Ignazio Francesco Giunti (30 August 1941 – 10 January 1971) was an Italian

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

. He competed in

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...

as well as in saloon and

Sports Car Racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing i ...

. Giunti was born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In 1968, driving for

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

, he finished second in the

Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 195 ...

and fourth in the

Le Mans 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose w ...

race co-driving with

Nanni Galli Giovanni Giuseppe Gilberto "Nanni" Galli (2 October 1940 – 12 October 2019) was an Italian saloon, sports-car and Formula One driver of the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Bologna, Galli started his career in endurance racing. He won the Circuit of ...

. In 1970, Giunti was signed by Ferrari primarily for their sports-car team, and won the

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in Sebring, Florida, US. The event is the second ro ...

as well as achieving several other high placings. His success earned him a

chance along with

Clay Regazzoni Gianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni (5 September 1939 – 15 December 2006) was a Swiss racing driver. He competed in Formula One races from 1970 to 1980, winning five Grands Prix. His first win was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his debu ...

, who Ferrari was also trialling at the time. Giunti finished fourth on his debut in the Belgian GP at

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...

. Despite his being out-performed by Regazzoni during the remaining races, he was re-signed by Ferrari for the following season. Giunti was killed during his first drive in 1971 whilst racing in the

1000 km Buenos Aires The 1000 km Buenos Aires was an endurance sports car event held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The race mostly run on the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, although it would run the Costanera circuit in 1957. Besides a single race in Carac ...

. He was leading the race when his Ferrari 312PB prototype ploughed into the back of the Matra-Simca MS660 of

Jean-Pierre Beltoise Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise (26 April 1937 – 5 January 2015) was a French Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. He competed in 88 Grands Prix achieving a single victory, at th ...

, who was pushing the car along the track after it had run out of fuel. He died due to the impact and the subsequent fire.

Complete Formula One results

( key)

References

Sources

* Formula One World Championship results are derived from * {{DEFAULTSORT:Giunti, Ignazio 1941 births 1971 deaths Racing drivers from Rome Italian racing drivers Italian Formula One drivers Ferrari Formula One drivers Racing drivers who died while racing Sport deaths in Argentina 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Filmed deaths in motorsport World Sportscar Championship drivers 24 Hours of Daytona drivers 12 Hours of Sebring drivers People of Calabrian descent