Giampiero Moretti

Giampiero Moretti ( born March 20, 1940 in Milan, † January 14, 2012 ) was an Italian race car driver and entrepreneur.

The contractor

Giampiero Moretti was born into a wealthy Milanese family. With financial aid and protection of his family, he founded the early 1960s, a company that specialized in the production of steering wheels for motorsports - MOMO. The name also sit out the first two letters of the name Moretti and the first two letters of the place together Monza. Near the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the special steering wheels were manufactured in the future. Decisive factor for entrepreneurial success was the combination of MOMO with the Scuderia Ferrari, which was threaded by former Ferrari racing manager Eugenio Dragoni. Enzo Ferrari wanted for the Formula 1 Ferrari 158 of 1964 steering wheels made ​​of leather, which were ultimately delivered by Giamapiero Moretti.

In the 1980s, the company expanded and Moretti supplied the U.S. motorsport with steering wheels. Until his death in January 2012 Moretti remained CEO of the company.

Career in motorsports

Giampiero Moretti began his racing career in 1961 in uphill races in Italy. In the early 1960s he was works driver in Bizzarrini, and went with Giotto Bizzarrini vehicles in uphill races at the start. His first international successes came in 1969. During the Targo Florio, he was together with Everardo Ostini on a Porsche 911T tenth in the overall standings and the 6-hour race at Vila Real Fourth in a Porsche 907 His team partner was his longtime friend Corrado Manfredini.

In 1970, he earned a Ferrari 512S with which he and Manfredini, 1970 in the World Sportscar Championship were at the start. At the 24 - hour race at Daytona this year, the duo had to give up after the damage to the suspension. A few weeks later the car was almost completely destroyed during a test drive, but with great technical assistance by Ferrari managed the vehicle to a 1000 km race at Monza to fully repair it. In this long-distance race Moretti and Manfredini reached the ninth overall. With the Ferrari Moretti could also celebrate two race wins this year; in May won the good -studded mountain race from Trieste to Opicina, which belonged to the Italian sports car championship and in September, the 200-mile race at Fuji. In 1970 he gave his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There his Ferrari 512S was reported by the Scuderia Filipinetti and cared for. When damage to the drive shaft, the race for Moretti and Manfredini ended prematurely.

For professional reasons, the racing activities in the course of the 1970s took off. Moretti was indeed reported in many races, but took only a very few part.

IMSA GTO and IMSA GTP series

1978 saw the swing back into the career. Moretti had entered as a driver and team manager in IMSA GT series. This was done primarily for marketing reasons. For his company, the U.S. market was most interesting. He played the first few years the race with a Porsche 935, his team mate was lower other the American Hurley Haywood. In the second year of the IMSA GTP series in 1982, he moved there on a March 82G. With the Porsche he was in Europe at the start. He denied race in the German Racing Championship and was together with Mauro Baldi, seventh at the 1000 km of Spa, eighth in the 1000 km race at Mugello and fifth at the 9- hour race at Kyalami.

In 1983, he came close to his first race victory in the IMSA series when he was only beaten by Bob Tullius and Doc Bundy in the Jaguar XJR- 5 at the 500-mile race at Pocono. His partner in this race was the South African Sarel van der Merwe. By the end of the 1980s he went almost exclusively in the United States auto racing. As of 1989, there was a Porsche 962 used, with whom he had rare appearances in the European interbank series.

His greatest successes in motorsport, he celebrated with a race car that was designed and built at his initiative - the Ferrari 333SP. In 1994 he was to be determined size in the IMSA series and celebrated with Eliseo Salazar, Wayne Taylor and Massimiliano Papis a wealth of racing victories. His biggest international successes date back to 1998, when he won both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. His last race win was also his last race as a driver; Didier Theys and Mauro Baldi with winning the 6- hour race at Watkins Glen in August 1998.

Le Mans results

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