55 replies to this topic

[tyrrellp34]

He was always one of my favourite drivers in Formula 1. Born today, 50 years ago in Borgo Pancarale, Italy.

69 Grand Prix
1 Pole Position
1 3rd place (Las Vegas 1981)
14 Points

[tyrrellp34]

Sorry, I have forgot the win of the F2 Championshi in 1978

[ghinzani]

Was it true he was a member of the Communist party?

Happy Bidet Jack O'Malley

[tyrrellp34]

This is not true!

But it costs him his seat into F1 car!

[Depa]

Great Bruno !!!

I it memory also for the words said after the passing of Patrick Depailler.

Thank you

[Vicuna]

Originally posted by tyrrellp34
Sorry, I have forgot the win of the F2 Championshi in 1978

'The win'!!

He destroyed them.

Well done tryrrell p34 for remembering.

[Catalina Park]

Happy Birthday Bruno!

I got Bruno to autograph my programme at the 1980 Australian Grand Prix he seemed like a nice bloke!

[tyrrellp34]

I can confirm that he is a nice guy!!!

[eldougo]

My memories of BRUNO are when he was in F2 he would sit down an eat a
big bowl of spagetti before he would go out an race.true ITALIAN.I just
like the man great guy ,an racer.

[Mark Beckman]

As a small Tasmanian newspaper reported about the Drivers of 2 F1 cars (Williams and Alfa Romeo) against the F5000 feild in the 1980 Australian Grand Prix....

Alan Jones and Jack O'Malley

[LittleChris]

Originally posted by eldougo
My memories of BRUNO are when he was in F2 he would sit down an eat a
big bowl of spagetti before he would go out an race.

No wonder he carried so much momentum through the downhill sweeps at Rouen when winning the 1978 F2 race .

Happy birthday Bruno

[mat1]

(about Giacomelli's alleged membership of the Communist party):

Originally posted by tyrrellp34
This is not true!

But it costs him his seat into F1 car!

Huh??? What's the story here? Sounds like an anecdote...

mat1

[tyrrellp34]

I am sure that they want him to stop at the end of '83.

[Barry Boor]

I just wish that Alfa hadn't broken down at the Glen.

[ghinzani]

Dont forget he led Indycar races for Patrick racing in 1985... and he also survived that huge Interserie crash in 86 in the Sponsor-Geest Lancia LC2.
So who accused him of being a communist? Toleman?

[tyrrellp34]

The sponsors!

[ghinzani]

Candy washing machines? bastards! Ive got one of their machine a lthers too.... if only Id known!

[tyrrellp34]

Sell it !!

[Doug Nye]

Yes - What's the matter with us Communists then???

[Mac Lark]

Originally posted by tyrrellp34
This is not true!

But it costs him his seat into F1 car!

I have never heard this before.

Is this rumour or fact?

[tyrrellp34]

Ok, I think it is time to explain something. In fact my English is not very good and so I will explain the communist story in the typical Giacomelli- English (Grande desastre)

So in the late 70ies there was a strong coming up from the communist party in Italy for some years. One of their leaders becomes very popular and he was very often shown in newspaper and TV. Unfortunately one day Bruno was also shown on the FrontPage of a big Italian newspaper where the headline was something like ..” The communist party in Italy grows up and up”. For the very first view it seems to be that his picture belongs to that communist article but it was the preview of the sport part of that paper!!

After that he was asked by a British or German journalist how he think about the communist party. I don’t know what he has said but it listen like “The communists have done a lot for the smaller people and farmer in Italy” That’s it.. nothing more.

In 1990 when he want to come back in F1 and drove the Life (desastre) he had a sponsor which had the signs of the Russian flag as their brand sign, he use to wear an overall with that sign on the back which makes the rumours about his political ambitions again very loud.

But after he retired two years ago from racing he was never ever active for any political party

[tyrrellp34]

By the way.. at the end of 1983 he was asked from Toleman how he think to get a young Brazilian called da Silva as Team-mate for 1984. Unfortunately they replaced him soon after Senna sign and Cecotto comes. :

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Yes - What's the matter with us Communists then???

we are a dying breed... as I said to Comrade Wedgewood-Bin at the Old Union Warhorse Club the other day "the utopian dreams over brother, I'm thinking of switching to the Whigs..."

big up Bruno for picking up the small farmers of the mezzogiorno tho !

[Vrba]

Originally posted by ghinzani


we are a dying breed... as I said to Comrade Wedgewood-Bin at the Old Union Warhorse Club the other day "the utopian dreams over brother, I'm thinking of switching to the Whigs..."

big up Bruno for picking up the small farmers of the mezzogiorno tho !

We are not a dying breed!!!!
"So who accused him of being a communist?" Why should it be an accusation? Is it a shame maybe? Capitalism is a shame.

Hrvoje

[tyrrellp34]

For sure it is not a shame. But.. it was 1983 and the cold war was present. Bruno Giacomelli was a victime of cold war....

[Vrba]

Originally posted by tyrrellp34
For sure it is not a shame. But.. it was 1983 and the cold war was present. Bruno Giacomelli was a victime of cold war....

Strange thing, considering how strong was the Communist Party in Italy during 1970s and early 1980s. IIRC, it was once second strongest party.

Hrvoje

[ensign14]

Better dead than red.

(Mind you, many did not have a choice.)

[tyrrellp34]

I think it’s time for Bruno to tell his story and not “just” to read what we are thinking about his story!

[Patrick Italiano]

A few quick notes from the top of my brain.

