Pacchioni... that's a name you don't hear very often
Actually, this guy won TWICE the Formula Three Monaco Grand Prix in 1993 and 1995, together with several victories in Italian F3 (at a time when, with the lack of a European championship, that series was one of the strongest in the continent).
Despite this credentials and the monegasque exploits, his career seems to have stopped abruptly after 1995. Amazingly, he did not find a seat in a superior series, and stalled for one year in German F3, before (as far as I know) stopping racing altogether.
The only thing I remember about him is that when he won the Monaco GP for the first time, he wasn't even supposed to be there. If I recall correctly, as the grid could only contain a limited number of entries, the Italian Federation had selected a group of drivers to send to Monaco, and amazingly despite his results in the national championship, Pacchioni was not called. His team (Prema, maybe?) made an appeal to the AC Monaco which agreed to let him compete...and he won!
That's a bizarre career, isn't it? Maybe the italian federation just did not like him?
Does anyone know what went wrong, and do any of you remember anything about this guy / how was he rated, etc..
A couple of pics