Emilio de Villota facts for kids
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| Born | Emilio de Villota Ruíz 26 July 1946 Madrid, Spain |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Spanish |
| Active years | 1976–1978, 1981–1982 |
| Teams | RAM, non-works McLaren, non-works Williams, March |
| Entries | 15 (2 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1976 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1982 Dutch Grand Prix |
Emilio de Villota Ruíz (born 26 July 1946) is a former racing driver from Spain. He was born in Madrid. Emilio tried to race in 15 Formula One World Championship races between 1976 and 1982. He managed to start only two of these races.
He often raced in the Spanish Grand Prix during those years. Emilio also became a very strong driver in the Aurora AFX Formula One Championship. This was a special racing series for F1 cars. He won the championship title in 1980.
Contents
Emilio's Racing Journey
Emilio de Villota first joined international motor sports in 1972. He drove a SEAT 124 car in a race called the 4 Horas de Jarama. This race was part of the European Touring Car Championship. He finished 15th in that race.
He returned to this championship in 1975, driving a Ford Capri. He and his teammate, Jorge de Bagration, did not finish one race. But in their home race, the 4 Horas de Jarama, they finished second!
Moving to Single-Seaters
In 1976, Emilio decided to switch from touring cars to single-seater cars. His big dream was to race in the Formula One World Championship. To get ready, he joined the Shellsport G8 International Series. This was a championship in the UK where different types of powerful racing cars competed together.
Emilio raced with Lyncar Engineering Ltd. He finished 5th twice and ended the season 14th overall.
First Formula One Attempts
Emilio got his first chance in the 1976 World Championship. He drove a Brabham BT44B car, which had a Cosworth engine. He bought this car to race in the Spanish Grand Prix. However, he did not qualify for the race. This meant he wasn't fast enough to join the main event.
He went back to England for the 1977 season. He raced for Lyncar again, now sponsored by Iberia Airlines. He won the first race of the 1977 Shellsport G8 International Series at Mallory Park. But after only four races, Emilio left the series to focus on Formula One.
Racing with Iberia Airlines F1
In 1977, Emilio had a bigger plan. He wanted to be one of the first Spanish drivers to race in Formula One. With money from Iberia Airlines, he created his own small team called Iberia Airlines F1.
His team bought a McLaren M23 car with a Ford-Cosworth engine. The car was painted in the airline's colors. Emilio entered seven Formula One races in Europe. He only qualified for two of them. The first was his home race, the Spanish Grand Prix, where he finished 13th. The other race he started was the Austrian Grand Prix. He crashed on the last lap but was still placed 17th.
Between these big F1 races, Emilio also competed in some Shellsport G8 races with his F1 McLaren. He won two more times, once at Mallory Park and once at Brands Hatch. Even though he split his time, he still finished 5th in that championship.
Success in British Formula One
In 1978, Emilio tried again to qualify for the Spanish Grand Prix, but he didn't make it. After this, he decided to focus on the new Aurora AFX Formula One Championship. This series was cheaper to race in, which made it more competitive.
Emilio did very well in the Aurora championship. He finished 3rd overall in both 1978 and 1979. Then, in 1980, he became the champion! He drove a Williams FW07 car prepared by RAM Racing. During these years, he won nine races, including a famous one in Italy.
Sportscar Racing and Later Career
In 1981, Emilio switched to the World Endurance Championship. He joined Team Lola to race their Lola T600 sportscar. After a tough start, he and his teammate, Guy Edwards, finished 15th at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. They even finished 3rd in their class!
They then won two races: the Coppa Florio in Italy and the Flying Tiger 1000 at Brands Hatch.
In 1982, Emilio made his last try at Formula One. He tried to qualify for five races with a March 821 car, but he was not successful. This was also his first time racing outside Europe, in North America.
Away from F1, Emilio continued racing sportscars in the new Group C category. He raced with the Grid Plaza Racing team. He continued with Grid Racing in 1983. That year, he also won the Spanish Touring Car Championship, driving a Ford Capri.
In 1986, Emilio joined John Fitzpatrick Racing. He and his teammate, Fermín Velez, had five top-ten finishes in their Porsche 956 car. This included a 3rd place at the Nürburgring and a 4th place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was Emilio's last time racing at Le Mans.
By 1988, Emilio had stopped racing internationally. However, he still won three Spanish Porsche Carrera Cup Championships in 1993, 1995, and 1996. He still races sometimes, mostly in Spain.
After Retiring from Full-Time Racing
Today, Emilio de Villota runs his own racing team and school called Emilio de Villota Motorsport. His son, Emilio de Villota Jr., has also raced in Formula Three and Formula 3000.
His daughter, María de Villota, was a test driver for the Marussia F1 team. Sadly, she had a serious crash during a test in July 2012 and passed away in October 2013.
Images for kids
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Emilio de Villota in his racing gear.
See also
In Spanish: Emilio de Villota para niños
