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. Soon she broke through worldwide, winning the Formula Ford Mexico series and made her Formula One debut in 1974. Formula One's First Lady: Remembering Lella Lombardi 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. Regardless of everything though, she still defined herself by her love of motorsports and is remembered by her words: I prefer to have an accident than to fall in love. By checking this box, you agree to Nitto Tires, 6 Racers That Broke Barriers Who Youve Probably Never Heard Of, 10 Great Ayrton Senna Quotes to Motivate You, Yes, I would like to receive emails from Nitto Tire and Driving Line. We miss her passion, determination and modesty.. She also beat Maurizio Flamminis March to win a heat at Vallelunga. 26 March 1941(1941-03-26)Frugarolo, Italy She wasnt interested in fashion and usually wore trousers if she was in civvies. Lombardi grew up in Italy and developed an interest in racing by driving a delivery van for her family. She gave them a good going over before finishing third, only two seconds behind Bartlett and sharing fastest lap with Stewart. Lella Lombardi - Wikipedia Vit would come back in and say, Yeah, yeah, cars perfect. Lella Lombardi is a name firmly etched into the motorsport history books. Delightful. In 1976 Lombardi was confirmed at March alongside Brambilla and Stuck. Perhaps its the legacy of cars being thought of as symbolic of straight men or the continual presence of concepts like the Grid Girls in F1, a tradition which was only recently discontinued. She impressed him not only with her driving but also by her mechanical knowledge and feel. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. 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. Lombardi also competed numerous times at 24 Hours of Le Mans with her best result, a ninth place finish, coming in 1976. The damaged monocoque was still in the workshop so we took it apart and discovered a crack in its cast-magnesium rear bulkhead. Half points awarded, Race stopped after 29/54 Laps. At Catawiki, youll be surprised every week with the impressive selection of special objects we have on offer. I went with her from Snetterton to Norwich once: 30mph all the way. The following year, in 1976, Lombardi only contested four F1 weekends. She raced a Lola-Chevrolet and finished fourteenth, but wasnt qualified. That includes both domestic and international flights. In '74 the title was won by Bob Evans in a T332. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Fourth at Brands Hatch at the first time of asking, Lombardi matched that result at Monza, Oulton Park and Mallory Park during a consistent campaign: she finished all bar the last of 18 rounds to be fifth in the points. Lombardis first F1 attempt was at the British Grand Prix in 1974 driving a Brabham supported by the Italian Automobile Club. Progress would require a backwards step first. Two years later she further proved her ability as she won four of the 10 Formula 850 races in a Biraghi, and went on to take the championship in 1971. Lomardi had a successful junior career in the lead up to her time in F1. 115 Lella Lombardi Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE EDITORIAL All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 115 lella lombardi stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Yes, I would like to receive communications including news, special offers. 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. 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. Lella Lombardi Biography | HowOld.co Her father found her passion for racing difficult to understand, but was secretly proud of her achievement when, in 1968, she finished runner-up to Franco Bernabei. The latest news, updates and more straight to your inbox. The first race that season was in South Africa, and Lombardi made it in. Quietly impressive, it was much better than her Montjuch performance. Wed just started the ShellSPORT Celebrity Series [for Escort Mexicos] and my wife Angela invited her to compete at Brands Hatch in July. She and Fiorenza were a beautiful couple, reserved; the spotlight was never on them. Italics Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. 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.. She was undaunted. But its boss Charles James wanted to be involved lock, stock and barrel. Amazingly, Lombardi also raced in NASCAR driving in the Firecracker 400 at the Daytona International Speedway in 1977. She remained an active racer until 1970 and her legacy lives on today. However, this race only lasted 23 laps until Lombardi was forced to retire with a fuel system problem. Later that same year, partnered by Giorgio Francia, she won the Vallelunga Six Hours; they would win the 1981 Mugello Six Hours, too. [3] Lella Lombardi was also one of the first female racers in a same-sex relationship. Lombardis involvement was short lived as she died of breast cancer on the 3rd March 1992 at the untimely age of fifty. And because its usually the woman of the house who makes the major interior design decisions, we decided to run an all-woman crew. Her racing career would flourish from there onwards. Born in Frugarolo, Piedmont, she participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 20 July 1974. Lombardi was the first woman to qualify and compete in the Race of Champions in Brands Hatch and raced in sports cars. Lella Lombardi Biography - Italian racing driver (1941-1992) Retirements in Belgium and Sweden were followed by a 14th place in Holland, 18th in France and another retirement in Great Britain. 1975 would prove to be an eventful season for the March Team, as Lombardi scored a Championship point in the Spanish Grand Prix. 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. But she wanted me to be just as fast and was always giving me tips and help. She would often speak of sacrifices. I feel sorry for her and wonder about it even now.. 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. Instead, it was her achievements that did the talking for her. Lombardi made history for two reasons at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix - she was the first woman to score points in a Grand Prix, and the first driver to score a career total of 0.5 points, after the accident of Rolf Stommelen which stopped the Grand Prix before half-distance, remaining the only person to achieve either of these. Wikipedia. 