Attilio Bettega – The Dreamer from Molveno

 Sadly, many drivers who die in competition are remembered only by their death or by the innumerable "what if's" have they survived. I always thought it was far more important to remember the man, personally and professionally, and his feats while he lived his passion. And it's what happens to Attilio Bettega. Associated to the succession of fatalities of the Group B era, he was much more than that. For some time, Bettega was the true successor to Sandro Munari as the greatest Italian rally driver.

 

Attilio Bettega (unknown)

2nd May 1985; Zerúbia village, deep into Corsican mountains. Attilio Bettega, Lancia's works driver, prepares to attack the podium places on the fourth special stage of the WRC Tour de Corse, his Lancia 037 roars into the mountain roads. Suddenly a radio message arrives, Bettega has crashed…

Attilio Bettega was born on the small village of Molveno, on the shores of the homonym lake, deep into the high Trentino peaks, not properly far from the Austrian border, on the 19^th February 1953. His passion for motor racing, particularly rallying, was precocious, something that could be seen from the letters the young teen sent to Autosprint's readers' section, showing acute interest in the details about rally regulations and the mechanical side of the cars. Thus, at just nineteen years old, Attilio entered his small familiar car – a Fiat 128 – into the renowned Rally San Martino di Castrozza, based around Trento. It was an ambitious debut among the cream of the Italian national and international drivers (it was also an ERC round), and Bettega bought his little machine to the end in 41^st. It was the beginning of a dream…

 

Climbing through the ranks:

That first taste of competition motivated Bettega to enter the local Triveneto Rally Championship in 1973 with the same car and, surprisingly, won his class. However, Attilio knew he needed better equipment to progress, so he bought a Carenini-tuned Opel Kadett GTE (it was his single venture outside Group Fiat), entering it on selected rounds of the regional and national rally championships, demonstrating his talent with some good performances between 1974 and 1976. During his Opel years, Attilio met a young co-driver from the same region, Isabella Torghele, and soon the professional partnership turned into a relation – later, Attilio and Isabella would marry and have two children: Alessandro and Angela.

Rally San Martino di Castrozza 1973 (unknown)

 

Group Fiat underwent massive changes in the second half of the seventies, which joined the competitions' department of Fiat and Lancia as a sole team, under the direction of the extremely active and astute Cesare Fiorio. They also decided to bolster future Italian talents and created the Trofeo Autobianchi A112, a one-make series using the small Group 1 Autobianchi A112 Abarth (another manufacturer from the group), which would follow the Italian Rally Championship. Aged 24, the Trophy provided a unique chance for Attilio to drive an entire season at the national level with a relatively short budget, alongside his beloved Isabella. He was signed by HF Grifone, where he would partner the two-year younger Fabrizio Tabaton, son of the manager. Fabrizio was yet too inexperienced, so Bettega was the lead driver, immediately demonstrating his speed and talent everywhere and beating the favourite Vanni Fusaro for the overall title, with five wins in fourteen rounds! 

Rally dell'Isola d'Elba 1977 (unknown)

 

The animated and tight fight for the title put both under the radar of Cesare Fiorio, which gave each one a Group 4 car for the season-closing Rallye Valle d'Aosta – Fusaro a Fiat 131, Bettega a powerful Stratos! Attilio wasn't intimidated by the beautiful but beastly machine and captivated everybody with a performance of great steadiness to finish second overall, less than two minutes behind the legendary Sandro Munari – the winner of the 1977 FIA World Cup for Rally Drivers and widely regarded as the best Italian driver until then and one of the top rallymen in the world!!!

Rallye Valle d'Aosta 1977 (unknown)

 

For 1978 Grifone retained Bettega and gave him a semi-works Stratos for the Italian Rally Champion and some odd drives at the ERC, now with Gianni Vacchetto as co-driver. It was a typical learning season, but Bettega drove exceptionally well, despite occasional mistakes, typical of any young driver finding his limits. Interestingly, Attilio managed his best performances on the ERC rounds, where he took two seconds places at Antibes and the Hunsrück. Grifone duly thought he was ready for his WRC debuts and entered him for the Sanremo Rally and the Tour de Corse. Still, Attilio's two WRC outings ended prematurely: at the Sanremo, he crashed heavily on the first stage, and in Corsica, he had to retire on the second leg with multiple punctures. Nevertheless, Fiat was impressed enough and signed Attilio with immediate effect, starting at the… Valle d'Aosta! Indeed, this particular round turned out to be his usual premiere for a new team. He also inaugurated his partnership with young co-driver Maurizio Perissinot, who won the 1978 ERC title with Tony Carello. It was the beginning of a great partnership (and friendship too) that, with occasional exceptions, would last till Bettega's death. If there were any doubts about his talent, they all ended on that rally, as Attilio drove the 131 Abarth to a significant win!

