Sandro Munari (born 27 March 1940) is a former motor racing and
rallyRallying is a form of motor competition that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars. This motorsport is distinguished by running not on a circuit, but instead in a point-to-point format in which participants and their co-drivers drive...
driver from
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
.
Born at
CavarzereCavarzere is a comune in the Province of Venice in the Italian region Veneto, located about 35 km southwest of Venice....
,
VenetoVeneto , is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 4.8 million, and its capital is Venice....
, Sandro Munari began rallying in 1965 and won the Italian Rally Championship in 1967 and 1969, adding the
European Rally ChampionshipThe European Rally Championship is the European continental championship series in rallying. It is organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile .- 2009 season events :*Rallye 1000 Miglia - Italy *Istanbul Rally - Turkey...
title in 1973. In 1972 he won the
Targa FlorioThe Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it used to be the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Championship until 1973...
sports carSports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
endurance race, partnering
Arturo MerzarioArturo Francesco Merzario is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 85 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 15, 1972...
in a works
Ferrari 312PBThe Ferrari 312PB was a sports prototype racing car of the early 1970s produced by Italian carmaker Ferrari. It was officially designated the 312P, but often known as the 312PB to avoid confusion with a previous car of the same name. It was part of the Ferrari P series of sports prototypes.In 1970,...
. Also in 1972 Munari claimed his first major rally victory, winning the
Monte Carlo RallyThe Monte Carlo Rally is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco who also organizes the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique...
in a works
Lancia FulviaThe Lancia Fulvia is an Italian car introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963 by Lancia. It was produced by that company, and later by FIAT, through 1976. Fulvias are notable for their role in automobile racing history, including winning the International Rally Championship in 1972...
.
He was to become synonymous with another of Lancia's rally icons, the
Lancia StratosThe Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is an automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity.-History:...
, and the partnership of Italian car and Italian driver scooped a further Monte Carlo Rally hat-trick in the mid-1970s, among a total of seven
World Rally ChampionshipThe World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver, co-driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system...
victories.
Sandro Munari (born 27 March 1940) is a former motor racing and
rallyRallying is a form of motor competition that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars. This motorsport is distinguished by running not on a circuit, but instead in a point-to-point format in which participants and their co-drivers drive...
driver from
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
.
Career
Born at
CavarzereCavarzere is a comune in the Province of Venice in the Italian region Veneto, located about 35 km southwest of Venice....
,
VenetoVeneto , is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 4.8 million, and its capital is Venice....
, Sandro Munari began rallying in 1965 and won the Italian Rally Championship in 1967 and 1969, adding the
European Rally ChampionshipThe European Rally Championship is the European continental championship series in rallying. It is organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile .- 2009 season events :*Rallye 1000 Miglia - Italy *Istanbul Rally - Turkey...
title in 1973. In 1972 he won the
Targa FlorioThe Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it used to be the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Championship until 1973...
sports carSports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
endurance race, partnering
Arturo MerzarioArturo Francesco Merzario is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 85 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 15, 1972...
in a works
Ferrari 312PBThe Ferrari 312PB was a sports prototype racing car of the early 1970s produced by Italian carmaker Ferrari. It was officially designated the 312P, but often known as the 312PB to avoid confusion with a previous car of the same name. It was part of the Ferrari P series of sports prototypes.In 1970,...
. Also in 1972 Munari claimed his first major rally victory, winning the
Monte Carlo RallyThe Monte Carlo Rally is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco who also organizes the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique...
in a works
Lancia FulviaThe Lancia Fulvia is an Italian car introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963 by Lancia. It was produced by that company, and later by FIAT, through 1976. Fulvias are notable for their role in automobile racing history, including winning the International Rally Championship in 1972...
.
He was to become synonymous with another of Lancia's rally icons, the
Lancia StratosThe Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is an automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity.-History:...
, and the partnership of Italian car and Italian driver scooped a further Monte Carlo Rally hat-trick in the mid-1970s, among a total of seven
World Rally ChampionshipThe World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver, co-driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system...
victories. Munari also won the 1977
FIA Cup for Rally Drivers title. Later in his career he competed with a Fiat 131 Abarth, finishing third at the 1978
Tour de CorseThe Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally race first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It has been part of the World Rally Championship schedule since the inaugural 1973 season. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it...
and sixth at the 1980
Rallye Côte d'IvoireThe Rallye Côte d'Ivoire is a rally race held annually in the Ivory Coast in Africa. In common with other races on the continent, it is known for its arduous conditions and high attrition rate among competitors....
. His last WRC appearances were at the
Safari RallyThe Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world's toughest rally. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II...
, which he contested from 1981 to 1984, but retired each time.
WRC victories
| # |
Event |
Season |
Co-driver |
Car |
| 1 |
Italy 16º Rallye SanremoRallye Sanremo is a rally competition held in Sanremo, Italy. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the FIA World Rally Championship schedule from the 1973 season to the 2003 season. Currently, it is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian national rally...
|
1974 |
Mario Mannucci |
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 2 |
Canada 3rd Rally Rideau Lakes |
1974 |
Mario Mannucci |
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 3 |
Monaco 43ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo The Monte Carlo Rally is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco who also organizes the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique...
|
1975 |
Mario Mannucci |
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 4 |
Monaco 44ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo The Monte Carlo Rally is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco who also organizes the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique...
|
1976 |
Silvio Maiga |
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 5 |
Portugal 10º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto |
1976 |
Silvio Maiga |
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 6 |
France 20ème Tour de Corse The Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally race first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It has been part of the World Rally Championship schedule since the inaugural 1973 season. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it...
|
1976 |
Silvio Maiga |
Lancia Stratos HF |
| 7 |
Monaco 45ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo The Monte Carlo Rally is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco who also organizes the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique...
|
1977 |
Silvio Maiga |
Lancia Stratos HF |