Michele Alboreto

MICHELE ALBORETO d2001. Italian Formula One racing driver, famous for finishing runner-up in the 1985 World Championship. Career record ; 215 races / 5 wins / 23 podiums and 2 pole-positions. Driving for Tyrrell ; two wins (the first in the final round of the 1982 season in Las Vegas) and the second a year later in Detroit, earned him a place with the Ferrari team. He then took three wins for the Italian team and challenged for the 1985 Championship, eventually losing out by 20 points to Alain Prost. Following a poor 1988 season, he left Ferrari and re-signed with his former employers where he stayed until joining Larrousse mid-way through 1989. Further seasons with Footwork / Scuderia Italia and Minardi followed during the tail end of his F1 career. In 1995, he moved on to sports-cars and a year later the American Indycar series. He took his final major victories (the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours and 2001 Sebring 12 Hours) with Porsche and Audi respectively. In 2001, just a month after his Sebring victory, he was killed aged just 44 whilst testing an Audi R8 at the Lausitzring in Germany.