The Salvation of a Moretti Branca: The Races

In 1959 season opened with the first championship race at Monza on April 19th, where again, the Stanguellinis dominated. Branca brought his Moretti through to pass the leader Businello’s Stanguellini to take the lead in the second lap. Businello fought back to recapture the lead just after the half way mark and he went on to win from Branca by 8 seconds. Branca did not feature in the results for the rest of the day.

Nor did he get a mention in the next FJ event on the street circuit at Cesenatico, but he did start in the next race at Monza only to retire early for unknown reasons. The honor of Italy was defended when six of the Italian drivers took part in the “1st Grand Prix Monaco-Junior”. Morettis were entered by Scuderia Madunina. Branca drove car No.46 (most likely Chassis #020) and “Madero” drove car No.54 (almost certainly #2.18 judging by color schemes). Branca qualified 4th with a time of 2.00.3 and “Madero”, who was entered originally in a Stanguellini, qualified 7th with a time of 2.01.3. Michael May lead the race from start to finish in a Stanguellini. “Madero” retired early with mechanical problems and Branca also had problems but finished albeit 9 laps behind the winner.

A week later the Formula Juniors provided the curtain raiser to the Formula 2 race at the French resort of Pau. Branca finished fourth in the 40 lap race which was won by Davis in a Taraschi. The fastest lap was by Bordeau’s Stanguellini with a time of 1.43.5 which was only 8.5 seconds slower than the Porsche Formula 2 that won the main event driven by Behra.

Success came to Branca and the Moretti in Round three of the “Auto Italiana” and Quattroruote” International Championship at Albi on 31st May. . Branca had a comfortable win in the second heat in his Moretti, car No. 38. Gariboldi in a second Moretti gave the crowd some anxious moments when he spun and ran backwards off the track right in front of the main grandstand. In the final Juan Manual Fangio was present to drop the flag and Davis in the Taraschi held the narrowest of leads from Branca but the pair dueled over the next seven laps swapping the lead several times until Bordeau broke free from the pack behind and managed to overhaul them all. Branca suffered gearbox problems but struggled home to fourth place.

By the mid-point of the 1959 season Michael May led the Drivers Championship and Stanguellini was way out in front in the constructors Championship with 22 points, Taraschi was second, but Moretti had managed to pick up 3 points and was lying third. The next outing was a major event over 299km at Monza. Two Morettis were entered in a large field and a hard race was expected. Branca was one of five cars battling for the lead. He was unplaced in the event which was marred by a double fatality in the second heat. In fact this race seemed to be a turning point in the domination by Italian manufacturers and the point in time where the British and Continental entries began to increase.

There were a number of events outside the Formula Junior Championship calendar. On 24th April 1960 Domenico Lo Coco lead the FJ race at Monza in his Moretti and on 14th August 1960 he won the Sierre-Montana Crans Hill Climb in Switzerland in the same car. The car is not #2.18 which would have been in USA by then, and it had a distinctive color scheme and a modified radiator opening at the front. Due to the shape of the Moretti body the race numbers are not clear on either occasion although it was probably car No. 36 at the hill climb. In September 1960 Lo Coco placed third overall and 1st Junior in the Coppa Cantoni in a Moretti with race No. 144. “Poker” drove a second Moretti to finish 28th overall and 6th Junior.

In early 1960 #2.18 was sold to Augie Pabst through the Moretti agent Mr. Maresca. The car was shipped to the US and air freighted to Florida where Pabst recalled in a letter dated 3rd May 1983 that he hired an Avis truck and took it directly from Miami International Airport “to Sebring – raced it – but lost the left rear wheel on the second fast left sweeper while leading and then a friend trailered it home for me. He said it was the only Moretti bought to the US from his knowledge and the racing history is well documented. The ownership after he sold is also well documented and it looks as though the car may have only raced again on one occasion after that. In conclusion to his 1983 letter he recalled that the Moretti handled quite well. He went on to have a number of successes.

Sebring 1960 Lost a wheel whilst leading

Milwaukee Springtime Race – 21-22 May 1960
First in FJ race at 70.96mph. Fastest lap on lap 7 of 72.61 mph equal to Bob Major who ran second in a Stanguellini.

Elkhart Lake– 18-19 June 1960

Wisconsin GP (Meadowvale. IL)- 24th June 1960 DNF. Drive shaft failure. Tied for fastest lap at 72.61 mph

Road America– 30-31 July 1960
By now the car was repainted in Meister Brauser team colours with the logo on the side but still wearing race No. 1. DNF. Drive shaft failure.

Continental Divide Raceway– 4-5 September 1960 Race No. 61. DNF. Drive shaft failure.

Road America – Elkhart Lake 10 September 1960 DNF

Mid-Ohio -1st July 1962

In a letter to the press in April 1961 Pabst’s mechanic Everette C Wilson was somewhat scathing about the condition of the car on arrival in the USA and sought to blame the rear driveshaft design as the main cause of retirements whilst in Pabst’s ownership. Wilson’s letter indicated that Pabst still owned the car in April 1961 by which time it had been repainted blue and was part of the Meister Brauser race team with the name emblazoned on the side. It was sold some time after that although Pabst cannot recall the details.
The ownership after Pabst was:
1. O.N “Buddy” Ellman – Appleton, WI, USA.
2. Unknown, Florida USA
3. Unknown, Sandusky, OH, USA. The car was found in a crate in Ohio and bought by the Autoshop teacher from a Texas City High School who thought it was a Stanguellini. It was apparently running at that time.
4. Quenton Weaver (1971)
5. Jack Campbell (1979-88) in whose ownership the car earned a unique form of recognition.
6. Brian Goldman, League City, TX, USA (January 1989
7. Alamo Sports Cars Kermit Lynch) traded by Brian Goldman on a Ralt RT-1
8. Knute Kolmann, CA, USA.
9. Tim Ritter, Il, USA (bought November 2003)
10. Howard Banaszack, Florida, USA.
11. February 2009 to Ean McDowell, Melbourne, Australia.

An interesting period occurred during the ownership of Jack Campbell who was a direct descendent of one of the Lafitte’s pirates. He owned a seafood restaurant on Pier 5 at Kemath Texas “where the elite eat in their bare feet” not because it was casual but the high tide apparently came up to floor level. The car was on the roof and was one of several pieces of cars, boats, and junk sitting around the restaurant until Hurricane Alicia eventually tore down the building so he moved the car to sit on two poles at the entrance to a bar he opened in San Leon, Texas. They apparently managed to start it and drive it around the parking lot at the time. The car was painted red with race number 5 from Pier 5. It was complete except for the engine cover and had Christmas tree balls glued into the carburetors and a huge armadillo in the driver’s seat. In 1989 when the bar closed Brian Goldman persuaded Jack to sell the car, which he thought was a Stanguellini, for $350.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work is prepared for the enjoyment of FJ owners and enthusiasts and not for any commercial benefit. It has been prepared with very grateful assistance from :
Aquilino Branca, John de Boer, Duncan Rabagliati, Brian Goldman, Roger Herrick, Pete Vack, Rob Hands, Steve Lunn, Steffano Rosina, Francesco Liberatore, David Zeunert, David Pecorini, Tim Ritter and Howard Banaszak Jnr.