The Brambilla brothers

Twinny,

Is that Watkins Glen? Looks like Vitt is attacking the wrong thing...

Edward.

Edward

It is the Glen, yes. Looks like Vitt was having a bit of trouble finding a nice neat line through the chicane at the esses!

Here's the pic of Tino & Vitt I mentioned earlier...


(Source: Autosprint)

...which was during the European F2 race in Nivelles, 1973. As well as sporting the differing logo colours, it appears that they were using different engines too.

Twinny

Originally posted by Barry Boor
I always loved orange cars.

So when we can expect an all-Bond Bug race in your backyard?

Originally posted by dmj
So when we can expect an all-Bond Bug race in your backyard?

Oh god - a friend of mine at work has borrowed a Bond 875 (essentially an Imp engine in the back of a flimsy fibreglass three-wheeler chassis - probably not much more than half the weight of the Imp so a fairly interesting power to weight ratio....) while his Imp's being repaired. He reckons it's good for over the ton, but feels unsafe at 40 in it - after a few lifts home in it I'm in agreement ;)

Originally posted by Nanni Dietrich
Vittorio and Tino Brambilla had the same colours of their helmets: orange with three white balls.

Do you know what the three white balls represented? Probably something having to do with Monza, but perhaps not. Is there a story there?

There was quite a discussion on the Amon forum about his helmet and some interesting history.

I became particularly interested in Tino as he and Chris drove the same Ferrari F2 chassis in 1968 and 1969. Counting heats, Tino got four 1st's in it.

Originally posted by Twin Window


...which was during the European F2 race in Nivelles, 1973. As well as sporting the differing logo colours, it appears that they were using different engines too.

Twinny

How interesting - one of my first posts on TNF was about the difference between works BMW F2 engines and the Schnitzer ones in 1973 - never seen a picture which made the difference that clear...

Originally posted by eccolo


I became particularly interested in Tino as he and Chris drove the same Ferrari F2 chassis in 1968 and 1969. Counting heats, Tino got four 1st's in it.

The best win, in my memory, for Tino and the Dino was Hockenheim 1968: if I remember well one of the F. 2 grids more "crowded" even seen (about 35 or 40 drivers entered), and a very very difficult race .
Then Tino won Vallelunga (double Ferrari Dinos, with Andrea de Adamich) and in autumn 1968 one (or two?) race at the Temporada Argentina (Cordoba, perhaps?).
In 1969 he drove the same Dino, but for his own team, not for the Scuderia.

The best win, in my memory, for Tino and the Dino

I understand his driving at Hockenheim was very aggressive and the win was appreciated by the Drake.

According to my sources, the Temporada win was in BA. The rest of the series was not good for Tino for mechanical reasons, although he placed respectably on the grid. De Adamich, however, took the title in a sister car.

I thought Tino raced for Ferrari in 1969 through Monza in June (when they may have abandoned the F2 effort).

Originally posted by Nanni Dietrich

I've read that Vittorio Brambilla drove in private test the Tecno Martini PA123B F. 1 in July 1973 at Misano. The Allan McCall designed Tecno, the car of Chris Amon 6th at Belgian GP.
In the same days Chris Amon and (half) team Tecno were in an other circuit (Silverstone ? ) testing the Gordon Fowell designed Tecno Martini.

Vitt's first F1 outing, as correctly remembered by Nanni


(Source: Autosprint)

Twinny

Perfect Twinny!

Who is the man with glasses and a black jersey near Chris? Gordon Fowell?

Originally posted by Nanni Dietrich


The best win, in my memory, for Tino and the Dino was Hockenheim 1968: if I remember well one of the F. 2 grids more "crowded" even seen (about 35 or 40 drivers entered), and a very very difficult race .
Then Tino won Vallelunga (double Ferrari Dinos, with Andrea de Adamich) and in autumn 1968 one (or two?) race at the Temporada Argentina (Cordoba, perhaps?).
In 1969 he drove the same Dino, but for his own team, not for the Scuderia.

Are there any other accounts out there of Tino's driving? Any insight into how he first came to the attention of the Scuderia?

It seems to me that his career could have been broader and deeper than it was, and I wonder why it was not.

It would be great to read the views of those with "the knowledge."

Thanks.

As usual I'm quite late to another nostalgia thread here.

I have a number of pics of VB uploaded to flickr that I will post the links to below. I also have others I haven't uploaded yet.

I do have a Vittorio story though.....the first time I went to Trois Rivieres for the Atlantic race was in '75. I knew of VB already but this was the first time I saw him in action. He was one of the European "ringers" for the non-championship race, driving one of Doug Shierson's March 75Bs.

During qualifying he smote the wall a mighty whack and that led to a rather frantic rebuild of the car in the rather pungently manure smelling "garage" there.

He won the race the next day with a typically forceful drive. I wish I could remember the specific numbers but I found out later that the car was so bent that the corner weights were widely disparate....well over 100 pounds. A fact that just added to my appreciation of what he had done to the field that day.

Here are the links to what I have posted of VB. There will be more as I come across them and add them to my photostream.....

http://www.flickr.co...N03/4607580067/
http://www.flickr.co...N03/4442749590/
http://www.flickr.co...N03/4442749684/
http://www.flickr.co...N03/4333480929/
http://www.flickr.co...N03/4344782365/
http://www.flickr.co...N03/4345701360/

The Brambillas were well known for their outspoken honesty.

When Ferrari was going nowhere with the 512 Sportscar, old Enzo, not knowing if the drivers or the car were at fault, asked Tino to test and give an opinion. Which was:
"Look, if you put an handle on the steering wheel this car will do for a tram".

I also remember a Vittorio interview from his Surtees days. Asked why the team was doing worse and worse he said "Well, the Boss lost his head after the secretary..."

After retirement Vittorio tried to introduce his son to motor racing.
The poor lad was paired to Emanuele Pirro in the Italian F3 Championship (1983, IIRC), without any previous experience of racing...
I read that he had asked his father to try some Junior Formula like Formula Panda first, but Vittorio, born in another era, did not think it was necessary.
The results were what anybody could have expected.

Edited by Paolo, 21 May 2010 - 08:15.

I need your help please - I need to get Vittorio Brambilla footage and pictures as much as I can get

Every helping hand is welcome

A nice cross section of photographs, with links to copyright holders, of Vitorrio's achievements '73 - '80 here at racingsportscars.com.

Brand new - my Brambilla video

Is it right that Vittorio Brambilla destroyed 180 cars in his career?

No, 176.

I don't know if he is any relation at all, but there was an entertaining incident on the Vuelta d'Espana today.  Gianluca Brambilla got into a tussle with another rider during the stage, exchanging blows and presumably invective as they rode along.  Both were summarily DQ'd from the event (FIA take note - some sports can actually act promptly and vigorously).  There were great histrionics and much gesturing.  If he isn't related, he should be.

I think they aren't related, but neverthless it was quite crazy those fight during the race