View source for Giovanni Lavaggi

{{short description|Italian racing driver (born 1958)}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox F1 driver|
| name = Giovanni Lavaggi
| nationality = {{flagicon|ITA}} Italian
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|2|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Augusta, Sicily|Augusta]], Italy
| Years = {{F1|1995}}–{{F1|1996}}
| Team(s) =  [[Pacific Racing|Pacific]], [[Minardi]]
| Races = 10 (7 starts)
| Championships = 0
| Wins = 0
| Points = 0
| Podiums = 0
| Poles = 0
| Fastest laps = 0
| First race = [[1995 German Grand Prix]]
| First win =
| Last win =
| Last race = [[1996 Japanese Grand Prix]]
}}
[[File:Lavaggi LS1 Spa 2009.JPG|thumb|Lavaggi driving his self designed Lavaggi LS1 at Spa in 2009]]
'''Giovanni Lavaggi''' (born 18 February 1958) is an Italian [[racing driver]].

Despite Lavaggi being a [[Nobility of Italy|nobleman]] by background, he could not count on personal financial resources; therefore he started racing only at the age of 26.<ref name=":1" /> Nevertheless, he managed to reach the top class of motorsport, racing in [[Formula One]] in 1995 and 1996. His first involvement in F1 was in 1992 when, being a mechanical engineer, he was official test driver for the [[March Engineering|March]] F1 team. In 1995, he drove for [[Pacific Racing|Lotus-Pacific]] for four races in which he was forced to retire due to gearbox problems. In the second part of 1996 racing season, he joined the [[Minardi]] team for six races. His best result was a tenth place at the [[Hungaroring]], which was the second best result of the year for Minardi team.

Lavaggi lives in [[Monte Carlo]].<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=D'Agata |first1=Julian |title=Giovanni Lavaggi si racconta a 'Circus!': "Laurearmi mi ha permesso di realizzare il mio sogno" |url=https://www.livegp.it/giovanni-lavaggi-si-racconta-a-circus-laurearmi-mi-ha-permesso-di-realizzare-il-mio-sogno/ |access-date=20 August 2021 |work=LiveGP.it |date=3 June 2020 |language=it-IT}}</ref>

==Early life==
Lavaggi was born in [[Augusta, Sicily]] on 18 February 1958, being of noble heritage.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=D'Agata |first1=Julian |title=Giovanni Lavaggi: il pilota-costruttore sulle orme di Bruce McLaren |url=https://www.livegp.it/giovanni-lavaggi-il-pilota-costruttore-sulle-orme-di-bruce-mclaren/ |access-date=20 August 2021 |work=LiveGP.it |date=11 April 2020 |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bucci |first1=Alessandro |title=F1 {{!}} Giovanni Lavaggi: "La F1 dovrebbe rispolverare l'estro umano" |url=https://www.f1sport.it/2016/11/f1-giovanni-lavaggi-la-f1-dovrebbe-rispolverare-lestro-umano/ |access-date=20 August 2021 |work=F1Sport.it |date=3 November 2016 |language=it-IT}}</ref> He studied mechanical engineering at Milan Polytechnic.<ref name=":0" />

==Racing career==
Lavaggi's racing career started in 1984, inspired by Henry Morrogh who judged him the best student he ever had at his racing school. That year he was official driver of the constructor Ermolli in the Italian Formula Panda championship where he was classified second, winning more races than any other driver. Not having enough sponsorship to afford a whole season in [[Formula Three]], he did a few races in the [[Italian Formula Three Championship]] before turning to [[Group C]] [[Sports car racing|sports cars]], in order to gain international experience. In this category, he soon became a driver for the [[Kremer Racing|Porsche Kremer Team]], for whom he became the 1993 [[Interserie]] champion, winning six of the season's total of 12 races and taking four further podium finishes. He also won the [[1995 24 Hours of Daytona|1995 Daytona 24 Hours]], driving nine hours in a team of four drivers. He scored two more wins in the [[FIA Sportscar Championship]], including the [[1000 km of Monza]], where he drove five of the race's six hours and took five more podium places and two pole positions.

Lavaggi's first race in F1 was at the German Grand Prix for Pacific in 1995. Prior to this, he was a test driver for March during the 1992 season. He tested the Pacific PR02 twice before his first race for the British team - once at Silverstone and once at Snetterton. He was a rookie, but, at the same time, being 35 years old, he was the oldest driver in the field; therefore, he had to fight against the scepticism of the F1 media. The Pacific PR02 was an unreliable machine and he retired from all 4 races in 1995. His last experience in F1 was the 1996 [[Formula One Indoor Trophy|Bologna Motorshow]]. Racing in a Minardi against two Benettons (driven by [[Jarno Trulli]] and [[Giancarlo Fisichella]]), two Ligiers ([[Olivier Panis]] and [[Shinji Nakano]]) and the other Minardi ([[Tarso Marques]]), he finished second, losing the final against Fisichella by a nose.

