18 replies to this topic

[dmj]

Wilson Fittipaldi has died. Expected news but stil sad. 

 

https://ge.globo.com...s-80-anos.ghtml

Edited by dmj, 23 February 2024 - 13:36.

[Tim Murray]

Very, very sorry to read this.

[john winfield]

Sad news. Happy memories of you in F3 and F2 in the early seventies, before the move into F1. RIP Wilson

[FlyingSaucer]

A big loss for Brazilian motorsport. Despite not having had as great success on the track as his brother Emerson or contemporary Carlos Pace, he was extremely important in the development of Brazilian motorsport and its car industry.

 

For example, he was the first Brazilian pilot to drive a purpose-made single-seater car built in Brazil, outside its home country - the Willys-Gávea F3 in the 1966 Argentine Temporada.

 

 

RIP Wilson. A true pioneer of motorsport!

Edited by FlyingSaucer, 23 February 2024 - 16:22.

[68targa]

Very sad to hear this news.  Condolences to his family

[Rob Ryder]

Very sad. RIP Wilson and thanks for the happy memories from the 70s

[LittleChris]

RIP Wilsonho. Condolences to Christian, Emerson and the rest of the family

[Nanni Dietrich]

Sad news, Wilsinho 

[JacnGille]

Sad news.

[Doug Nye]

More unhappiness - though I understand not unexpected...  RIP

 

Way back - (in 1982 I believe) i bought a running DFV engine - just prepared in demo-standard form by John Judd - for the Lotus 49 'R3' I was beginning to restore in the old corrugated-iron garage at my home.  That's the car which is now at the NMM, Beaulieu.  The engine seller was the Fittipaldi team.  Two friendly blokes delivered it in a suitably lettered van from the team's works in Reading.  I paid them in cash - a ridiculously tiny amount by present-day standards - and we ended up with a runnable DFV sitting in the living room for an indeterminate number of weeks which turned into months.

 

My, was Mrs Nye thrilled by that...

 

Anyway, I heard subsequently that when the two deliverymen got back to the works, Wilson took the envelope, called some of his guys around, peeled off a number of notes for each of them and told them that as of close of play that very day the team was disbanded, the company gone...

 

RIP and sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans.

 

DCN

[E1pix]

If the measure of a man is his children, Wilson must have been one fine guy.

Hopefully on topic, Christian was teamed up with the son of a friend and client in Grand-Am in 2007. We spent an entire long weekend with him, and he was completely unaffected by his stature — but instead treated my wife and I like old, golden friends. It was almost surreal, and that had to have originated with Wilson.

Our hearts go to Christian today — and obviously, anyone directly or indirectly inspired or affected by his Father.

Race in Peace.

[d j fox]

Sad news indeed : some great memories from the 70s F3 & F2
RIP and condolences to family and friends

[Nick Planas]

Very sad news - condolences to all his family and friends. 

[Michael Ferner]

Condolences to the extended family and all who knew him. Not an easy life, always in the shadow of a brighter star: first his father, then his brother and finally his own son. But he carried himself well, and I don't know of anyone talking ill of him. I also think he was a better driver than most would give him credit for, stymied by bad luck and marginal choices.

 

RIP, Wilson

[MCS]

Sad to be reading this - a better driver and a better man than most realise.

 

Disappointed (although not surprised) that there is currently no mention of Wilson's sad demise on either Autosport.com or Motor Sport's website, although there is - ironically/coincidentally, I suspect - an Archive piece on Fittipaldi's Grand Prix efforts on the latter.

 

RIP Wilson - like your compatriot Carlos Pace you brought great enjoyment to many racegoers, especially in your Formula Three days together. And who was responsible for both of your great helmet designs?  I guess we will never know.

Edited by MCS, 24 February 2024 - 21:44.

[Richard Jenkins]

Sad to be reading this - a better driver and a better man than most realise.

Disappointed (although not surprised) that there is currently no mention of Wilson's sad demise on either Autosport.com or Motor Sport's website, although there is - ironically/coincidentally, I suspect - an Archive piece on Fittipaldi's Grand Prix efforts on the latter.

RIP Wilson - like your compatriot Carlos Pace you brought great enjoyment to many racegoers, especially in your Formula Three days together. And who was responsible for both of your great helmet designs? I guess we will never know.

Autosport covered it within hours of Wilson's passing: https://www.autospor...ed-80/10579190/

[MCS]

Thanks Richard.  I didn't see it.

[Zmeej]

He has joined his friend and teammate, Ricardo Divila, known hereabouts as RDV, in Racing Heaven.

 

Condolences to family and friends.

[a_tifoosi]

RIP Wilsinho.

 

Does anyone know if there's a book published on Copersucar? I've done a quick research and I've just been able to find a couple of references in Brazil:

• Copersucar-Fittipaldi: A história completa do F1 brasileiro
• Copersucar-Fittipaldi. O fórmula 1 brasileiro - apparently a shorter version of the former with colour pictures

Edit: apparently there's an English version entitled Copersucar-Fittipaldi: a full story of brazilian F-1 which can be found in Amazon or eBay.

Edited by a_tifoosi, 27 February 2024 - 22:15.