Arturo Merzario

Arturo Merzario (born the March 11th 1943 with Civenna, in the Province of Like, in Lombardy, Italy -) is old a racing driver Italy N. It took part in 57 GP of Formule 1 between 1972 and 1979 and registered 11 points in championship. It also founded its own stable TEAM Merzario which particularly did not shine in F1. Merzario especially showed its talent of pilot in Sport-Prototypes where its prize list gives a report on many victories and places of honor.

Biography

Arturo Merzario starts to be illustrated in automobile sport within the stable FIAT - Abarth where it is regularly engaged in two very different disciplines, the hill climbs and the competitions of Sport. Its blow of wheel enables him to be pointed out Scuderia Ferrari in 1969. At the wheel of the Sport-Prototypes to the pulled up horse, Merzario takes down one 3rd place with the 24 hours of Daytona 1970 on 312S. In 1971, it signs its first success for Ferrari in Mugello. Parallel to its engagements in Sport, it tests upon the single-seater in Formule 2 at the wheel of a Tecno but the experiment turns short, Merzario managing only too seldom to qualify themselves or to be classified.

From 1972, its prize list is packed copiously: associated with Brian Redman, it gains the test of Spa-Francorchamps over 312 PB, then in company of Sandro Munari the Targa Florio over 312P and finally the 9 hours of the Rand in South Africa associated with Clay Regazzoni. Merzario thus makes it possible Ferrari to gain the championship of the world of sport scars. Ferrari gives the opportunity to him to take part to its first GP of Formula 1 at the time of the test of Great Britain. At the wheel of the 312B it takes down a beautiful 9th place on the starting grid then registered its first point in the discipline while finishing 6th. It takes the departure of the German test but, qualified in bottom of grid, finishes with an anonymity 12th place. For lack of single-seater available (new Ferrari 312B2 receives a new architecture motor 12 cylinders boxer instead of V12 of the 312B), Arturo cannot take part in the Canadian test for which it was registered.

the following year, the 312 B2 then 312 B3 with motorization flat 12 are not always available for Merzario which disputes only 9 races. The single-seaters are much less fringantes that their devancières but Merzario manages to be classified twice with the foot of the podium at the time of the tests of Brazil and South Africa. It progresses in qualifications but does not manage to register new points, failing the 7th place at the time of the GP of France and Austria. It continues its career in Sport and finishes second of the 24 hours of Mans.

In 1974, Ferrari " release Merzario of its engagements" in F1 and Sport-Proto: the Italian finds refuge in the young Iso-Marlboro stable of Frank Williams. After two abandonments at the time of the first two tests, it takes down, on the FW, one 3rd place on the grid with Kyalami which it converts into one 6th final place. In spite of a beautiful series of qualifications, Merzario does not succeed in with any more registering points or finishing the races. It should await the 13th test, in Italy, so that it finds the way of the points while finishing 4th of its national GP. In Sport, from now on at Autodelta, the sporting branch of Alfa Romeo, it gains the 1.000 kilometers of Monza over Alfa 33TT12.

In 1975 Merzario continues the adventure in F1 with Frank Williams within the new stable Williams. The single-seater is that of the former season and the results are disappointing at the beginning of season. The new FW04 which begins in Spain does not bring renewal of performance and the FW is again engaged, without more success. At Williams, Merzario never receives the flag with checkerworks of all the season, except at the time of the inaugural GP where it finishes not-classified with nearly 10 turns of the winner Emerson Fittipaldi. Disappointed this first part of season catastrophic, it breaks with Williams and sign with Willi Kauhsen whose stable WKRT engages of the 33TT12 in Sport-Proto. Contrast with F1 is seizing since Merzario gains, associated with Jacques Laffite, the 800 km of Dijon, the 1000 km of Monza, the 1.000 kilometers of Nürburgring and finally the 1000 km of Enna-Perguza (Florio Cut) with Jochen Mass. It also finishes second in Mugello, Spa-Francorchamps, Österreichring and Watkins Glen. At the end of the season, Esparto and Kaushen take down the world title. Merzario therefore did not cut the bridges with F1 since it carries out a measuring rod for Fittipaldi Automotive with the GP of Italy when the owner-pilot Wilson Fittipaldi chooses to give up the wheel for better concentrating on his role of director D `stable. The FD03 of the beginner team only makes it possible Merzario to take down the 11th final place, which constitutes all the same the best result of the team since her beginnings in the discipline queen.

