Roberto Lippi

17/10/1924 - 31/10/2011

Record updated 18-Oct-21

Good sports car driver who raced an OSCA-engined de Tomaso in the Italian Grand Prix in 1961 and 1962.

Roberto Lippi
Roberto Lippi raced sports cars from the mid-fifties, taking eighth place in the Targa Florio in 1955 sharing a Maserati with Scarlatti and winning the Italian 750 cc Sports Car champion in 1957.

In 1958 he entered Formula Junior in its inaugural year,  winning the first round and going on to take the title driving a Stanguellini-Fiat. He stayed in FJ for the next couple of seasons, switching to a de Sanctis in 1960. However he never repeated the success of 1958.

Then in 1961 he tried his hand in Formula 1 with a four-cylinder OSCA-engined de Tomaso. He managed to qualify for the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, finishing 5th at Vallelunga. He also drove in national non-title events. He raced in the Italian Grand Prix again the following year finishing 4th.

He returned to Formula Junior in 1963 for a brief stint, racing a Cooper-Ford before retiring to become a test driver.

In 1982 he became an instructor for the racing school run by the Commissione Sportiva Automobilistica Italiana eventually, when in his 70s, concentrating on working with disabled drivers.

He passed away after a long illness.

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