Massimo Natili (28 July 1935 – 19 September 2017) was a racing driver from Italy.
He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 15, 1961. He scored no championship points.
Natili started in Formula One with Scuderia Centro Sud in 1961 with a retirement from the Syracuse Grand Prix, followed by a failure to qualify for the Naples Grand Prix. He retired on the first lap of the 1961 British Grand Prix with gearbox failure, and practiced for the Italian Grand Prix but did not start.
In 1962, Natili was involved in a fiery accident in a Formula Junior race at Monza, and was rescued by an anonymous spectator. He came 4th in the 1964 Rome Grand Prix after retiring from the previous year’s event, and subsequently competed in Italian Formula 3. Info from Wiki
Bio by Stephen Latham
Massimo Natili was born on the 28th July 1935 in Ronciglione (VT), Italy and started his career with a Fiat Topolino and then a Fiat 500 and would participate in two World Championship Grands Prix. He was an Italian Hillclimb Champion and raced in the tragic Gran Premio di Caserta in 1967, which was marred by huge accidents and sadly resulted in the deaths of three competitors and it was Massimo who informed the race director about the multiple crashes. He also worked in movies, helping to direct the film ‘Maruzzella’ (Mermaid of Naples) in 1956 and was credited as an actor and assistant director in Luciano Salce’s 1966 movie ‘Come Imparai Ad Amare Le Donne’ (How I learned To Love Women).
He won a race at Vallelunga in 1955 with his Fiat 500 then in 1958 was fifth overall and first in class in the Giro di Sicilia. Continuing with the Fiat in the following year he was second at Vallelunga and he and Giuseppe Cucchiarelli were thirty second (sixth in class) in the Coppa Ascari at Monza then in 1960 he was sixteenth with a Gaur 850 at the Giro dei Due Mari at Catanzaro.
From there he progressed to Formula Junior and retired a Taraschi-Fiat at 1961’s Gran Premio di Messina and was second with Scuderia Centro Sud’s Lotus 20 in the Lotteria Grand Prix at Monza, close behind Tony Magg’s Tyrrell-entered Cooper T56. He also raced Centro Sud’s Cooper T51-Maserati in non-championship events though did not qualify at Napoli and retired at Syracuse, Messina and the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch. There was a retirement at Silverstone’s International Trophy, where rain fell steadily during the race, and he finished upside down at Club corner. He made his first and only World Championship start in the British GP at Aintree in July but unfortunately his car lasted just one lap before gearbox trouble put him out though team mate Lorenzo Bandini finished twelfth. He was scheduled to drive a Ferrari 250 TRI/61 at a World Sportscar Championship round at Pescara in August, alongside Giorgio Scarlatti, but while driving his Lancia Aurelia, he sustained a leg fracture in a road accident which sidelined him for a while; Scarlatti and Bandini (who replaced him) went on to take the victory. Although he was entered for the Italian GP at Monza in September he did not start and Renato Pirocchi was in the car. In outings with a Giaur he was nineteenth (second in class) in the Targa Florio with Giuseppe Cucchiarelli while in solo drives he won the Trofeo Shell at Vallelunga in May and was tenth in November at another race at Valleunga.
He returned to FJunior in 1962 with a De Sanctis-Fiat in the Italian Championship and in two races at Vallelunga in April he was second in the Gran Premio Caltex Formula Junior and won the Trofeo Luigi Musso. He retired at Cesenatico and Monza then in October and November took second place finishes at the Coppa Junior at Monza and the Trofeo d’Autunno at Vallelunga. He was also second in the Rocca di Papa hillclimb and took second at a race at Imola with a Giaur. However, he was lucky to survive a violent accident during May’s Coppa Junior at Monza, when, dicing for the lead in the opening lap, he touched wheels at the exit of the Parabolica with Giorgio Bassi. Although Bassi went on to win, the De Sanctis still had a full fuel load and after rolling several times it caught fire after hitting the Pirelli tower wall but a courageous spectator climbed over the fence and was able to extricate Massimo from the wreck.
He suffered severe burns, which required a long convalescence until a complete recovery then resuming racing in 1963 he was eleventh in the Trofeo Bruno e Fofi Vigorelli FJunior race at Monza with a Wainer 63-Ford. He also entered the Gran Premio di Roma at Vallelunga with Centro Sud’s Cooper-Maserati but retired after three laps, having run as high as fourth for a few laps in the first heat.
