The term "One-Hit Wonder" is particularly used in the music world, but it perfectly fits the career of Giancarlo Baghetti. "One-Hit Wonder" indicates a character who achieves great success, but only for a short period.
Giancarlo Baghetti was born in Milan on Christmas Day 1934 and lived his youth in the midst of the "Boom". He began racing and stood out in the minor formulas. We are at the end of the '50s and in Formula 1 the memory of Italy on top of the world with Farina and Ascari was fresh.
The generational change, with Musso and Castellotti, was tragically interrupted by the fatal accidents of the two. The tradition of motorsports dictates that there be an Italian at the top, so Enzo Ferrari decides to entrust one of his cars to FISA, the acronym that at the time designated the Italian Federation of Racing Teams.
There is an internal vote and - by 5 votes out of 8 - the Ferrari 156 goes to Baghetti.
Giancarlo debuts in Syracuse, a race with great tradition but not valid for the World Championship, and immediately wins. In Naples the same situation and the Milanese wins again.
The world championship race will be held in Reims on July 2nd.
Expectations for Giancarlo are high, but he is calm. He qualifies only twelfth, while Phil Hill, Von Trips and Ginther, with the official Ferraris, monopolize the front row. Baghetti starts cautiously: he climbs slowly and after 18 laps he is fourth, behind the three official Ferraris. It would already be a success, but it is destiny that July 2 will be Baghetti's big day.
Von Trips breaks his engine, Phil Hill is delayed and Ginther has problems with oil pressure. Baghetti finds himself in the lead, hunted by the Porsches of the experts Bonnier and Gurney. It seems like we are back to the battle of Reims in 1953, between Hawthorn, Fangio and Farina. The three exchange positions on the long straights.
With two laps to go, Bonnier's Porsche also gives up: only Gurney and Baghetti remain. The American is more experienced, but Giancarlo races like the most seasoned of drivers. On the last corner of the last lap, Gurney passes first, but the straight is long and the power of the 156 is greater: Baghetti wins in a sprint by a tenth of a second!
Unfortunately, the Milanese's winning streak ends like this. In 1962, with the official Ferrari, a fourth and a fifth place, but the explosion does not arrive. In 1963 Baghetti gambles everything: he follows a handful of defectors from Ferrari to ATS, but the operation has no success.
For a few years the Milanese races occasionally with BRM, Lotus, Brabham and again Ferrari, but without satisfaction. In '66 he is second in the Targa Florio, in '67 he is among the first to help Bandini in the Monte Carlo fire. Perhaps marked by the tragedy, he leaves racing. He will have a good success as a journalist.
Giancarlo Baghetti died at only 60 years old, in November 1995.
© "Formula 1, Le Storie"