Bandini Trophy Celebrates Safety and Speed

Scuderia Ferrari in the 1960s was a very special place to be. The cars were as fast as they were beautiful, and legendary names like Hill, Surtees, and Ickx were fixtures in the Prancing Horse’s paddock. One lesser-known name still has a strong association with the team. Lorenzo Bandini was a solid driver, performing admirably for the team from 1963 to 1966, racking up eight podiums and a race win in Austria in 1964. Tragically, however, Bandini is best remembered for his horrific accident at Monaco in 1967, where he was pinned underneath his flaming car and suffered terrible third-degree burns of the arms, legs, and face. Bandini succumbed to his injuries in hospital three days later.

Since Bandini’s untimely passing, his accident has been used as a rallying cry for greater safety in Formula 1 and in motorsports as a whole. It’s only fitting, then, that the Bandini Trophy was established in his honor in 1992. The award, which celebrates safety and excellence in motor racing, is given in Bandini’s hometown of Brisighella. Past recipients include David Coulthard, Jacques Villeneuve, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Giancarlo Fisichella, Alexander Wurz, Jarno Trulli, Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica , Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Bruno Senna, and this year’s honoree, Piero Ferrari. It’s one of the most prestigious awards in international racing, and provides a unique spectacle each year depending upon the honoree.

This year, to celebrate Piero Ferrari’s nomination, famed collector Jonathan Giacobazzi (who we featured in an interview last month) will drive an original ex-Glilles Villeneuve Ferrari F1 car from his collection in Imola to Brisighella.

Photo Source: trofeobandini.com