Emanuele Pirro facts for kids
Pirro in 2012
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| Born | 12 January 1962 Rome, Italy |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Italian |
| Active years | 1989–1991 |
| Teams | Benetton, Scuderia Italia |
| Entries | 40 (37 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 3 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1989 French Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1991 Australian Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Years | 1981, 1998 – 2008, 2010 |
| Teams | Martini Racing, GTC Competition, Audi Sport Joest, Champion Racing, Drayson Racing |
| Best finish | 1st (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007) |
| Class wins | 6 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007) |
Emanuele Pirro (born 12 January 1962) is a famous Italian racing driver. He has competed in many types of races. These include Formula One, touring cars, and long endurance races. He is especially known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times!
Emanuele was a two-time Italian Karting Champion (1976, 1979). He also won the Formula Fiat Abarth Championship in 1980. Later, he became a two-time Italian Touring Car Champion (1994, 1995). He also won the German Touring Car Championship in 1996. His amazing wins in endurance races make him one of the best in that sport.
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About Emanuele Pirro
Emanuele Pirro was born in Rome, Italy. His family roots come from a small town called Latera near Viterbo. He is married to Marlene and they have two sons. His son Cristoforo, born in 1993, is a mechanical engineer. He works as a Performance Engineer in F1. His other son, Goffredo, born in 1996, is an automotive engineer who specializes in motorsport. When he's not racing, Emanuele enjoys cooking.
Emanuele's Racing Journey
Emanuele started racing cars in 1980. Before that, he spent seven years racing go-karts. He was a two-time Italian Karting Champion. He also finished second in both the European and World Karting Championships. After karting, he won races in many different junior series. These included F3, F3000, and Formula Nippon.
Racing in Formula One
In 1988, Emanuele joined McLaren as a test driver. His job was to help develop the new Honda engine for their MP4/4 car. He stayed in this role for three more seasons.
His first Formula One race was the 1989 French Grand Prix. He raced for the Benetton-Ford team. He took the place of Johnny Herbert, who was recovering from injuries. For the 1990 and 1991 seasons, Emanuele raced for BMS Scuderia Italia.
Success in Touring Cars
While racing in single-seater cars, Emanuele also drove for BMW in touring car races until 1993. He won races in many different championships. These included ETCC, WTCC, Italian Supertouring, and DTM. He was one of the few drivers to win in his very first DTM race.
He also won the 24 Hours Nürburgring. He won the Macau Guia Race twice. And he won the Wellington 500 four times. He achieved these wins with the famous BMW M3 E30 car and the Schnitzer team. After leaving BMW in 1993, he joined Audi. With Audi, he won the Italian Touring Car Championships in 1994 and 1995. Then, he won the German Touring Car Championship in 1996. From 1994 to 1996, he raced in 70 Italian and German Supertouring races. He only finished outside the top 10 once!
Winning in Sportscars
Emanuele first raced in endurance events when he was only 19. He won his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona with a Lancia Beta Monte Carlo. He also won the Kyalami 9 Hours. He had a tough experience at Le Mans that same year. After that, he didn't race much in endurance events for a while. He made a few appearances in Japan with Nissan and Porsche cars.
He returned to Le Mans in 1998 with a McLaren F1 car. In 1999, Audi introduced the Audi R8R. With this car, he started an amazing streak of nine podium finishes in a row at Le Mans. In 2000, he teamed up with Tom Kristensen and Frank Biela. They won three Le Mans races in a row with the new Audi R8.
In 2006, with Frank Biela and Marco Werner, he made history. They were the first drivers to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a diesel car! They won again the next year. In 2008, he announced he would stop racing sportscars for Audi. Between 1999 and 2008, he won five 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also won two ALMS championships, two 12 Hours of Sebring, and three Petit Le Mans. After 2008, he still raced in some events. These included the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Drayson Racing.
Life After Full-Time Racing
Emanuele still enjoys racing in historic car events. In 2010, he won the Monaco Historic Grand Prix in the Formula 3 class.
He also has important roles in motorsport. He is a Brand Ambassador for Audi. He is a member of several FIA (International Automobile Federation) commissions. These include the Drivers’ Commission and the Historic Motorsport Commission. He is also the President of the Italian Karting Commission. He is a Vice President of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Club. Emanuele also works as a Steward for F1 races and is a TV commentator. He often speaks at events for big companies.
In 2015, he even raced in the first round of the British Universities Karting Championship with his two sons.
Emanuele owns a 5-star hotel called Faloria Mountain Spa Resort in Cortina d’Ampezzo. He has also played football for over 25 years with the Nazionale Piloti team. He also plays for the "Star Team for the Children" for Prince Albert of Monaco. He takes part in other charity events too. He also became the Director of the McLaren Racing Driver Development program.
Images for kids
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Pirro in 2012
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Pirro driving for Benetton at the 1989 Belgian Grand Prix.
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Pirro at the 1991 United States Grand Prix.
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Pirro driving an Audi R10 at Laguna Seca in 2006.
See also
In Spanish: Emanuele Pirro para niños
