From Vaccarella to Giovinazzi, the Italian “kings” of Le Mans

A childhood dream invigorated by the cachet of an event transcending motorsport’s conventional limits to become part of history. Victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a feat six Italian Ferrari drivers have achieved in a century.

Luigi Chinetti, Lorenzo Bandini, Ludovico Scarfiotti, and Nino Vaccarella climbed the top step of the podium at the Circuit de la Sarthe between 1949 and 1965, putting their names in the winner’s book with the Prancing Horse. This year, the 499P added further lustre to this tradition, driven to victory by Alessandro Pier Guidi, who shared the adventure of the Maranello marque’s return to the top class with Antonio Giovinazzi (and James Calado).

Red thread. “In the days following the Le Mans triumph, I thought about what Ferrari had achieved and realised what an extraordinary result it was. I felt the affection of so many fans, receiving hundreds of messages of congratulation,” explains Pier Guidi. “I am very proud to know that my and Alessandro’s names are placed alongside great champions of the past,” Giovinazzi echoes.

Vaccarella. A red thread exists between past and present, uniting the Ferraristi who have excelled in the great endurance classics. Several awards named after great previous champions help keep this link alive. One of these is the “Nino Vaccarella Prize”, in honour of the driver from Palermo who died in 2021 and who, in a career full of triumphs, achieved a memorable victory in the French 24 Hours in 1964 (the last Italian to do so before this season).

He won at the wheel of the Ferrari 275 P, shared with Jean Guichet. “He was a driver of great character. He appeared calm and reserved, but you could clearly sense his passion for his native Sicily,” wrote Enzo Ferrari.

In 2022, the recognition plaque for the first edition of the “Nino Vaccarella Prize” went to Antonello Coletta, head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT activities, and ACI president Angelo Sticchi Damiani. The second edition saw the “Uno di Noi” (“One of Us”) award presented to Giovinazzi, who was soon to make his debut in the FIA WEC in February 2023 with the number 51 Hypercar. 

The “Flying Headmaster”, as Vaccarella was known to motor racing enthusiasts (because of his career as a Palermo headmaster), not only achieved great victories at Le Mans but also at the Nürburgring, where the Ferrari official driver claimed the winner’s laurels in the 24 Hours in the same year with Ludovico Scarfiotti, and the Targa Florio, which he won three times - with the Ferrari and Alfa Romeo - in 1965, 1971 and 1975. 

Bandini and Scarfiotti. In previous years, other results that entered the annals of motorsport cemented the association between Ferrari and Le Mans. In 1963, an Italian pairing, Bandini-Scarfiotti, flew the “tricolore” flag on the podium at Le Sarthe.

The 250 P was the “queen” of the 24 Hours. It was the first car with a mid-rear-mounted engine (a 3-litre, 12-cylinder V engine) to win, completing 339 laps of the 31st edition of the endurance race. 

Chinetti. In an era when millions of Europeans returned to normality after the grim years of the Second World War, Ferrari debuted at Le Mans in 1949, triumphing with the 166 MM driven by Luigi Chinetti. It was an achievement that amounted to an epic feat, with the 47-year-old driver from Lombardy remaining at the wheel – according to news reports – for around 23 hours, leaving a small portion of the 235 laps driven to his partner Lord Selsdon.