Contesting the four-round Temporada Argentina the following year with Scuderia Jolly Club’s Cooper T56-Maserati, in February he retired in Buenos Aires and did not qualify at Rosario, though was tenth in the Gran Premio Ciudad de Cordoba and in early March was eighth in the Gran Premio AC Argentina at Buenos Aires. In Italian F2 drives with Jolly Club’s Brabham BT9-Fiat he did not qualify at Pergusa and was sixth at Vallelunga’s Gran Premio di Roma. He competed in several rounds of the European Touring Car Championship with a Lancia Flavia 1800 Coupe and was eleventh at Zolder and, sharing with Piero Frescobaldi, they finished fourteenth (third in class) in the 6 Hours of Brands Hatch.
Massimo took his first national title in 1965, winning the 1 Litre Sport class in the Italian Hillclimb Championship, with a Lotus 23-Giannini. Sharing the car in a World Sportscar Championship round with ‘Terry’, they took a class victory, seventeenth overall, in the Circuito del Mugello road race, held on a twisty 66.2 km (almost 42 mile) course in the Tuscan mountains. Contesting Italian F3 with a BWA, in two races at Vallelunga he was fifth in the Trofeo Luigi Musso and won the Coppa A.P.I. at Vallelunga.
In 1966 Italian F3 outings with a BWA he retired at Castellaccis and did not qualify at Vallelunga and competing in hillclimbs, he took a win with a BWA-Ford at the Lago-Montefiascone. The year saw his debut at Le Mans, sharing a works Chevrolet-powered Bizzarini GT Strada A3C 5300 Coupe with Sam Posey but they were disqualified for a pitlane infringement when the car crossed the pit safety line. He was credited as an actor and assistant director in Luciano Salce’s movie ‘Come Imparai Ad Amare Le Donne’ (How I learned To Love Women); while working in films he had also helped direct the 1956 movie ‘Maruzzella’ (Mermaid of Naples).
Racing Scuderia Madunina’s Bianchini-Ford in the following year’s F3 Championship, he was fifth in the Coppa Bruno Deserti at Castellaccis and thirteenth at the Coppa del Autodromo di Monza while in two Vallelunga races he did not qualify at the Coppa A.P.I. and was second in the Coppa Supercortemaggiore. In hillclimbs he took a victory with a De Sanctis in the Coppa del Cimino. In June he took part in the Gran Premio di Caserta, which was marred by huge accidents and sadly resulted in the deaths of three competitors. During the race, Andrea Saltari and Beat Fehr collided and crashed heavily though luckily neither driver was hurt. Fehr attempted to warn the oncoming cars of the accident ahead though the series of events which occurred are still disputed. Sources suggest Giacomo Russo (Geki) lost control of his Matra attempting to avoid Fehr and hit the wall of an electrical substation at unabated speed. Geki was thrown from the car and killed instantly but Fehr was subsequently hit and killed by the Matra. In a further tragic twist, Romano Perdomi, who raced as ‘Tiger’, also crashed heavily and was gravely injured and had to be cut free from the wreckage but sadly succumbed to his injuries a few days later. Some reports stated Massimo did not finish while others reported he was in the group of only four cars, including Ernesto Brambilla, Antonio Maglione and Enzo Corti, who managed to avoid the carnage. The race was red flagged and then cancelled and the race director was initially unaware of the carnage and only learnt of it when Massimo walked to the pits to inform them about the multiple accidents.
Continuing with the team’s Bianchini in Italian F3 in 1968 he was fifteenth in the Trofeo Bruno e Fofi Vigorelli at Monza and in two rounds at Vallelunga retired in the Coppa A.P.I. and was sixth in the Coppa Alberto Canaletti Gaudenti. The final race was the Gran Premio Geki at Monza in June though he did not qualify. By the end of the season he stopped racing and later opened a BMW dealership in his hometown plus served twice as president of the CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee) Provincial of Viterbo. He remained involved in motorsport, attending many historic events alongside his close friend and fellow racer, Germano Nataloni, and took part in several Mille Miglia in the early 2000s, driving alongside famous Italian actresses and TV stars. Massimo died at Belcolle Hospital near Viterbo on the 19th September 2017.