After his F1 career, Lavaggi founded his own team “Scuderia Lavaggi” and in 2006 he became a constructor designing and building his own [[Le Mans Prototype]], the [[Lavaggi LS1]]. He raced the car in the [[Le Mans Series]] until 2009 and he scored a pole position at 2008 [[6 Hours of Vallelunga|Vallelunga 6h]]. Lavaggi is the only example of a driver-constructor in the modern era of motorsport at high-level.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Lavaggi was nicknamed "Johnny Carwash" (an approximate translation of his name from Italian to English, John Washes) by people in the paddock;<ref>{{cite web |title=From 'The Iceman' to 'The Monza Gorilla' - the best nicknames in F1 history |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.best-nicknames-f1-history.4VTv4Zm6nuaGYGGoO4G6aK.html |website=www.formula1.com |access-date=20 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> US talk show host [[David Letterman]] helped bring the nickname to popular attention.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

==Family==
The Lavaggi noble family moved from [[Genoa]] to [[Sicily]] ([[Palermo]]) in 1420 and then from Palermo to Augusta in 1711. A cousin of Giovanni’s grandfather, also called Giovanni Lavaggi, was a war hero. He was a pilot of the [[Italian Air Force]] and he died because of the sabotage of his airplane, while bringing to [[Asmara]] the [[Minister of Public Works (Italy)|Italian minister of public works]] [[Luigi Razza]], who also was killed in the crash. In the cities of [[Catania]] and Augusta, Via Giovanni Lavaggi (Giovanni Lavaggi Road) is named after him.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

==Racing record==

===Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
|-
! Year
! Team
! Co-Drivers
! Car
! Class
! Laps
! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Overall Position}}
! {{Tooltip|Class<br>Pos.|Class Position}}
|-
! {{24hLM|1989}}
|align="left"| {{flagicon|DEU}} [[Porsche]] [[Kremer Racing]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Kunimitsu Takahashi]]<br>{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Bruno Giacomelli]]
|align="left"| [[Porsche 962C]]
| C1
| 303
| DNF
| DNF
|-
! {{24hLM|1990}}
|align="left"| {{flagicon|GRB}} Team Davey
|align="left"| {{flagicon|MAR}} [[Max Cohen-Olivar]]<br>{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Tim Lee-Davey]]
|align="left"| [[Porsche 962C]]
| C1
| 306
| 19th
| 19th
|-
! {{24hLM|1992}}
|align="left"| {{flagicon|DEU}} [[Porsche]] [[Kremer Racing]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|DEU}} [[Manuel Reuter]]<br>{{flagicon|DNK}} [[John Nielsen (racing driver)|John Nielsen]]
|align="left"| [[Porsche 962CK6]]
| C3
| 334
| 7th
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''2nd'''
|-
! {{24hLM|1993}}
|align="left"| {{flagicon|DEU}} [[Porsche]] [[Kremer Racing]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|DEU}} [[Jürgen Lässig]]<br>{{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} [[Wayne Taylor]]
|align="left"| [[Porsche 962CK6]]
| C2
| 328
| 12th
| 7th
|-
! {{24hLM|2000}}
|align="left"| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Repsol]] [[Racing Engineering]]
|align="left"| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Tomás Saldaña]]<br>{{flagicon|ESP}} Jesús Diez Villaroel
|align="left"| [[Porsche 911 GT3-R]]
| GT
| 78
| DNF
| DNF
|-
! colspan="8" |{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref>{{cite web|title=Giovanni Lavaggi Results|url=https://motorsportstats.com/driver/giovanni-lavaggi/results|publisher=Motorsport Stats|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Giovanni Lavaggi|url=https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/track-record/driver/giovanni-lavaggi-723|publisher=[[Automobile Club de l'Ouest]]|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>}}}}
|}

===Complete International Formula 3000 results===
([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Entrant
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! DC
! Points
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1991 International Formula 3000 Championship|1991]]
! nowrap| Crypton Engineering
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[ACI Vallelunga Circuit|VAL]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Pau Grand Prix|PAU]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Circuito de Jerez|JER]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Mugello Circuit|MUG]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Autodromo di Pergusa|PER]]<br>{{small|Ret}}
|colspan=5|
!rowspan=2| NC
!rowspan=2| 0
|-
! nowrap| Roni Team
|colspan=5|
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Hockenheimring|HOC]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Brands Hatch|BRH]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps|SPA]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Bugatti Circuit|BUG]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Circuit Paul Armagnac|NOG]]<br>{{small|12}}
|-
! colspan="14" |{{center|{{small|Source:<ref name=MMagResults>{{cite web|title=Giovanni Lavaggi|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/giovanni-lavaggi/|work=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>}}}}
|}

