Interviews of Roman Klemm

Dr. Andrea Gallignani on Enzo, Giancarlo and Elio. Words: Roman Klemm / Pictures: Roman Klemm and the Dr. Gallignani archive

 If I have ever really supported anyone in Formula 1, it was the Roman Elio de Angelis. As proof, I can always pull out the T-shirt with the words "Elio de Angelis Fanclub” of my own production, which the winner of the GP in Zeltweg and Imola signed for me in 1984. By pure chance, a few years ago I met a man who was Elios close friend and personally accompanied him to most of the races and private adventures. He also stood at the cradle of the famous Italian Scuderia Minardi. So where better to talk and reminisce than during the historic event "Minardi Day” in Imola? The agreed half hour ended up being almost 3 hours. I thought I knew almost everything about de Angelis, but some of the information almost took my breath away - and Dr. Andrea Gallignani only managed to reveal a fraction of what he experienced. Not to mention what he told me "off the records”…

What brought you into the world of motors, did you have ambitions to become a racer?

Being a racer never occurred to me. But I grew up in the small town of Fusignano in a family that owned the Everest company. My father founded this company in 1953 and initially produced rubber soles for shoe factories. The company grew promisingly, it got strong partners. In the end, Everest was a group of companies that produced everything of rubber for the automotive industry. Hoses, seals and the like. I had a wonderful life. I studied economics, but above all I enjoyed the gift of fate, being the descendant of a wealthy family.

So what about racing?

My dad was a friend of Giancarlo Minardi and supported his team. Actually, not only that: Until 1979, it was called Everest-Minardi team, and our family owned half of. I went to races with them, without any specific function. Just as a sponsor and a "gofer for everything”. For example, I signaled the drivers' times from the pit wall.

Everest and Minardi caused a stir worldwide for the first time in 1976 when they entered a private Ferrari-F1. Something unprecedented!

I was 19 years old at the time and had been fully involved in the project since the end of 1975. My father had a great relationship with Enzo Ferrari and they worked out a plan according to which Ferrari would provide Minardi with the car from the previous year for all the European Grand Prix of the 1976 season. Everest was to take care of the finances, Minardi was to take care of the entry. Of course, Ferrari was always to have the final say. The driver was to be top F2 pilot Gabriele Serblin. But at the end of 1975 he decided to stop racing! Dad's "plan B" was Maurizio Flammini - and Ferrari agreed. We prepared a big presentation of the project in Imola, which was also attended by Messrs. Ferrari and Gozzi - and Flammini told us a few days later that he would rather do F1 with John MacDonald's RAM team!

The first race of the Everest-Ferrari project was the non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch…

Yes, Giancarlo Martini finally got the cockpit and threw the car into the barriers in the installation lap before the start. I became hyteric. I cried and ran to Forghieri, begging him to go to the organizers and make sure the race was postponed! Can you imagine such naivety?

After that, the team only appeared with the Ferrari-F1 at Silverstone - again at the non-championship event International Trophy.

It went more smoothly there. Martini was 10th in both qualifying and the race. We didn't impress anyone with that - but it was OK from our point of view. We stayed in England because we had an F2 race there the following weekend. But one evening a Ferrari-transporter arrived, the boys loaded the car and took it away. Then Dad and Minardi didn't hear anything from Commendatore for a long time. Later he told Dad that the planned program wouldn't take place and that he would only provide us with a car for Monza. But then Lauda's accident happened and in Monza Ferrari had to prepare three factory cars at once for Lauda, ??Regazzoni and Lauda's replacement Reutemann. The Everest-Ferrari project was definitely off the table.

But did the cooperation with Ferrari continue in 1977?

Mr. Ferrari presented his new plan to my father: he wanted to supply Minardi with engines with which he would field young Italian hopes in Formula 2 in 1977. But his engines were worthless. Leoni and Brancatelli could tell their stories about that…

Do you remember your first meeting with Elio de Angelis?

It seems like it was yesterday… Giancarlo Minardi came to my dad one day with the suggestion that we should give a chance to a certain De Angelis in Formula 3, who until then had been driving for Mr. Trivellato in conjunction with the small Valtellina Racing team. Okay, so it was the first time since the Misano race that Everest stickers were on his car. That was where we first met. I can see the scene vividly in my mind: He was standing with his girlfriend at the time, Christina, by the car and I asked him "Are you Elio?” when he nodded, I said I was so-and-so from Everest. I remember that there was no one else there - just the three of us… Elio was excellent and fought for the title with Ghinzani. Before the last race in Maggione he had only a theoretical chance - and he absolutely had to win. But we had a technical problem in practice and he didn't qualify for the race. Our second driver at the time was Filippo Nicolini. A boy from an incredibly rich family - even richer than the de Angelis - and a great gentleman. He came to me and told me to pull him out of the race in Elio's favour! It happened, Elio had a wild and amazing race and became champion! That year Elio also drove the final F2 races for us. I was his pit-board-man in Misano and I remember how he led for 12 laps in a row. I will never forget the feeling when I put that magical "P1” on the board… Cheever, Leoni and Hoffmann were only able to overtake him because his gearbox broke.

