Gianfranco Brancatelli

Gianfranco Brancatelli (18 January 1950 - Present): Italian racing driver from Monza who attempted to compete in Formula One in 1979 before finding considerable success in touring car and sports car racing. Made three Formula One World Championship Grand Prix entries in 1979, attempting to qualify with two different teams without achieving a race start. Signed by the German Kauhsen team for 1979 to drive their Lotus-lookalike Kauhsen WK chassis, a poorly-funded privateer operation attempting to compete in Formula One. The Kauhsen WK004 made its debut appearance at a non-championship British Formula One race at Zolder, retiring early with engine issues, foreshadowing the team's struggles.

At the 1979 Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama, Brancatelli attempted to qualify the redesigned Kauhsen but failed, being the slowest of 27 entries with the closest competitor three seconds quicker, highlighting the car's complete lack of competitiveness. At the 1979 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, again failed to qualify after an updated Kauhsen suffered a broken clutch that prevented any improvement in pace. The Kauhsen team was shut down after Belgium, ending after just two failed qualification attempts. Made a final Formula One attempt at the 1979 Italian Grand Prix at Monza with the Merzario team, but failed to pre-qualify, definitively ending his Formula One ambitions.

Despite his Formula One failures, Brancatelli found substantial success in other racing categories. Competed extensively in touring car racing throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, winning races in various European touring car championships. Achieved his greatest success in sports car racing, finishing second overall at the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Sauber C9 for Team Sauber Mercedes alongside Jean-Louis Schlesser and Mauro Baldi, coming agonizingly close to winning the world's most prestigious endurance race. Also competed successfully in the World Sports-Prototype Championship during the late 1980s and early 1990s, consistently running at the front in competitive machinery.

His sports car racing achievements far exceeded his brief and unsuccessful Formula One career, proving that talent could flourish in disciplines outside grand prix racing. Known for his smooth driving style and consistency in endurance events, qualities that served him far better in sports car racing than the one-lap qualifying performances required in Formula One.