Auto racing
Add news
News

Nino Vaccarella: 1933-2021

0 4

1964 Le Mans 24 Hours winner, 1970 Sebring 12 Hours winner and three times victor of the Targa Florio, Nino Vaccarella has passed away at 88 years old.

Vaccarella was a beloved son of his native Sicily and whilst his professional career took him the world over in sports cars and with brief adventures into Formula One too, it was the Targa Florio for which is is likely best remembered.

There were three overall wins in 1965 with a Ferrari 275 P2, 1970 with an Alfa Romeo 33/3 (above) and in 1975 in an Alfa 33TT12 along with several more occasions when he led or featured heavily in lead battles, the local teacher giving a lesson to the world class grids that were assembled on how to tackle the roads that Vic Elford once noted Vaccarella “knew like the back of his hand.”

There were 11 appearances at Le Mans too, including a third in class in 1969 abode a Matra-Simca MS630, a class win, 7th overall in a Ferrari 365 P2 Spyder in 1965 alongside Pedro Rodriguez, and an overall win in 1964, together with Jean Guichet in a Work-entered Ferrari 275P.

There were four overall podiums, plus a class win, at Sebring too from 1963 – 1972, with an overall win coming in 1970 in a Ferrari 512S shared with Mario Andretti and Ignazio Giunti (below).

When the racing was done he returned to his teaching, with a family-owned private school on his beloved Sicily, ‘Nino’ as adored by the local populace in retirement as he had been in his racing pomp.

Our condolences to his family, friends and Sicilian neighbours.

Pic top copyright and courtesy FCA Historical Archive

The post Nino Vaccarella: 1933-2021 first appeared on dailysportscar.com.
Загрузка...

Comments

Комментарии для сайта Cackle
Загрузка...

More news:

Read on Sportsweek.org:

Other sports

Sponsored