De Angelis stayed with you…

I remember a weekend-long party at Parmalat where we introduced Elio as our F2 driver for the 1978 season. We had a Chevron B42 with a Ferrari engine. Speaking of celebrations: a lasting memory for me is the 1978 Grand Prix at Monza. Everest was the only company there that had a huge catering service with celebrities and a band - among others, Ornella Mutti was our guest. Elio and I arrived there in the evening and we felt like emperors of the whole world - just two stupid teenagers.

I would like to go into the unique design of Elio's helmet. Later, it was copied by Jean Alesi and his son Giuliano, among others...

You'd better ask Beppe Gabbiani about that, it's his "work". Elio always raced only with his white helmet and Beppe is such an "aesthete". One day he suggested that they should do something with it. They only had blue and tape on hand and Beppe created the classic stripes. Elio left it as it is and only from 1978 did he have his helmet painted...

De Angelis was allowed to test the Ferrari F1 in Fiorano at the beginning of 1978. Did Commendatore want to seriously engage him, or just put pressure on Gilles Villeneuve?

A bit of both. It wasn't just any test. At the turn of March and April, Elio drove in Fiorano for two whole weeks! Ferrari wanted him, but Forghieri opposed it and eventually saved Villeneuve. Ferrari then wanted to place Elio in John Surtees' F1 team. But the Englishman wanted money from his father and he said "no". This closed the door to Ferrari for Elio forever and also his father's relationship with Commendatore noticeably cooled. So we completed the planned F2 program, but we didn't succeed at all. Elio saw that we didn't have a proper engineer and when my father and Minardi didn't want to satisfy him, he left us for the ICI-Chervron factory team led by Guy Edwards.

At that time he hired his own manager, which really touched me. But we continued to talk and our relationship normalized again. At the end of the season he even offered me that if I had the Everest stickers with me, he would put them on his car without asking for anything in return. So we stuck them on the rear spoiler. (Author's note: When I suggested that - if he had the sticker with him - I would also put it on my Ford-C-Max for free, Callignani replied with a laugh: "You are only the second person in history to offer us that - and in 45 years..!)

There is a lot of talk about the 1978 Monaco F3 Grand Prix that Elio won - supposedly it saved his career..?

I don't think that's true about his career. We just loved Monaco for reasons that are obvious. He owned that Chevron-F3 from last season, so we entered him there. Valtellina Racing took care of its preparation. He did well in the final, he just flew around the track and overtook one after another. Siegfried Stohr once told me that when he was in second, Elio appeared in his mirror far, far behind him. And the next moment he was already lurking behind his rear spoiler. He was so impressed that he let Elio pass without a fight, because he saw that he was so much faster. Well, what Elio did then at the Loews hairpin with the leader Gaillard in the factory Chevron wasn't exactly clean. He just braked too late and crashed into him. He was lucky he could continue and that the Stewarts didn't address it. Today he would certainly be disqualified for such an action.

What can you say about Elio's entry into the F1 World Championship in 1979 and the Tyrrell-Shadow case?

Dad wanted him to drive for Minardi F2 and when Elio refused, he stopped his sponsorship. Elio did indeed sign with Ken Tyrrell, but the Englishman later refused to hear anything about it. So with money from his personal sponsors Smeg, MS and Guido Monaci he went to Shadow. He had an absolutely sensational start to the season. He debuted as 7th in Argentina and finished 12th in Brazil. The first Grand Prix that I went to with him was Long Beach - and there Don Nichols came to him with the news that from that race onwards he wouldn't have to pay anything! Nichols was so pleased with his performance.

Young Elio de Angelis and Jan Lammers were the "F1 nursery school” at Shadow back then, as they were sometimes called. How did they get along?

Everything was fine with Jan. Elio had no problem with him because he was usually faster. Even today, Jan and I always enjoy talking about the 1979 season…

And then there was the sensational signing of the contract with Lotus…

Before we get to that, I would like to tell you something that few people know. Elio had another alternative for 1980. We had a deal with Alfa Romeo! It was during the non-championship GP in Imola, when we met with the director of Autodelta, Carlo Chiti, at my house near the track. Everest was Alfa Romeo's supplier and we agreed that Elio would drive for the factory team supported with our sponsorship. We shook hands - so everything was agreed between the guys. A week later, however, Chiti humbly called my father and told him that Elio was not acceptable to the unions. The car company was not doing well, F1 cost millions and therefore the son of a millionaire could not get the cockpit. They liked a driver with a proletarian background better. But don't tell Bruno (Giacomelli, who got the cockpit), I like him... (Gallignani laughs)

So on to Lotus...

Colin Chapman was thrilled with Elio's results and personally called him and invited him to a test at Le Castellet. I remember Elio telling me the news straight away. He was to be compared there with Cheever, Lammers, South and Mansell. He clearly made his mark and got the seat alongside great Mario Andretti. He finished sensationally second in the very second Grand Prix of the 1980 season at Interlagos. I'm very sorry I wasn't there with him - my fiancée at the time didn't really want me to travel. Colin's son Clive Chapman has been Elio's biggest fan ever since - and remains so to this day.

