Giancarlo Baghetti

Name: Giancarlo Baghetti

Nationality: Italy

Date of birth: December 25, 1934 - Milan, Italy

Date of death: November 27, 1995 - Milan, Italy

The son of wealthy industrialist Baghetti began racing in 1955 in production cars. He did not make much of an impact in racing until the 1961 season when he raced a Ferrari Formula 1 car which had been entered by the Federazione Italiana Scuderie Automobilische. The Ferraris were dominant that year and Baghetti won at Posillipo and Syracuse in non-championship events before making his World Championship debut at the French GP. All the factory Ferraris ran into difficulties that afternoon and Baghetti was able to win on his Grand Prix debut. He is the only driver in the history of the World Championship to have achieved such a success.

He took part in two other Grand Prix in 1961, retiring from both but setting the fastest lap at the ill-fated Italian GP at Monza, where his team mate Wolfgang Von Trips was killed. He did four races for the team in 1962 but then joined Phil Hill as a defector to the Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS) team.

After a disastrous time he quit ATS in 1964 and raced in a two-year old BRM P57 run by Scuderia Centro Sud. Thereafter he appeared each year at Monza in various F1 machines, while racing with some success in the European Touring Car Championship with Alfas and Fiat Abarths. He won the 1966 1000cc Class Championship in an Abarth 1000.

He retired from racing in 1968 and started a new career as an automotive and fashion photographer and publisher. He died of cancer at the age of 60.

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