In 1976, it signs for L `semi-private stable Ovoro which engages of the March 761. It misses its qualification at the time of the first test and is qualified in bottom of grid with six recoveries. Merzario receives the flag with checkerworks only in France where it is classified 9th. It is then called with the rescue by Frank Williams which must mitigate the departure of Jacky Ickx, disappointed performances of its single-seater, for Ensign. The stable changed still name and is called from now on Walter Wolf Racing. At the wheel of the FW05, Merzario disputes the last seven Grands Prix of the season and will revive the same martyrdom as at the beginning of year: it can carry out only puffing qualifications and never manages to finish only one race.

Without wheel 1 in 1977 of them Formulates, Merzario engages on a purely basis deprived in championship and the TEAM Merzario aligns March 761B. This single-seater had not shone the season spent with Ovoro and, in 5 participations in the championship, Arturo only the GP of Belgium finishes (14th). It carries out a measuring rod for Shadow at the time of the GP of Austria where it replaces Riccardo Patrese but is constrained with the abandonment. Fortunately, its results in Sport-Proto are much more satisfactory. It gains, within Autodelta, the 500 km of Dijon over 33TT12 (with Jean-Pierre Jarier), the tests of Estoril and Enna-Pergusa over 33SC12 then the 500 km of Castellet again with Jarier. Merzario makes it possible Alfa to take down the world title of the manufacturers.

In 1978, Merzario continues in F1 with its own stable but decides to pass at the higher level by designing its own single-seaters. He is thus at the same time manufacturer, originator, director of stable and pilot. This quadruple cap quickly will prove too heavy to carry. Merzario A1 conceived by Arturo takes the departure only of 8 tests in the season and sees the flag with checkerworks only with the GP of Sweden with Anderstorp. With 8 turns of delay on Niki Lauda, Merzario N `is not classified. Arturo continues at the wheel of its own single-seaters in 1979. A1B, modest evolution of its devancière committed to four recoveries, are qualified twice and never joined the arrival. From the Grand Prix of Spain, a2 news, conceived it by Giorgio Valentini, is committed with three recoveries but never reaches the stage of the qualifications. The same will apply with A4 which misses with seven recoveries the qualifications. In 1980, Arturo Merzario again tries to shine in F1 and registers its M1 news with the GP of Belgium. But, again originator of the frame, it does not manage to finalize the single-seater before the race and must give up his engagement. He modifies the single-seater to align it in Formule 2, without notable success. He then decides to put a term at his sporting career before finding the world of the competition in the Nineties.

From 1995, it runs on Maserati Ghibli in Italian championship of WP of category AWG and joins again with the victory with Imola. In 1996, it is classified 20th general classification with one 3rd place with Magione and a victory of class (GT3) in Vallelunga. It is 15th championship in 1997 (always on Ghibli), 5th in 1998, 7th in 1999 at the wheel of a Porsche 996 GT3 cup and finally 7th in 2000 on Ferrari F355. In 1997, it gains the test of Brno TRUSTED Sportscar Championship of it on Centenari.

Results Formulates 1 of them

Prize list (nonexhaustive) out of Sport-Prototypes

1969: Championship of Europe of the mountain, sport category, Abarth: Champion
1972: Championship of Europe of the mountain, 2l category, Abarth: Champion
1972: Targa Florio (with Sandro Munari), Ferrari 312 PB: Victoire
1972: 24 hours of Spa (with Brian Redman), Ferrari 312 PB: Victoire
1972: 9 hours of the Rand (with Clay Regazzoni), Ferrari 312 PB: Victoire
1973: 24 hours of Mans (with Carlos Pace), Ferrari 312 PB: 2nd
1974: 1000 km of Monza (with Mario Andretti), Esparto 33 TT 12: Victoire
1975: 800 km of Dijon (with Jacques Laffite), Esparto 33 TT 12: Victoire
1975: 1000 km of Monza (with Jacques Laffite), Esparto 33/2: Victoire
1975: 1000 km of Nurburgring (with Jacques Laffite), Esparto 33TT 12: Victoire
1975: Florio Cup d' Enna (with Jochen Farmhouse), Esparto 33 TT 12: Victoire
1975: Targa Florio (with Nino Vaccarella), Esparto 33/2: Victoire
1977: 500 km of Dijon (with Jean-Pierre Jarier), Esparto 33 TT 12: Victoire
1977:500 km of Castellet (with Jean-Pierre Jarier), Esparto 33 SC 12: Victoire
1977: Enna-Pergusa, Esparto 33 SC 12: Victoire
1977: Estoril, Esparto 33 SC 12: Victoire

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