A tribute to Giulio Borsari

[Rob]

Montezemolo: “A real Ferrari man”

Maranello, 28 March – “A man of great passion and ability, a real Ferrari man.” That is how President Luca di Montezemolo described Giulio Borsari, a long time Formula 1 mechanic, who passed away yesterday.

Born in 1925 in Montale, a short distance from the Maranello factory, Giulio dedicated his whole life to his passion for racing. At the end of 1957, after ten years at Maserati, ending in the team securing the Formula 1 World Championship title with Juan Manuel Fangio, but at the same time pulling out of racing, Giulio moved from the Trident marque, first to Paganelli and then to Scuderia Centro-Sud. Then, in 1962, he made the move to Ferrari.

Giulio spent 17 years with the Prancing Horse, working alongside many Formula 1 drivers, as well as working on the Sports Prototype cars. John Surtees was particularly attached to Giulio, who was Scuderia chief mechanic when he won the world championship in 1964. His farewell to racing came in 1979, at the end of another extraordinary season for Ferrari, culminating in winning both titles with Jody Scheckter, Gilles Villeneuve and the 312 T4. In fact it was at the thirtieth anniversary commemoration of Gilles that, on 8 May last year at Fiorano, Giulio met the son, Jacques and many former colleagues, all part of the Club Meccanici Anziani, the association for former Formula 1 mechanics, which he founded in 1988.

Giulio continued to play an active role in many international motoring events and was the head of the Ferrari Shell Historic Challenge technical commission from 2000 to 2008. His in-depth knowledge of race cars meant he was a reference point for everyone who shared a passion for these cars and for the racing history of the marque that represents Italian excellence around the world.

The thoughts of everyone at Ferrari, those from yesteryear and today, as well as of the drivers who worked with Giulio, are with his family at this difficult time. They remember the dedication and expertise which he applied to his passion for racing.

Another sad day

Thoughts and prayers, RIP Giulio.

[Massimo]

Mauro Forghieri recalls a story that explains who Borsari was, a true Ferrari man from 1963 until his retirement.

An important piece of Ferrari history has silently passed away, yesterday Giulio Borsari turned off the engine for the last time, at the age of 88.
He was known as "the chief mechanic", perhaps more knowledgeable than an engineer, he "baptised" generations of young mechanics starting at Ferrari's Reparto Corse (racing department), he had a solution to any problem, was a very charismatic man and never needed to raise his voice to keep the team together, Borsari was an example for young and old.

"this is true" says Mauro Forghieri with an emotional tone of voice, "i will tell you a story that happened during the weekend of the German Gp, held at Hockenheim in 1970.
Our drivers were Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni driving the Ferrari 312B, at the first free practice we found out the 12 cylinder boxer engine had problems with seized up bearings.
Giulio was in charge of Jacky Ickx's car, you have to know, at that time the pit boxes were nothing like they are today, and the paddock was just a strip of grass, late that night Borsari told me to send all the mechanics to bed, but asked me to stay with him, i had no idea what he was up to.
Then he showed me a piece of string and some sandpaper, and he began to open Jacky's engine, with precision and care he started to take the engine apart, piece by piece, and calmly explained to me how to sand the motor shaft to remove 2 tenths, but he was also very clear that i had to do it exactly right and that we could make no mistake, i was on one side he was on the other, it took us 4 hours...

"When we were finished Giulio started to reassemble the engine with surgical precision, next day Jacky Ickx started from pole position.
In the race 4 drivers were fighting for the lead, Ickx, Rindt, Regazzoni and Amon constantly overtook each other for positions, Clay was forced to retire due to engine problems, as was Amon, Jacky raced Rindt to the finish and continued to push him hard, in the end Rindt stayed ahead, clinching the win from Ickx by just 0.7 sec.
That 2nd. place was as much Giulio's as it was Ickx's.
Borsari had shown me one of his many secrets, like he did with all the young mechanics after they had gained his trust."

Giulio Borsari was born in Montale in 1925, he began at Maserati and stayed with the trident untill after the war, he left in 1957 after having celebrated with Juan Manuel Fangio his fifth world title, shortly after the Modena based Maserati suspended all racing activity's.
He received a call from Mimmo Dei, who practically begged him to work on his Scuderia Centro-Sud cars.
Not long before he left for Maranello, where it only took him two years to become Ferrari's most respected Capo meccanico, the drivers trusted the bespectacled mechanic with their lives.
Il Club Meccanici Anziani Formula Uno (Mechanical Elderly Club Formula One ) loses their leader, and Ferrari one of their legends, but Giulio Borsani leaves beautiful memories behind in Maranello and is a big part of Ferrari racing history.

