Norberto Bagnalasta

Norberto Bagnalasta (born August 23, 1930 in Bagnolo Mella , † June 28, 1964 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza ) was an Italian racing driver .

Career

Norberto Bagnalasta began his racing career in the late 1950s in the Italian Formula Junior Championship , where he on a Lotus 20 of the Scuderia Madunina was launched. With the end of Formula Junior in 1963, he switched to Formula 3 in 1964 and contested the Italian championship . At the Troefeo Aymo Maggi , he was tenth overall. This was followed by good placements in the racing series, which also has a strong line-up of international drivers. Drivers like the future team owner Frank Williams , whose namesake Jonathan , the Australian Frank Gardner , Piers Courage and Charles Crichton-Stuart, the father of the later Le Mans winner and Formula 1 driver Johnny Dumfries , came to Italy because of the high prize money .

Death in Monza

Bagnalasta lost his life at the sixth Gran Premio della Lotteria di Monza , on the traditional Italian racing track. In the second race, the young Italian Giuseppe Colnaghi couldn't get away from his second starting place. Bagnalasta, who did not get away from his eighth place with clutch problems, overlooked Colnaghi's car in front of him and crashed into his vehicle at full speed. The lotus rose, rolled over several times, and lay face down on the road. Bagnalasta suffered such severe head and neck injuries that he died at the scene of the accident.

Web links

• Norberto Bagnalasta at motorsportmemorial.org