Tributes paid to late Regazzoni

[davewilson]

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has paid tribute to Gianclaudio Regazzoni who lost his life in a road accident in Italy on Friday.

The 67-year-old Swiss veteran of 132 grands prix drove for the Italian squad alongside Niki Lauda when Montezemolo became team manager in 1974.

"The death of Clay Regazzoni has robbed us of a man of courage and generosity who lived his life demonstrating those values," said Montezemolo.

"I remember him not only as one of my drivers during unforgettable times, but also as a true supporter of Ferrari.

"For him, races had to be tackled with boldness and on the limit, from the first to the final lap."

Regazzoni won four grands prix for the scuderia during his two stints between 1970-72 and 1974-76, including a maiden win in the 1970 Italian Grand Prix, which was overshadowed by the death of world champion Joachim Rindt.

'Regga' also scored a non-championship win in his 'home' Swiss GP at Dijon in France in 1975.

"I celebrated a first world championship win with him and Niki [Lauda] in 1975, and I will never forget his great victories at the wheel of our cars, both in Formula 1 and sports cars," recalled Montezemolo.

"This is a very sad moment for me, especially as his "Swiss Neapolitan" character meant he was also a unique person away from the race tracks and so many memories of him now come to mind."

Regazzoni's last F1 victoru coincided with the Williams team's first, at Silverstone in 1979, and Sir Frank Williams also paid tribute in a statement on Friday.

"Clay won the very first Grand Prix for the Williams Team in 1979 at Silverstone," it read.

"This was probably the most important event ever to occur in the history of our time in Formula One. 

"He was a gentleman and always a pleasure to have with us in the team. Patrick [Head] and I and other team members will always remember him."

Regazzoni's career ended after an accident in his Ensign broke his spine at the 1980 Long Beach GP.

His injuries left him permanently paralysed.

He continued to compete in motorsport - in the Paris-Dakar rally as well as some sportscar events in the 90s - and was significant in pioneering paraplegic automotive technology through his exploits.


With Best Respects

The Stig