Rallye Colline di Romagna 1978 (unknown)

 

Monte Carlo's stylish show:

Bettega's first season as a works driver, in 1979, was focused around the Italian Rally Championship, driving both the Gr.4 131 Abarth and the neat Gr.2 Ritmo 75 Abarth. If his debuts at the Monte Carlo ended with a broken engine, Bettega would shine on Italian grounds, notably winning the Costa Smeralda, the 4 Regioni and the Valle d'Aosta!!! Obviously, the performances with the small Ritmo were far meagre, but Attilio was in charge of its development, and it helped a lot to refine his driving style. For the Sanremo, Fiorio put him on the third works Fiat, alongside Röhrl and Alén. Bettega didn't disappoint, again gambling on a regular drive which gave him the lowest step on the podium – it was important for Fiat to gain points before the RAC to challenge Ford, but Röhrl's second wouldn't be enough for the title. And his Italian ERC outings also gave Bettega the sixth place in that championship, with 140 points.

Rally de Monte Carlo 1980 (unknown)

 

Bettega was retained by Fiat in 1980, and, for the first time, his schedule would be planned around the WRC outings, where he would drive the 131, bar the Monte Carlo… It would be on the mostly dry stages of the oldest rally in the world that Attilio carved his legend. With the small Ritmo 75, Bettega not only dominated Group 2 but spent most of the rally in contention for the overall podium, generally being on the top-6 every stage!!! Sadly, in the latter ones, a wrong tyre choice delayed him a lot, and Attilio lost every chance to finish on the top-3 and the Gr.2 leadership in favour of Per Eklund's VW, but it didn't deter his breathtaking performance on the last leg… The routes were now almost dry, except on the mythical Turini, and Bettega blitzed the timesheets on the first passage, leading everyone to think it was a timing mistake… How could such an underpowered Ritmo do those times? Bettega lifted any doubts with a similar time on the second passage, even winning it, which left him sixth overall and second on the Gr.2! Bettega would drive far more powerful cars, but for the raw enthusiasts, this Monte with the Ritmo was his greatest exploit, as probably no other driver could take out so much from that tiny car. 

Rally de Monte Carlo 1980 (unknown)

 

Back to the 131, Bettega was unlucky in Portugal, where he crashed early on a road section, then was eighth on the Acropolis and retired with a broken oil sump at Argentina. Fiat braced a severe strike for the home round that forced Fiorio to call every private squad to give their cars, men and material to save Fiat!!!! Bettega was among the fastest on the first half of the rally with the River Team car but lost time on the gravel and finished sixth. His WRC season ended with another crash at Corsica, but then Attilio took his second consecutive win at the Valle d'Aosta and was called to drive the Gr.5 Lancia Beta Montecarlo at the Giro d'Italia Automobilistico – a mix of special stages and circuit racing, accepting both rally cars and prototypes – he finished second, alongside his co-driver Attilio Bernacchini (his usual co-driver in 1980), and an almost unknown racing driver… Michele Alboreto, being beaten only by their teammates Alén-Kivimäki-Patrese.

Rally Sanremo 1980 (unknown)

         Group B rules were already looming, and Audi introduced a brutal change on the rally car concept in 1981 with their 4WD turbocharged Quattro – it isn't widely known, but Bettega was scouted by the Germans. This and the latest Group 4 models rendered the more traditional Group 4's, such as the 131 Abarth and the Ford Escort RS1800 obsolete, and Fiat, after so many successes, scaled down their WRC programme, as Fiorio wanted to prepare the comeback of Lancia with a Group B model. Bettega's first WRC outings at Monte Carlo and Portugal ended with two broken engines, but on the rough Acropolis terrain, the robust Fiat has the potential to win, and both Alén and Bettega were always among the best, finishing respectively second and third overall. Attilio only did one more outing at the WRC that year, the Sanremo, and it would be his best performance of the season, as he was always among the fastest and even led the rally briefly on the second leg until crashing out. To compound his schedule, Attilio did some national rounds with great results, namely a win at Il Ciocco.

Rally Costa Smeralda 1981 (unknown)

 Hope and disappointment:

Late 1981 was rather busy, as Alén and Bettega were the two drivers responsible for developing the brand new 037. Preparing already for the Group B rules that would be enforced in 1983, the 037 was a very advanced car with a central supercharged engine, but the Torinese option for 2WD would prove a wrong choice in the near future. Nevertheless, the car promised a lot when it appeared, debuting yet on a standard version on the Costa Smeralda, where both drivers retired with gearbox troubles.