Following on from my post on Massimo Natili, as mentioned he competed in 1967’s tragic Caserta GP, which saw 3 driver fatalities. There were varying reports on the race so I have included 3 I came across.
Report 1
Suddenly, on lap 9 of the race, the cars of Beat Fehr and Andrea Saltari collided, coming to rest broadside to the oncoming drivers. Franco Foresti skidded on oil and crashed shortly afterwards. The three stricken cars were on a blind section of the track, considered to be the fastest point of the lap. Seeing no marshals anywhere near the accident scene, Fehr made the fateful decision to run up the track towards the oncoming cars, attempting to warn them of the accident ahead. A group of cars, including Geki, were now heading towards the carnage.
The series of events which occurred a few seconds later are still disputed to this day. Some sources suggest Geki lost control of his Matra attempting to avoid Fehr. The car left the road and piled into the wall of a electrical substation at unabated speed, bursting into flames as it came to rest. Geki was thrown from the car, perishing instantly. He was four months shy of his 30th birthday. It is also known that Fehr was hit and killed by a car at the scene, with several sources suggesting Fehr was hit by Geki’s Matra. However, the multitude of conflicting reports of the tragedy, and the absolute lack of marshals/course workers at the scene, likely mean that the full truth will never be known. In a further tragic twist, the car of Romano Perdomi, who raced under the pseudonym of “Tiger”, also crashed heavily at the scene. He was gravely injured, and had to be cut free from the wreckage of his car by his own pit crew, as the local fire brigade was woefully unprepared for such a disaster. He sadly succumbed to his injuries a few days later. With the series of accidents wiping out almost the entire field, the race was stopped,, and ultimately cancelled. The race director was initially unaware of the carnage, and only learnt of it when Massimo Natili, one of the four remaining competitors still running, informed him after the red flag was shown. When word of the tragedy and the absolute lack of marshalling reached the media, the outcry was such that this would prove to be the final race held on the streets of Caserta.
The devastated Italian F3 championship was cancelled, with Geki announced as the posthumous champion.
Report 2
On lap seven, backmarkers Beat Fehr and Andrea Saltari made contact on the approach to Via Domenico Mondo. The pair crashed hard, and Franco Foresti soon crashed in response. Fehr and Saltari were unhurt, but Foresti broke his leg. Fehr hopped out of the car and started to flag down drivers. After a little while, Fehr left the scene, where he came across a small field that a car had set on fire. He found some off-duty firemen and alerted them to the fire, then returned to the scene of the crash to continue flagging down drivers. During his absence, Jorg Dubler crashed, vaulting into the air and hitting two poles. Dubler was badly hurt, but was able to get out with the help of two soldiers, one of which called for medics. In the meantime, the race continued. On lap nine, Giacomo ‘Geki’ Russo blew a tire on some debris and went off. He struck Fehr and plowed into a concrete barrier. Over the next two laps, the crash collected Clay Reggazoni, Massimo Natili, Corrado Manfredini, Manfred Mohr, G.R. ‘Tiger’ Perdomi, Silvio Moser, and Maurizio Montagnani, with four drivers, Antonio Maglione, Ernesto Brambilla, Sverrir Thoroddsson, and Enzo Corti, dodging the mess. The race was eventually ended on lap 11 when Natili, who was able to drive away, drove to the pits and let officials know. At last, the race was stopped.
Three drivers died in this. Giacomo ‘Geki’ Russo, who was being courted for an F1 ride, was instantly killed when the car hit the wall, which ejected him and split the chassis in two. Geki was a rich man from Milan whose father started a successful tissue company. His family disapproved of racing, which is why he raced as Geki. Beat Fehr died on the way to the hospital, having been struck by Geki’s errant car. G.R. ‘Tiger’ Perdomi was severely injured when his car crumpled. It took 30 minutes to extricate Tiger, who died a week later. He was conscious and alert during his removal, his leg pierced by the tachometer.
Racing never returned to Caserta. Officials decided to cancel any championship aspect that year, as the points leader (Geki) was dead. Geki actually held the points lead until the finale, where Maurizio Montagnani overtook him, but neither man was crowned champion.