The first Autosprint I ever bought - here in Belgium, not an easy find but only 32 BEF, or 0.80$ at today's rate - had on its cover a caricature of Bruno's helmet with a Comunist flag as a sponsor. It may have started with the newspaper's front page quoted by tyrrellp34, but the article inside was just about the rumour- nothing more - that the Trade Unions at Alfa Romeo - very strong then - had backed Giacomelli as driver of the new "Alfa-Alfa". It was 1979, and the car was the 179. The reason of that was that Giacomelli's father was by no way of upper class, and possibly even a Trade Union member. I would need to go back to that AS issue, but I'm afraid it's stored deep . So, recalling the alledged Trade Unions backing of Consalvo Sanesi in the late 40s - Sanesi denied later - they may have preferred Bruno to any other, wealthier, potential driver. At that time as well as today, for some people, "Unionist" translated automatically into "Comunist".

I can't remember any personal involvment of Giacomelli in politics. Now, the Italian Comunist Party (PCI) was not just strong in the late 70s. It had been constantly around the 30% mark in any elections from the late 40s to early 90s, with an apex at over 34% in 1983. So, even if Bruno had any kind of sympathy for the PCI - which is not proved - he was far from an alien in Italy. I don't think he never got any troubles from that anyway, at least in Italy.

NB: This is intended as an historical point. I would keep discussions about politics outside TNF. There are nice places for that too.

[tyrrellp34]

What a story.....

[tyrrellp34]

Originally posted by Patrick Italiano
a caricature of Bruno's helmet with a Comunist flag as a sponsor.

I want to see that!!

Bruno’s helmet design shows 5 cuted diamonds. In early years there was also a small structure visible.

But the “Pink Panther” was always somewhere on his helmet!

And you know the connection between the Pink Panther and diamonds ... (Blake Edwards movies)

[Roger Clark]

According to Mike Lawrence, when Bruno first drove for March he:

spoke no English and Robin (Herd) spoke no Italian, but Bruno was a devout Catholic, and so, perhaps for the only time in racing history, driver and engineer communicated in Latin

I'm not sure whether being a devout Catholic automatically meant that Bruno could speak Latin, but Herd had certainy studied LAtin at school.

[Doug Nye]

Hmmm - what's the Latin for 'fuel injection metering unit', one wonders... Ask capo meccanico Lars Porsena of Scuderia Clusium???

DCN

[tyrrellp34]

Jack O'Malley... stop reading this and speak to us! Help us to clarify this matter!

[ensign14]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Hmmm - what's the Latin for 'fuel injection metering unit', one wonders... Ask capo meccanico Lars Porsena of Scuderia Clusium???

DCN

Res discretioni aquae igniferentae sub pulsum?

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by ensign14


Res discretioni aquae igniferentae sub pulsum?

"The bearing or containing fire waters separate the thing under the stroke?"

Blimey ;)

Oh the joys of automatic translation. No wonder Robin and Bruno never managed to get a World Championship

pete

[tyrrellp34]

But a F2 european championship!!!


No other F2 driver one so many races during one season like Bruno in 1978

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by tyrrellp34
But a F2 european championship!!!


No other F2 driver one so many races during one season like Bruno in 1978

Those F2 Marches were lovely cars too - always looked so simple and elegant (with the exception of the 792!). Prettiest of all was the works 772P I think - halfway between the lines of the older F2s and the ultra-angular 782. That was one of Bruno's cars wasn't it?

[Patrick Italiano]

Originally posted by tyrrellp34


I want to see that!!

B

I've found it, but the scanner is away, and I also have no URL to upload.
tyrrellp34, drop me a mail next week if you can handle the upload. I'll send you the scans if the scanner is back.

[tyrrellp34]

Ok, many thank's

[tyrrellp34]

Yes, Bruno drove the March 782 during the 1978 season and has won in

Thruxton
Hockenheim
Pau
Rouen
Nogaro
Pergusa
Misano
Hockenheim

Total he scored 78 points.. 30 points more than the second driver that year

[Patrick Italiano]

Here's Giacomelli's cartoon as published on the cover of Autosprint, oct. 9th, 1979, when he was rumoured to be backed by the Comunist Party.

.

[tyrrellp34]

Thank you very much Patrick Italiano!

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Patrick Italiano
Here's Giacomelli's cartoon as published on the cover of Autosprint, oct. 9th, 1979, when he was rumoured to be backed by the Comunist Party.

.

Now there's a thought - remember that Russian steel company's sponsorship on the Life ;)

pete

[tyrrellp34]

OK, I have to clarify something... Bruno Giacomelli came to March and England with speaking not a single word English. He was learning French in school and speaking of course Italian language.

But one is for sure... He cannot speak Latin, and never spoke Latin to Robin heard because he had a guy from March which was called “Sandro Monari” or so, who helped him to translate the conservation between him and Robin Heard.

Now Bruno Giacomelli is speaking a little German, a little Spanish and very well English and French.

[fines]

Originally posted by tyrrellp34
But one is for sure... He cannot speak Latin, and never spoke Latin to Robin heard because he had a guy from March which was called “Sandro Monari” or so, who helped him to translate the conservation between him and Robin Heard.

Would that be rallye star Sandro Munari???

[tyrrellp34]

I don't think so, but I don't remember the exact name

[tyrrellp34]

The guy was Sandro Angeleri, the sales manager from MARCH

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by tyrrellp34
The guy was Sandro Angeleri, the sales manager from MARCH

Damn you beat me to it! Sandro, of Euroracing infamy!

[tyrrellp34]

Yes, you are right, my friend!