Gianni Marzotto
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Conte Giannino "Gianni" Marzotto (born April 13, 1928 in Valdagno ; † July 14, 2012 in Padua ) was an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur.
Career
Gianni Marzotto was the youngest of the four Marzotto brothers - Paolo , Umberto and Vittorio - who were all amateur motorsport enthusiasts in Italy in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Gianni Marzotto was born into a wealthy noble family. His grandfather Luigi Marzotto founded a textile company that became one of the largest Italian fashion groups. The group also managed a large number of properties. Today the Marzotto Group is part of the Valentino Fashion Group . All four Marzotto brothers were very popular during their playing days in Italy. The youngest still stood out from this popularity. On the one hand, it was his age. A racing driver who was almost 20 years young and also successful was something very unusual at the time, shortly after the Second World War . At that time, successful motorsport enthusiasts were seasoned men, some of them well over 40 years old. After his second overall victory at the Mille Miglia in 1953 , he was briefly the most popular athlete in Italy. Part of its popularity was also its elegant appearance. He was always perfectly dressed and in the racing car he sat in overalls that were specially tailored for him.
He began his career at the age of 20 in 1948 with Targa Florio . But he couldn't finish the race on a Lancia Aprilia . In 1950 he was already a works driver at Ferrari when he won his first Mille Miglia. (In 1948 he made his debut in this race). He won Le Mans in a Ferrari 195 Sport Touring Berlinetta . In the same year he also celebrated successes in the 3-hour race in Rome and in the Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti . Heroes were worshiped in Italy after his second overall victory at the Mille Miglia in 1953. His duel with the Argentine Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio was watched by millions on the radio.
He was once at the start of the Le Mans 24-hour race . In 1953 he finished fifth in the overall standings with his brother Paolo . In 1954, after retiring from the Mille Miglia , at the age of only 26, he retired from racing to work in the family-owned textile company.
At times, the Marzotto brothers in Valdagno in the province of Vicenza also had their own racing team, the Scuderia Marzotto SpA, under the direction of Gianni Marzotto . At the beginning of the 1950s, he was in close contact with the coachbuilder and occasional racing driver Paolo Fontana; From his body shop Carrozzeria Paolo Fontana , Gianni Marzotto and his brothers, depending on their point of view, had four to five racing cars clad, sometimes several times, with particularly light, sporty-compact, mostly open bodies.
statistics
Le Mans results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 |
 Scuderia Ferrari
|
Ferrari 340MM Berlinetta |
Paolo Marzotto
|
Rank 5 |
Individual results in the sports car world championship
| season | team | race car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 340MM |
 SEB
|
MIM
|
 LEM
|
 SPA
|
 ONLY
|
 RTT
|
 CAP
|
| 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| 1954 | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 375 Plus |
 BUA
|
SEB
|
MIM
|
LEM
|
RTT
|
CAP
|
|
| DNF |
literature
- Cesare De Agostini: La saga dei Marzotto. G. Nada, Vimodrone 2003, ISBN 88-7911-311-9 .
Web links
- Information about Gianni Marzotto at statsf1.com (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Marzotto, Gianni |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Marzotto, Giannino |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian racing driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 13, 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Valdagno |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 14, 2012 |
| Place of death | Padua |