] | ||||||||||||||||||
‡ Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 |  SpA Ferrari SEFAC | Arturo Merzario | Ferrari 512S | S 5.0 | 38 | DNF | DNF |
Source:[20] | |||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari312B2 | Ferrari 001/1 3.0F12 | ARG | ROC 1 | QUE | SPR | INT | |||
| Ferrari312B | Ferrari 001 3.0F12 | RIN NC | OUL | VIC | |||||||
| 1973 | MarlboroBRM | BRMP160E | BRM P142 3.0V12 | ROC | INT 3 | ||||||
| 1974 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari312B3 | Ferrari 001/11 3.0F12 | PRE | ROC 5 | INT | |||||
| 1975 | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC | Ferrari312T | Ferrari 015 3.0F12 | ROC | INT | SUI 1 | |||||
| 1977 | Team Tissot Ensign with Castrol | EnsignN177 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0V8 | ROC 13 | |||||||
| 1978 | Shadow Racing Team | ShadowDN9 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0V8 | INT Ret | |||||||
Source:[19] | |||||||||||
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | McLarenM16C/D | Offy | 29 | 30 | Theodore Racing |
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | European Formula Two Champion 1970 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Brands Hatch Race of Champions Winner 1971 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Swiss Sportsman of the Year 1974 | Succeeded by |
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