Paolo Barilla

Barilla during his stint at Minardi in 1990

**Paolo Barilla** (born 20 April 1961) is an Italian businessman and former Formula One driver, who raced for the Minardi team.

## Early life and career

Barilla's grandfather, Pietro Barilla, Sr., opened a bakery in Parma, Italy in 1877 that would grow into the Barilla company, which is the world's largest producer of pasta. Paolo's father, Pietro Jr., sold a controlling interest in the business to American chemical firm W. R. Grace in 1971, and he continued with the day-to-day control of the business. Pietro reacquired control of the company in 1979, and it has remained under the Barilla family's control.

Starting out in karting like many others, it was evident that he had talent. He won his 100cc karting category in the 1976 Italian championships, and by the 1970s, he was racing in Italian F3 with the legendary Ravarotto team, where he won three races. He joined Giancarlo Minardi's European F2 team in 1982, joining Alessandro Nannini in driving the Minardi M282s, however he did not score any points. However, it was in sports cars that he would make his name. He joined the Scuderia Mirabella team in 1983, usually piloting his Lancia LC2 alongside Giorgio Francia. Despite respectable qualifying positions, the car was plagued by mechanical issues during most rounds of the European Sportscar Endurance Championship (some rounds also serving as World Sportscar Championship events). The highlight was finishing sixth at Spa. That same year, Nannini and Jean-Claude Andruet drove a one-off factory Lancia in Le Mans. Barilla finished 46th overall in the WSC with 6 points.

The opportunity foreshadowed what was to come, as Barilla was recruited for the works team in 1984. The season began with third and fourth place finishes at Monza and Silverstone in a Lancia LC2-84 shared with Mauro Baldi. At the Nürburgring, Nannini finished third, and Bob Wollek finished second after starting on pole. His Le Mans campaign, which he shared alongside Baldi and Hans Heyer, was cut short by a camshaft belt failure after 275 laps. With 49 points, Barilla finished 10th in the World Sportscar Championship. There were nine Porsche 956 drivers ahead of him in a year of the Porsche juggernaut.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and Paolo did just that. For 1985, he went to the brilliant Joest team to drive one of their 956s, typically with Klaus Ludwig, although he was also teamed by Heyer, Paul Belmondo, Marc Duez, and the great 'John Winter'. Without a doubt, Barilla's best achievement was victory at 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans with Ludwig and Winter, where the team triumphed by three full laps after starting fourth. In the process, they broke the record for the greatest mileage travelled in a 24-hour period. There were also two third-place finishes with Ludwig at Hockenheim and Spa, but the season ended abruptly. Barilla was one of the drivers involved in a mass walkout in the early laps of the WSC round 9 at Fuji when conditions became extremely unsafe. Then, in the final round in Malaysia, Barilla and Winter were forced to withdraw due to a practice mishap. Paolo finished seventh in the WSC standings with 52 points. To demonstrate his talent, he also competed in two Interseries races in his 956 late in the year, winning both easily.

Barilla had an extremely productive year in 1986. In the WSC, he continued with Joest and finished seventh with 44 points. He was unable to defend his Le Mans title, having to retire due to engine troubles. Instead, Barilla's highlight was a victory in the last round at Fuji, which he shared with Piercarlo Ghinzani. Joest also travelled to America to compete in the Daytona 24hr race, where he partnered Barilla in a Porsche 962 with Randy Lanier and Gianpiero Moretti. Late in the year, Barilla competed in the Daytona 3 hour event, finishing fifth with Winter and Wollek.

Meanwhile, Paolo enjoyed the American racing environment and raced in IMSA in a 962 operated by the Bridgestone/Bayside team that year, typically alongside Wollek but also with Bruce Leven and Bill Adam. Barilla finished 19th overall after winning in Miami and finishing third and fourth elsewhere. But, with a return to single-seater racing in mind, Barilla raced in Formula 3000 in the 1986 round at the Le Mans Bugatti track. He bombed miserably there, failing to qualify. Undaunted, he turned away from sports cars and concentrated on F3000 in 1987, finishing seventh in a Pavesi Ralt RT21 Cosworth.

He continued with the Cobra and Spirit teams in 1988, but had a very erratic season. Retirements, crashes, and DNQs were interspersed by a spectacular fourth place finish at Brands Hatch, where he started 22nd. With those three points, he is tied for 17th overall. But while 1986 was a busy year, 1988 was busier. Aside from F3000, he also competed in the Japanese Sports Prototype Championship that year. He had previously made a one-off appearance in that series in 1987, driving a Dome Toyota 87C alongside Yoshiyasu Tachi.

In 1988, he was persuaded to return for a works Toyota drive with the TOM'S squad in an 88C chassis. It would be a tough season sharing the car with Tiff Needell, Stefan Johansson, and Hitoshi Ogawa. Barilla, the leading Toyota driver, finished 15th with 21 points. Barilla's attempt at Le Mans with Needell and Ogawa finished in 24th place. He also joined Winter and Frank Jelinski in a Porsche 962 during the Sebring 12hr event that year, finishing second. He finished third in the Nürburgring 1000km with Wollek and Philippe Streiff. Barilla also participated in a March 86G with Moretti and Michael Roe in the Daytona 24hr event, but retired early.

For 1989, Barilla focused on Japan, and TOM'S provided him with a new Toyota 89C-V to race in the JSPC. He finished third in a Fuji round with Ogawa (and once with Johnny Dumfries), and then won another race at Fuji after starting second on the grid. With 35 points, he finished 12th overall. But, once again, engine troubles plagued the vehicle Barilla shared with Ogawa and Ross Cheever at Le Mans. Barilla also competed in Japanese F3000 in 1989, but had limited success, finishing second to Cheever in May. With those six points, he tied for tenth place overall with Akihiko Nakaya and Jeff Krosnoff.