Resta in Pace Signore Bersani.

[Massimo]

Just wrote a tribute to, can you move it to this thread please Rob, thanx.

[REDARMYSOJA]

Mauro Forghieri recalls a story that explains who Borsari was, a true Ferrari man from 1963 until his retirement.

An important piece of Ferrari history has silently passed away, yesterday Giulio Borsari turned off the engine for the last time, at the age of 88.
He was known as "the chief mechanic", perhaps more knowledgeable than an engineer, he "baptised" generations of young mechanics starting at Ferrari's Reparto Corse (racing department), he had a solution to any problem, was a very charismatic man and never needed to raise his voice to keep the team together, Borsari was an example for young and old.

"this is true" says Mauro Forghieri with an emotional tone of voice, "i will tell you a story that happened during the weekend of the German Gp, held at Hockenheim in 1970.
Our drivers were Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni driving the Ferrari 312B, at the first free practice we found out the 12 cylinder boxer engine had problems with seized up bearings.
Giulio was in charge of Jacky Ickx's car, you have to know, at that time the pit boxes were nothing like they are today, and the paddock was just a strip of grass, late that night Borsari told me to send all the mechanics to bed, but asked me to stay with him, i had no idea what he was up to.
Then he showed me a piece of string and some sandpaper, and he began to open Jacky's engine, with precision and care he started to take the engine apart, piece by piece, and calmly explained to me how to sand the motor shaft to remove 2 tenths, but he was also very clear that i had to do it exactly right and that we could make no mistake, i was on one side he was on the other, it took us 4 hours...

"When we were finished Giulio started to reassemble the engine with surgical precision, next day Jacky Ickx started from pole position.
In the race 4 drivers were fighting for the lead, Ickx, Rindt, Regazzoni and Amon constantly overtook each other for positions, Clay was forced to retire due to engine problems, as was Amon, Jacky raced Rindt to the finish and continued to push him hard, in the end Rindt stayed ahead, clinching the win from Ickx by just 0.7 sec.
That 2nd. place was as much Giulio's as it was Ickx's.
Borsari had shown me one of his many secrets, like he did with all the young mechanics after they had gained his trust."

Giulio Borsari was born in Montale in 1925, he began at Maserati and stayed with the trident untill after the war, he left in 1957 after having celebrated with Juan Manuel Fangio his fifth world title, shortly after the Modena based Maserati suspended all racing activity's.
He received a call from Mimmo Dei, who practically begged him to work on his Scuderia Centro-Sud cars.
Not long before he left for Maranello, where it only took him two years to become Ferrari's most respected Capo meccanico, the drivers trusted the bespectacled mechanic with their lives.
Il Club Meccanici Anziani Formula Uno (Mechanical Elderly Club Formula One ) loses their leader, and Ferrari one of their legends, but Giulio Borsani leaves beautiful memories behind in Maranello and is a big part of Ferrari racing history.

Resta in Pace Signore Bersani.

Great story Massimo, thanks.

RIP Giulio.

[Rob]

Surtees remembers Borsari

Maranello, 29 March –John Surtees was particularly close to Giulio Borsari, the long time Formula 1 mechanic, who died yesterday at the age of 88. Giulio was the team’s chief mechanic when John won the Formula 1 World Championship in 1964 at the wheel of the 158 F1. We asked the English driver for a few words about his Italian friend.

“It was a sad and bleak day, when I walked into Worth Abbey for my son Harry’s funeral service,” Surtees told www.ferrari.com. “The only bit of light to pierce the darkness at that moment was when I saw Giulio Borsari standing there. My time with Ferrari was characterised by highs and lows, but as Enzo Ferrari told me shortly before his death, we must remember the good things and not the mistakes. I remember Giulio with great affection and gratitude for being such a great help to me both in the good times and the bad and for knowing how to express that special emotion you can only find in Italy, when we scored our victories together.”

Giulio and John met one last time on 29 June 2011 at Fiorano, at a promotional event organised by Shell. With them was Fernando Alonso, who spent a long time talking with both men: it was a very significant moment, bringing together Scuderia Ferrari’s past and its present.