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. Pitting on lap seven because of flat spots, he would, amid the chaos, recover to finish a lapped fifth. It turned out to be her only sliver of a point that season. Her claim to fame is shes the only woman driver to score points in Formula 1, but even that was cut in half. I am the president of a LLC who is looking to invest cash/assets in the self storage . Philanthropic enthusiast Count Zanon agreed and offered March 50,000 to run Lombardi in F1 in 1975. Mike Beuttler was technically the first openly gay F1 driver ever. On reflection, however, he was probably looking after himself.. For Lombardi to gain the respect of such men as the legendary Arturo Merzario (seen above with teammateVittorio Brambilla) was a clear indication of herabilities and bravery. Beuttler was known for his canary-yellow racing look. Highlights include: being crowned the Italian Formula Three runner up in 1968 and winning the Italian Formula 850 Series in 1970. She would just say to me, Marie, I have to do Formula 1., READ MORE: 5 reasons F1 fans are still in awe of the legendary Gilles Villeneuve. 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. However, the onset of the Second World War led her to joining the RAF as a pilot something she had previously trained as. So we were perfectly happy to have Lella. That she got as far as she did is a testament to her character. [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. I totally trusted him. And in 1976 she shared a Lancia Stratos Turbo with Christine Dacremont at Le Mans and finished 20th one lap and one place ahead of the Cosworth DFV-powered Inaltera of Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, Jean Rondeau and Belgiums Christine Beckers. Though officials erected barricades and bosses manned the barriers because the drivers were rightly unamused by Montjuchs laughable Acme Inc Armco, the latter would eventually kowtow and race with a collective madness bar world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, who stayed true to his word and refused to start. You can update your preferences, withdraw your consent at any time, and see a detailed description of the types of cookies we and our partners use in our Cookie Policy. World Titles Career Lella Lombardi profile on SnapLap She always worked hard, was easy on the car and understood how to get what she wanted from it. Lombardi had also raced in the Firecracker 400 NASCAR race at the Daytona International Speedway in 1977. [5] She was 50 years old and was buried in Frugarolo. Just her racing. Into 1974 Epstein signed Lella Lombardi, she had come through Italian racing and European F3 and immediately impressed with her handling of HU18. 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. Sign up to receive marketing communications. Lella Lombardi: "Preferisco un incidente che innamorarmi", http://www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/llombard00/cup/index.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lella_Lombardi&oldid=1132016872, Italian Formula Three Championship drivers, Sportspeople from the Province of Alessandria, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 January 2023, at 21:48. It was clear that the Tigress of Turin a geographically misleading nickname coined by a lazy press would not be disgraced should she be given an F1 opportunity. 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. Showing Editorial results for lella lombardi. With the exception of Monaco, she qualified to start all of the remaining races. It wasnt a publicity stunt. [15] As an example of successful women produced by Formula One,[16] Lombardi is credited with making Formula One accessible to women. 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. Lella Lombardi is a name firmly etched into the motorsport history books. [2] In 1975, Lombardi was invited to join Vittorio Brambilla and Hans-Joachim Stuck on the March engineering team, racing the full season with Zanon's Lavazza Coffee Companys sponsorship. Her best results 4ths at Brands, Monza, Oulton Park and Mallory Park. First Race Things like that just dont worry me. Painful. Lella Lombardi (and every other woman to ever compete in F1 for that matter) is shit and didn't deserve to score anything. Those were not easy cars to drive basically a Formula 2 with a big, tall lump stuck in the back but she got quicker and quicker during the year. In her autobiography, Cowell describes motor racing as the be-all and nearly the end-all of my existence. 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. Her F1 debut came in the tragic Spanish Grand Prix of 1975, where a car lost control and killed four spectators. Lella Lombardi Formula 1 driver - 4mula1stats.com The following year, Lella joined Christine Dacremont in a Lancia Stratos and finished second in their class. "My directing partner Vincent Tran and I first became aware of Lella Lombardi in 2018. 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. But he skipped 1952 season. Search instead in Creative? For a long time, motorsports was defined by its fraternal culturethe big cars, big engines and even bigger egosa high-octane experience that wasn't particularly accessible to people who didnt fit into the straight male mould. No trouble. That she was a woman was an irrelevancy to Lella. 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. She remembered how foreign people appreciated her but at the same time she wanted to be known in Italy despite the difficulties of being accepted in a very male world.. Lombardi was not actually from Turin but rather the same area of Italy. More statistics by age for Lella Lombardi Career chart profile Seasons: nr of season from first GP until the last. 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. Lombardi returned to F1 in 1976 for the British Grand Prix but failed to qualify the aging RAM Racing Brabham BT44 she was piloting. The boys ganged up and got horribly rough on the track filthy tricks, kart-style but she could look after herself. But at 25 laps into the race, Rolf Stommelen crashed his car and killed five spectators. Jeffrey Lombardi - President - Premier Investment Group, LLC - LinkedIn