Ludovico Scarfiotti facts for kids
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| Born | 18 October 1933 Turin, Italy |
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| Died | 8 June 1968 (aged 34) Berchtesgaden, Germany |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Italian |
| Active years | 1963 – 1968 |
| Teams | Ferrari, Cooper, Anglo American Racers |
| Entries | 13 (10 starts) |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 17 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 1963 Dutch Grand Prix |
| First win | 1966 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1966 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1968 Monaco Grand Prix |
Ludovico Scarfiotti (born October 18, 1933 – died June 8, 1968) was a famous race car driver from Italy. He competed in both Formula One and sports car races. Before joining Formula One, he won the tough 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans race with Ferrari.
Ludovico took part in 12 World Championship Formula One races. He also raced in many non-championship events. He won one World Championship race and earned a total of 17 championship points. Scarfiotti was a top driver for ten years. He won the European Hillclimb Championship in 1962 and 1965. Because of his success, he was named Italy's best driver in both those years.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Ludovico Scarfiotti was born in Turin, a city in Italy. Cars were a big part of his life from a young age. His grandfather was the first president and one of the nine people who started the famous Fiat car company.
Sports Car Adventures
In October 1962, Scarfiotti raced in the 1,000 Kilometres de Paris sports car event. He finished third with his teammate Colin Davis. The race was won by brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez in a Ferrari.
A big win for Scarfiotti came in June 1963. He teamed up with Lorenzo Bandini to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They drove a factory Ferrari and averaged about 117.99 miles per hour (189.89 km/h) over 2,832 miles (4,558 km). This victory brought them nearly $20,000 in prize money and a lot of fame. It also marked Ferrari's fourth win in a row at Le Mans.
In 1965, John Surtees and Scarfiotti won the 1000km Nürburgring race together. They drove a Ferrari 330 P2 Spyder. This win gave Ferrari its fourth straight victory at that race. They led for all 44 laps and finished in 6 hours, 53 minutes, and 5 seconds. Their average speed was about 90.46 miles per hour (145.58 km/h).
Scarfiotti and Bandini finished second in the 1966 1,000 kilometre Nürburgring race. They drove a 2-litre Dino 206 S. The winning car was a Chaparral, which was much more powerful. It was also the first time an automatic gearbox was used in European racing.
Later, John Surtees left the Ferrari team. This happened after Ferrari decided to have Scarfiotti race instead of him at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Scarfiotti himself had to stop early in that race after 123 laps.
In May 1967, Scarfiotti joined Mike Parkes in a Ferrari P4 for the 1000 km Spa race. They finished one lap behind the winning Ford Mirage. The winning team averaged 120.5 miles per hour (193.9 km/h).
Scarfiotti and Mike Parkes drove a new Ferrari P4 coupe to second place at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Their sister car, driven by Lorenzo Bandini and Chris Amon, won the race. Ferrari cars took the top three spots! They had the same result at the Monza 1,000 km race in April. Scarfiotti and Parkes also finished second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. They were behind a Ford Mark IV.
After 1967, new rules limited prototype racing cars to 3-litre engines. Ferrari decided not to enter the 1968 World Sportscar Championship because of these changes. Scarfiotti then joined the Porsche team.
In 1968, Scarfiotti entered the Targa Florio race. Sadly, he crashed his Porsche 907 during practice. He had to use a backup car, which also didn't finish the long 720 kilometres (450 mi)-long race.
Formula One Career
Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari, signed Scarfiotti to his Formula One team in 1963. Other drivers on the team included Surtees, Willy Mairesse, Bandini, and Nino Vaccarella.
Scarfiotti finished sixth in his first Formula One race, the 1963 Dutch Grand Prix. He was one lap behind the winner, Jim Clark.
A big moment came in 1966. Scarfiotti became the first Italian in 15 years to win the Italian Grand Prix. He drove his Ferrari to a record speed of 136.7 miles per hour (220.0 km/h). As of today, he is still the last Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix.
After Lorenzo Bandini passed away in 1967, Ferrari entered two cars for Scarfiotti and Parkes in a non-championship race. Scarfiotti and Parkes shared the victory in an unusual dead heat. They finished at the same time, averaging 113.65 miles per hour (182.90 km/h).
For the 1968 season, Ferrari hired new drivers, so Scarfiotti joined the Cooper team. He finished third and fourth in the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix and 1968 Monaco Grand Prix, respectively. The Monaco race was tough, with many cars having mechanical problems. This was Scarfiotti's last Formula One race.
A Tragic End
Ludovico Scarfiotti died on June 8, 1968, during a hillclimbing event. This happened near Berchtesgaden, Germany, in the German Alps. He was the third Grand Prix driver to die in 1968, after Jim Clark and Mike Spence.
Scarfiotti crashed his Porsche 910 during practice. The car suddenly went off the track and fell about ten yards down a tree-covered slope. The Porsche got stuck in the trees, and Scarfiotti was thrown from the car. He was found badly hurt about 50 yards away. He passed away in an ambulance from many broken bones.
The team manager for Porsche, Huschke von Hanstein, said he had never been involved with a fatal accident in his 18 years with the team. Skid marks showed that Scarfiotti had slammed on his brakes at the last second.
Ludovico Scarfiotti was married to Ida Benignetti and had two children from an earlier relationship.
Images for kids
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Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966
