Tag Archives: died

Motorsport

Legendary Lamborghini Designer Marcello Gandini Has Died

Marcello Gandini, legendary designer answerable for quite a few Italian vehicles, has died, in response to RaiNews, Italy’s state-owned information outlet. He was 85 years outdated.

Gandini was best-known for his work with Lamborghini, the place he was answerable for designing poster vehicles just like the Miura, the Countach, and the Diablo. He was additionally the designer behind icons just like the Lancia Stratos, the Bugatti EB110, and the Fiat X1/9.

The Turin-born designer created his most well-known designs whereas working at Italian design home Bertone from the mid-Nineteen Sixties till 1980, penning the strains for vehicles just like the Alfa Romeo Montreal, the Maserati Khamsin, the unique Volkswagen Polo, and the Ferrari 308 GT4.

Gandini branched out and away from Bertone later in his profession, working independently with automakers like Citroën to develop the favored BX and Renault to design the now-iconic 5 Turbo hatchback. Other notable Gandini designs embrace the unique BMW 5 Series, the Lamborghini Espada, and the Cizeta-Moroder V16T.

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Even later in life Gandini continued to pursue design. He labored with TaTa Motors in 2017 to create the TaMo Racemo, a sportscar idea proven on the Geneva Motor Show. He additionally concerned himself within the industrial and furnishings design areas. In January, Gandini was awarded an honorary diploma in mechanical engineering by the Polytechnic Institute of Turin. 

A funeral chapel is being organized in Gandini’s Almese design studio, set to be held Thursday from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., and Friday 10:00 A.M to 12:00 P.M. native time, in response to RaiNews. The funeral itself is anticipated to be held on Friday night or Saturday.

 
News

GRT Yamaha WSBK Team Founder, Sporting Director Mirko Giansanti Dead At 46

Mirko Giansanti, the founder and sporting director of the GRT Yamaha team, passed away on August 7, 2023, after a long and serious illness. He was 46 years old. Before creating the Giansanti Racing Team (GRT) Yamaha in the World SuperSport (WSBK) series, Giansanti had a successful career as a racer.

Giansanti made his debut race as a wild card in the 1996 125cc Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. His impressive performance earned him three more rounds of racing that season and he even earned two points, despite not racing for the full season. In 1997, he became a full-time rider and consistently placed in the top ten in the riders’ championship. He achieved regular points and podium finishes, coming close to winning the race at Suzuka in 2003.

Throughout his career, Giansanti made 123 starts in the 125cc class before moving up to the 250cc class in 2005, where he also regularly scored points. From 2008 to 2012, he competed in World Supersport before eventually founding the GRT Yamaha team in 2016.

The GRT Yamaha team has seen several notable racers pass through its ranks since its establishment. Gino Rea helped the team podium in the World Supersport (WSSP) series in its first season, while Lucas Mahias won the WSSP title on a GRT Yamaha machine in 2017. In 2019, the team made the move to the World Superbike (WSBK) series, hiring Sandro Cortese and Marco Melandri. Melandri achieved podium finishes in the team’s first-ever WSBK race, and Garrett Gerloff added more podiums to the team’s record between 2020 and 2022. In 2023, Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner have been consistently running in the top ten for the GRT Yamaha team.

The GRT Yamaha team announced Giansanti’s death on its website, expressing their sadness and deep sorrow. They described Giansanti as a courageous and dignified individual who faced his final challenge with the same attributes that marked his racing career. They emphasized his love and passion for motorsport and promised to work harder to fulfill the common dream of taking the team to the top of the world.

Tributes have poured in from the motorcycling and motorsport community since the announcement of Giansanti’s passing. Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe road racing manager, acknowledged Giansanti’s contributions and expressed deep sadness at his loss. Moto journalist Simon Hargreaves also remembered Giansanti’s skills as a 125cc rider in the late 1990s and shared fond memories.

We extend our condolences to Mirko Giansanti’s family, friends, colleagues, fans, and all those who knew him and were touched by his presence.

Motorsport

Founder of Callaway Cars, Who Created a 255-MPH Sledgehammer Corvette, Passes Away at 75

Ely Reeves Callaway III, the founder and CEO of Callaway Cars, passed away on Tuesday, July 11, at the age of 75 in Newport Beach, California. According to a Facebook post on the company’s page, he succumbed to injuries sustained in a fall.

Reeves established the company in 1977, starting in his garage in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Ten years later, he began collaborating with Chevrolet, which marked the beginning of a long-standing relationship between Callaway Cars and the automaker. As a specialty vehicle manufacturer, Callaway Cars was able to sell its highly acclaimed Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette, known as the B2K, through Chevy’s dealer network.