14th january 2012

Gianpiero Moretti died from cancer on 14th January aged 67. He was a gifted amateur driver and an entrepreneur in the world of motor racing.

Moretti raced under the names of the brands he sold, Nomex clothing and Momo steering wheels. However, he made his Le Mans debut in 1970 under his own name in a Ferrari 512S in which he won the Fuji 200 Miles with Corrado Manfredini.

He then had a long career in IMSA and won the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours in 1998 in his Ferrari 333SP tuned by Kevin Doran. He was the driving force behind this car as he persuaded Maranello to build it.

He also raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1990 (rtd in a Porsche 962C) and 1997 (6th in his Ferrari 333SP) and his final outing in the Sarthe was in 1998 (14th in his 333SP).

The Momo company, which he founded, is still active and remains heavily involved in racing as proved by its recent appearance in the Daytona 24 Hours with a Porsche GT3 Cup in its colours.

Text: François Hurel – Photo: Momo