Nanni Galli and the Tecno

Nanni Galli sits on the pit wall at the 1972 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, next to his Martini-liveried Tecno PA123. The Italian qualified 18th out of 27 entries, just ahead of… Niki Lauda (March), but retired on lap 9 when he spun. Emerson Fittipaldi won the race in his Lotus 72.

Nanni Galli (1940-2019) was an Italian touring car, sports prototype and Formula 1 driver in the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Bologna, Galli quickly made a name for himself at the Targa Florio (2nd in 1968) and the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he finished 4th with Giunti in an Alfa Romeo T33/2.

The Italian had a brief stint in Formula 1 in 1970, when he made his debut at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix driving a McLaren-Alfa, then landed a few (uncompetitive) drives in the following years without much success.

In 1972 he was racing for Tecno in F1, pictured below in Nivelles, when he was called to race the 1972 French Grand Prix on the Charade Circuit in a Ferrari! Qualifying 20th, he could only do 13th at the finish. He continued his adventure with Frank Williams, but his single-seater was not competitive, and after only 20 Grand Prix, Nanni Galli announced his retirement.