What was the relationship between the great master Andretti and the rookie de Angelis? 

Very good. Mario did not hesitate to tell Elio his secrets and taught him a lot. He treated him like an older brother.

And the relationship with his later long-time teammate Mansell?

Until the end of their time together at Lotus in 1984, there were no problems with him. Nigel was completely content with his role as driver number 2. He didn't say much and we nicknamed him "Mansueto", which means something like "The Silent One". I have to tell you something else about Mansell. It was in 1984 when Elio said to me in Zeltweg: "Frank Williams wants me, what should I do?" I advised him to leave Lotus and go to Williams. But he wasn't sure and said he would decide at Zandvoort. Unfortunately, I wasn't myself there and something happened that simply shouldn't have happened! Together with his brother, he decided that he would stay with Lotus after all. So Williams approached and hired Mansell. This decision fundamentally changed both Elio's and Nigel's lives!

Surely Elio's relationship with the German Ute Kittelberger, the popular former "Bravo-Girl" and international "Teen Princess" of 1973, was interesting for the tabloids..?

We met her before the 1981 German Grand Prix at a party at the Playboy Club in Frankfurt. At first it was a practical acquaintance - she was from Ludwigshafen, where she lived with her parents, and we had a place to stay during the races in Hockenheim for years. Then their relationship deepened and Ute spent more time with Elio. She would certainly like to start a family with him...

In 1982 Elio won his first Grand Prix in Zeltweg, did it change him?

Not at all. As an example, I would give an incident from 1983 in Ludwigshafen. Elio was a passionate fan of football and AC Roma. For one small match against the Kittelberger family, he absolutely wanted to have Nike sneakers, which had just appeared on the German market for the first time. White with a blue logo. We went to a store and he demanded that I buy the same shoes too. They didn't fit me and I didn't like them. I didn't buy them. Then he scolded me in front of the store for behaving like a jerk to the saleswoman and for being ashamed of me... He was a year younger than me, but much more mature. He was a polite gentleman, but also a big playboy.

The victory in Zeltweg was sweet, but he benefited mainly from the unreliability of his faster rivals. Did he see it realistically?

Absolutely. The change for the better only came in 1983, when Lotus also used a turbocharged engine (Renault) and with the arrival of designer Gerard Ducarouge. Regarding the involvement of the Frenchman, I would like to tell you about my contribution: it was during the tests in Imola, which I was of course at, because Elio and I lived in my house nearby. One morning - the fog was just lifting - I saw Ducarouge wandering aimlessly around the paddock. He had just left Alfa and I spontaneously suggested that he start at Lotus. In the evening, the three of us (Elio, Gerard and I) sat at my house and tried to persuade the Frenchman. Then we told the boss of Lotus, Peter Warr. He was not against it, but he did not have a budget for Ducarouge's salary. So I asked my dad if he would pull it - he refused. In the end, Elio proposed to Lotus to pay half of Ducarouge's fee out of his own money!

So in 1985 de Angelis stood with Lotus once again. What was his relationship with Warr and his new teammate Ayrton Senna?

He got on much worse with Warr. It was because of him, that Elio considered to leave at the end of the 1984 season… And Senna? He had no problems with him. He simply saw him as a fast rival, but he could deal with such rivals. They were not friends - but they did not have any quarrels either. Lotus simply was not able to build two equally fast cars. Warr liked Senna because he was very cheap. His salary was taken over by the sponsor Banco Nacional, while Elio received a contractual million dollars from Lotus. For us, Senna was one of many. He only became the celebrated superstar later thanks to his results with the powerful McLaren-Honda and his death.

Then Elio had had enough of Lotus and signed with Brabham-BMW for the 1986 season, where Gordon Murray prepared a truly revolutionary BT55.

On paper everything looked promising, but the reality was terrifying. After the first test, Elio told me privately that the BT55 was a hopeless step too far: "We can test, try and improve as much as we want - nothing will help."

How do you remember the tragic May 15, 1986 in Le Castellet?

I wasn't there because Elio wasn't supposed to be there either. Riccardo Patrese was supposed to do the tests, but Elio called him to ask if he could take over because he might have thought of an improvement... Ecclestone didn't mind, so he went. It's very strange when I think of Elio's belief that the car was a no-hoper. What exactly happened, nobody knows. I last met Elio's responsible technician, John Gentry, about 10 years ago. With tears in his eyes, he told me that he assumed that the rear spoiler had broken off. He derived this from the fact that it was found a few hundred meters from the wreck... Elio was in France with his brother Roberto, I learned about the accident by phone from his other brother, Andrea. When Elio died, they told my secretary: "We weren't able to do anything about it..." I understood immediately.

What impact did Elio's death have on your relationship with motorsport?

It was difficult, but motorsport is in my heart. A year later, Mansell and I reminisced and laughed in Imola. After that, I was involved as a sponsor, mainly in endurance sports. With the JB team, in Le Mans and in the GT1 class. Perhaps the strongest experience for me, however, was the 24 Hours of Spa in 2004, when Salo, Vosse, Babini and Peter led for 19 hours in our GPC-Ferrari...