Gianfranco Brancatelli

Gianfranco Gaetano Brancatelli (born 18 January 1950) is a former racing driver from Italy.

Career Brancatelli's racing career began in 1973, in the Formula Abarth series. In 1975, he advanced to Italian Formula 3 racing. Brancatelli entered 3 Formula One Grands Prix in 1979 with Kauhsen (2 failures to qualify) and Merzario (1 failure to pre-qualify).

After his departure from Formula 1, Brancatelli went on to race in several Touring Car series, with some success. He would finish 4th in the 1984 European Touring Car Championship driving a BMW 635 CSi for Eggenberger Motorsport. For the 1985 ETCC, Eggenberger switched to the turbocharged Volvo 240T (while the championship winning Tom Walkinshaw Racing would switch from their powerful V12 Jaguar XJS' to the V8 powered Rover Vitesse), and along with Swedish driver Thomas Lindström, Brancatelli became the European Touring Car Champion, winning six out of fourteen races (Anderstorp, Zeltweg, Salzburgring, Nürburgring, Zolder and Estoril), along with three second places and two third places.

In 1986, Brancatelli switched to Tom Walkinshaw Racing where he drove a Rover Vitesse in the 1986 FIA International Touring Car Championship (essentially a renamed ETCC), but dropped to 12th in the standings winning only once at Andestorp. In 1987, he would again switch teams, driving a BMW M3 for Italian outfit CiBiemme Sport in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship where he partnered another former Formula One driver Johnny Cecotto to win the 500 km de Bourgogne at Dijon-Prenois. He finished eighth in the WTCC while finishing fifth in the 1987 ETCC, also for CiBiemme, winning twice at Estoril and Zolder.

The 1988 ETCC saw Brancatelli on the move again, this time going back to Eggenberger Motorsport where he would serve as a driver in the team's 3rd Texaco Ford Sierra RS500 in a number of rounds. Brancatelli would also win the 1988 Italian Touring Car Championship driving a privately Jolly Club entered Alfa Romeo 75.

Other than his success in the 1985 ETCC, arguably Brancatelli's biggest wins in touring car racing were the 1985 Guia Race of Macau driving a Volvo 240T, and the 1989 Spa 24 Hours driving an Eggenberger Ford Sierra RS500 along with Bernd Schneider (yet another F1 driver, this time a current one) and Win Percy. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brancatelli also travelled to Australia to drive in the Bathurst 1000 touring car race, though success would generally elude him. His best finish was in the 1987 WTCC round, the 1987 James Hardie 1000 where he and Johnny Cecotto would finish seventh outright and third in class, though as they were the first registered WTCC drivers to finish the race they would receive top points for the round. His three other races at Bathurst in 1989, 1990 and 1991 would result in two failed to finish and one disqualification due to a technical infringement.

Brancatelli also raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on five occasions. His best finish was second place in the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Sauber C9 for Team Sauber Mercedes, co-driving with ex-Formula One drivers Mauro Baldi and Kenny Acheson. His four other races at Le Mans (1979, 1980, 1986 and 1990) all saw him fail to finish the race.

Brancatelli would continue racing until his retirement in the late 1990s.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts Scuderia Everest March 752 BMW HOC THR VLL SAL PAU HOC ROU MUG PER EST NOG HOC NC 0 Scuderia Everest Ralt RT1 Ferrari SIL THR HOC NÜR VLL PAU MUG ROU NOG PER MIS EST DON 17th 3 Everest Racing Team Chevron B40 BMW THR HOC NÜR PAU MUG VLL NC 0 Bob Salisbury Racing March 782 BMW ROU DON NOG PER MIS HOC Racing Team Everest March 792 BMW SIL HOC THR NÜR VLL MUG PAU HOC ZAN PER MIS DON NC 0

Complete British Formula One Championship results (key)

Complete Formula One results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pts 1979 Willi Kauhsen Racing Team Kauhsen WK Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG BRA RSA USW ESP BEL NC 0 Team Merzario Merzario A2 MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN

Complete European Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pts 1980 BMW 3.0 CSi MNZ VAL BRH SAL BRN PER NÜR SIL ZOL NC 0 1981 Dieter Schmid BMW 635 CSi MNZ VLL DON SAL BRN PER SIL ZOL 8 1982 Luigi Team Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6 MNZ VLL DON PER MUG BRN SAL NÜR SPA SIL ZOL 30 1983 Jolly Club Milano Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6 MNZ? VAL DON PER MUG BRN ZEL NÜR SAL SPA SIL ZOL 1984 BMW Italia BMW 635 CSi MNZ VAL DON PER BRN ZEL SAL NÜR SPA SIL ZOL MUG 4th 151 1985 Eggenberger Motorsport Volvo 240T MNZ VAL DON AND BRN ZEL SAL NÜR SPA SIL NOG ZOL EST JAR 1st 240 1986 TWR – Bastos Texaco Racing Team Rover Vitesse MNZ DON HOC MIS AND BRN ZEL NÜR SPA SIL NOG ZOL JAR EST 12th 123 1987 CiBiEmme Sport BMW M3 DON EST AND ZOL ZEL IMO NOG 5th 150 1988 Jolly Club Ford Sierra RS500 MNZ DON EST JAR 26th 80 Eggenberger Motorsport DIJ VLL NÜR SPA ZOL SIL NOG

Complete World Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Pts 1987 CiBiEmme Sport BMW M3 MNZ JARovr:8cls:6 DIJovr:1cls:1 NÜR SPA BRNovr:5cls:3 SIL BATovr:7cls:3 CLDovr:4cls:2 WEL FUJovr:6cls:3 8th 158 Despite finishing 7th outright at Bathurst, as the highest placed registered WTCC car Brancatelli was awarded 1st place points for the round.

Complete British Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position in class) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap in class - 1 point awarded all races) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 DC Pts Class 1988 Eggenberger Motorsport Ford Sierra RS500 SIL OUL THR DON THR SIL SIL BRH SNE BRH BIR DON SILovr:1cls:1 23rd 10 9th

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Pts 1989 Ford Motorsport Eggenberger Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth ZOL1 ZOL2 HOC1 HOC2 NÜR1 NÜR2 MFA1 MFA2 AVU1 AVU2 NÜR1 NÜR2 NOR1 NOR2 HOC1 HOC2 DIE1 DIE2 NÜR1 NÜR2 HOC1 HOC2 9th 162

Complete Australian Super Touring Championship results

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1979 Carlo Pietromarchi Carlo Pietromarchi Maurizio Micangeli De Tomaso Pantera Gr.5+2.0 108 NC NC 1980 Scuderia Lancia Corse Piercarlo Ghinzani Markku Alén Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Gr.5 26 DNF DNF 1986 Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing Win Percy Hurley Haywood Jaguar XJR-6 C1 154 DNF DNF 1989 Team Sauber Mercedes Mauro Baldi Kenny Acheson Sauber C9 Mercedes-Benz C1 384 2nd 2nd 1990 Nissan Motorsports International Mark Blundell Julian Bailey Nissan R90CK C1 142 DNF DNF

Complete Bathurst 1000 results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1987 CiBiEmme Sport BMW Motorsport Johnny Cecotto BMW M3 2 163 7th 3rd 1989 Mark Petch Motorsport Robbie Francevic Ford Sierra RS500 A 14 DNF DNF 1990 Mark Petch Motorsport Robb Gravett Ford Sierra RS500 1 118 DNF DNF 1991 Allan Moffat Enterprises Charlie O'Brien Ford Sierra RS500 1 158 DSQ DSQ