Report 3
On seventh lap of the final, the Brabhams of backmarkers Andrea Saltari and Beat Fehr touched wheels near the end of the Via Domenico Mondo straight, just as it led into a blind right-hander, in a section of the circuit where stone walls on each side of the road impose a severe limit on visibility. The car of the Swiss newcomer Fehr was thrown into the air, crashing against the railway’s wall on the left side. It bounced, landing on its wheels in the middle of the track. Both cars were damaged, but neither driver was hurt. Franco Foresti in a Lotus 32-Ford was the first driver who arrived at full speed, slid on the oil patch and hit a kerb ending into a pole. Worried about the dangerous situation, Fehr managed to get off his car and leaped out onto the track in an attempt to slow down the oncoming drivers.
Shortly later Geki Russo arrived, running in third position, close behind the leaders Brambilla and Antonio Maglione. He lost control of his Matra MS5–Ford, presumably the car had a punctured tyre, and crashed into the wrecks partially blocking the road. Russo ploughed into a concrete wall on the right side. He was thrown out of the car, being killed upon impact, his body lying on the roadside. The car was broken in two and caught fire.
Waving in the middle of the track, Beat Fehr was knocked down by the next group of racers, including Corrado Manfredini’s Brabham, Clay Regazzoni’s Tecno, “Tiger”‘s De Sanctis, Massimo Natili’s Bianchini, Manfred Mohr’s Brabham and others, tangled amidst a cloud of smoke and debris. Also Jürg Dubler’s Brabham BT21-Ford was involved and he went off the road, trying to avoid the wreckage, flying over another car and crashing into a pole, several meters off the ground. Dubler suffered injuries but survived the accident.
The unfortunate Beat Fehr died shortly later, during the transport to Caserta hospital. Different accounts report that he had been struck by Russo’s car, this has not yet been confirmed. Chaos took place at the circuit when several people, soldiers on duty at the track, marshals and spectators invaded the place of accident, trying to help. One of the drivers, reportedly Dubler, had a call by public telephone with the organizers for ambulances and rescue equipment; about twenty minutes later the local fire brigade reached the scene. In the general confusion that followed Romano Perdomi, who raced under pseudonym “Tiger”, lost control of his De Sanctis–Ford and crashed head-on into a concrete pole, suffering serious legs and internal injuries. He was trapped in the wreckage for about half an hour, speaking with his rescuers which equipment was inadequate to extricate him from his battered car. He was eventually removed by his own mechanics who carried the equipment from their pit, some distance away, and was taken to Caserta hospital. The news that the condition of the patient was improving were reported in the following days by newspapers but, having difficulty breathing, he was soon transferred to the intensive care unit of Naples hospital. Unfortunately “Tiger” succumbed to his injuries a week later, on Monday, 26 June 1967.
The organizers didn’t stop the race immediately but only after four laps the marshals signaled with a red flag the only four competitors who were still running, Ernesto Brambilla in a Birel-Ford, Antonio Maglione in a De Sanctis–Ford, Enzo Corti in a BWA–Ford and Massimo Natili in a Bianchini-Ford. It was Natili who walked to the pits to inform the race director about the multiple pile-up.
This was a tragic race. Several drivers were injured, three of them lost their lives, others had miraculous escapes, eleven cars were destroyed along a 300 meters stretch of the course. A number of famous pictures of a twisted pile of tubes stuffed into the wall laying atop two other racers were published by newspaper and magazines. Possibly this unfortunate event marked the beginning of the end of an era, in which European Formula 3 racers were involved in titanic battles on unprotected circuits. Within a few weeks, in addition to Caserta tragedy, two other fatalities occurred in Formula 3 events: Bo Pittard died on 04 June 1967 after steering his blazing car to a safe position at Monza; Tim Cash lost his life after hitting a wall at Montes Claros road course in Monsanto, near Lisbon, Portugal, on 30 July 1967.
The 1967 Italian Formula 3 Championship was cancelled in tribute to Geki Russo, who was leading the series when he lost his life. Before the final round at Vallelunga, both Maurizio Montagnani and Brambilla who followed Russo in the championship standings, could became the Italian Champion by winning the race. Ernesto Brambilla in a Tecno-Ford dominated the race, but was forced into a withdraw due to mechanical failure, with nine laps to go, and Francesco Ghezzi astonishingly won in a Lotus-Ford. Maurizio Montagnani finished fourth at Vallelunga in a Brabham-Ford, and was first in points, behind deceased Geki, but he was not declared the champion.
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