===American Open-Wheel racing results===
([[Template:American Open Wheel driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest race lap)

====PPG Indycar Series====
([[Template:American Open Wheel driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Team
! No.
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! Rank
! Points
! Ref
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1994 PPG Indy Car World Series|1994]]
! nowrap| [[Euromotorsports]]
! 50
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Lola Cars|Lola T9300]]
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Ilmor|Ilmor C]]
| [[1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix|SRF]]
| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]
| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]
| [[1994 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]
| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Detroit Indy Grand Prix|DET]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]
|colspan=9|
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" rowspan=2| '''38th'''
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" rowspan=2| '''0'''
!rowspan=2| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/lavaggi01/1994/R|title=Giovanni Lavaggi – 1994 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 15, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! nowrap| Leader Cards Racing
! 23
|colspan=7|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|30}}
| [[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]
| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]
| [[Honda Indy 200|MDO]]
| [[New England Indy 200|NHA]]
| [[Molson Indy Vancouver|VAN]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|15}}
| [[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca|LAG]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|-
! colspan="23" |{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref name=MMagResults/><ref>{{cite web|title=Giovanni Lavaggi|url=https://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/LavaggiGiovanni.htm|publisher=Champ Car Stats|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>}}}}
|}

===Complete Formula One results===
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]])
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! WDC
! [[List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems|Points]]
|-
| {{F1|1995}}
! nowrap| [[Pacific Racing|Pacific Grand Prix Ltd]]
! nowrap| [[Pacific Racing|Pacific]] [[Pacific PR02|PR02]]
! nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[V8 engine|V8]]
|| [[1995 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
|| [[1995 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
|| [[1995 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]
|| [[1995 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]
|| [[1995 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
|| [[1995 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]
|| [[1995 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
|| [[1995 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1995 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1995 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1995 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1995 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|| [[1995 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]
|| [[1995 European Grand Prix|EUR]]
|| [[1995 Pacific Grand Prix|PAC]]
|| [[1995 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]
|| [[1995 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]
! NC
! 0
|-
| {{F1|1996}}
! nowrap| [[Minardi|Minardi Team]]
! nowrap| [[Minardi]] [[Minardi M195|M195B]]
! nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[V8 engine|V8]]
|| [[1996 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]
|| [[1996 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
|| [[1996 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
|| [[1996 European Grand Prix|EUR]]
|| [[1996 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]
|| [[1996 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
|| [[1996 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]
|| [[1996 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]
|| [[1996 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
|| [[1996 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
|style="background:#ffcfcf;"| [[1996 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1996 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br />{{small|10}}
|style="background:#ffcfcf;"| [[1996 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1996 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1996 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br />{{small|15}}
|style="background:#ffcfcf;"| [[1996 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
||
! NC
! 0
|-
! colspan="23" |{{center|{{small|Source:<ref>{{cite book|last=Small|first=Steve|title=Grand Prix Who's Who|chapter=Lavaggi, Giovanni|url=https://archive.org/details/grandprixwhoswho0000smal|year=2000|edition=Third|publisher=Travel Publishing|location=Reading, Berkshire|page=340|isbn=978-1-902007-46-5|url-access=registration|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>}}}}
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120531104500/http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/lavaggi/index.html Profile on F1 Rejects]
* [http://www.giovannilavaggi.com/ Driver Website]
* [http://www.lavaggi.org Race Team Website]
* {{Racing-Reference driver|Giovanni_Lavaggi}}
* {{DriverDB driver|giovanni-lavaggi}}

{{24 Hours of Daytona winners}}
{{Pacific Racing}}
{{EuroInternational}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavaggi, Giovanni}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Augusta, Sicily]]
[[Category:Italian racing drivers]]
[[Category:International Formula 3000 drivers]]
[[Category:Champ Car drivers]]
[[Category:Italian Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Pacific Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Minardi Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers]]
[[Category:Speedcar Series drivers]]
[[Category:24 Hours of Daytona drivers]]
[[Category:European Le Mans Series drivers]]
[[Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers]]
[[Category:Superstars Series drivers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the Province of Syracuse]]
[[Category:EuroInternational drivers]]