Emilio
De Villota

Emilio de Villota was born in Madrid on 26 July 1946. He made his international debut in 1972 in the European Touring Car Championship, finishing 15th overall with a co-driver in a SEAT 124 at the 4 Hours of Jarama. He returned in 1975 in a Ford Capri and took second place at Jarama, sharing the car with two other drivers. In 1976 he switched to single-seaters and raced in Britain in the Shellsport G8 International Series, in which different types of formula cars competed together. Driving a Lyncar, he scored two fifth places and finished 14th overall.

In Formula One he entered the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix as a privateer in a Brabham BT44B but failed to qualify. In 1977 he contested seven races in a McLaren M23 under the name Iberia Airlines F1, qualifying only twice. He finished 13th in Spain. In Austria a crash on the final lap ended his race, but he was still classified 17th. A further six attempts in 1978 and 1982, the latter in a March 821, ended in failures to qualify. In total he made 14 entries and two starts.

He was also active in the British Formula One Championship. In its successor series, the Aurora AFX, he was third in 1978 and 1979, then champion in 1980 in a RAM Racing Williams FW07. During this period he won nine races, including the one at Monza.

In 1981 he moved to the World Endurance Championship for Drivers. With Guy Edwards he won at Enna-Pergusa and Brands Hatch that year in a Lola T600. On his Le Mans debut in 1981 he finished 15th overall and third in class. In 1983 he won the Spanish Touring Car Championship, and in 1986 he took fourth at Le Mans in a John Fitzpatrick Racing Porsche 956. It was his last appearance in the race. At national level he won the Spanish Porsche Carrera Cup in 1993, 1995 and 1996. His son Emilio Jr. raced in Formula Three and Formula 3000, and his daughter María was a Formula One test driver for Marussia.

Source: Wikipedia, “Emilio de Villota”. Text licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.