Teething problems weren't unexpected, but optimism reigned for the WRC debut at Corsica… However, whilst Alén struggled with ill-handling the whole rally, Bettega was the only driver able to follow Ragnotti and Andruet's diabolic rhythm and was third amidst the second leg when, at SS11, he lost control of the car near Salvareccio and crashed heavily into a small wall. The Lancia was utterly destroyed, and Bettega severely injured, while Perissinot escaped with some bruises only. Inexplicably, the organisation didn't stop the stage, and the remains of the 037 remained alongside the road with Bettega trapped inside till the last driver passed! Only 49 minutes after the crash, the driver was rescued and soon airlifted to Turin. His most severe injuries were two broken legs, one of them barely escaping amputation after two delicate surgeries!

This is the the condition of Bettega's Lancia after the 1982 crash (unknown)

 

Nobody expected Attilio to recover completely, much less being able to return to competition. However, Bettega was strong and never lost his will, despite the despairingly long healing process so, after some minor operations and months of physiotherapy, he was ready to drive again. Fiorio hadn't lost faith in Attilio and, on February 1983, provided him with his first test with a 037 at Lancia's private track of La Mandria, monitored by the doctors that followed him during that long and arduous process. Gradually, Bettega tested harder and harder and was finally ready to drive the zero car at the Costa Smeralda, demonstrating he was already fit to drive for an entire rally, which prompted Lancia to prepare his WRC comeback for… Corsica! By then, Attilio had developed a "love-hate" relationship with the insular round because he loved the challenge of the narrow and twisty mountain roads but reckoned its challenges implied huge dangers, and Group B's increasing power cars only exacerbated it. Despite everything and the apparent lack of rhythm, Bettega was again very regular and benefitted from his opponents' mistakes and troubles to finish fourth! Then he was fifth on the Acropolis, third in New Zealand and third again on the Sanremo, signing an excellent exhibition on home soil that proved the accident was definitively left behind, which left him seventh on the championship, with 42 points.

Acropolis Rally 1983 (unknown)

         However, it was apparent the 2WD was a considerable handicap for Lancia and their beautifully engineered 037 against the 4WD Audi and Peugeots, mainly on gravel events, so everybody in Turin knew it was impossible to renew the 1983 Manufacturers' crown and began designing an actual prototype – the Delta S4. Meanwhile, in 1984 Alén and Bettega had to try their best to surprise the rivals with the 037. However, on the heavy snow on the Monte Carlo routes, the Audis were largely favoured, and Bettega only finished fifth. In Portugal, both Lancias dominated the tarmac stages but couldn't match Mikkola's Audi on the gravel, and Bettega finished third right behind Alén and Mikkola. Then, at the Costa Smeralda, Bettega's participation ended in a big shunt that left Perissinot with a broken leg. The temporary replacement was a young Italo-American, Sergio Cresto – ironically, the co-driver who would die with Henri Toivonen. The pair knew the Tour de Corse was one of the few chances they had to win in 1984 and, even if the brand new Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 debuted with a stellar performance, Bettega dominated the first stages till he punctured three times on the SS8, relegating him definitively to a meagre seventh at the end and leaving Attilio somewhat in a self-confidence crisis. 

Rali de Portugal 1984 (unknown)

However, everything got better on the Acropolis (4^th), and, again, the Sanremo provided another fantastic performance by Attilio. The Lancias dominated on the tarmac, led by Alén, but on the gravel, the Peugeots had their edge, and Bettega managed to be the best Lancia, finishing second, his best placement ever on a WRC round. It was undoubtedly Attilio's best season, leaving him fifth on the standings with 49 points, and he was regarded as an increasingly mature driver, maximising his smooth and regular style to keep up with faster rivals and also giving excellent response to the mounting pressure on him due to the rise of other Italian stars, namely the 1983 ERC and Italian champion Miki Biasion. In an interview with Cyril Frey in May, Bettega said, "Biasion is the best of the Italian youngsters because he doesn't commit mistakes. Vudafieri and Capone are faster than him over one special, but they aren't consistent. Having said that, Miki's presence doesn't bother me at all. I certainly don't be the sole Italian to drive a works car, as it has been for long. That I must undergo Toivonen and Biasion's concurrence doesn't change at all my way to see the rallies".

Rally Sanremo 1984 (Luca Barsali)

             As Lancia was preparing to introduce the new turbo and supercharged Delta S4, an absolute 4WD Group B beast, they just planned a partial schedule for the 1985 WRC, as the top priority was testing the new car to debut it as soon as possible. This allowed  Bettega to have a small ERC schedule driving the beautiful West-liveried Tre Gazzelle 037's, which were yet the machine to beat on that championship. However, his debuts on the Costa Brava ended in a big shunt, but he would finish second at the Costa Smeralda, two weeks before Corsica. In between, Bettega did extensive testing in Kenya to prepare for his first Safari, where the more conventional cars generally had an advantage over the sophisticated Group B's, and Attilio was immediately fast, even taking the lead by the mid of the first leg, only to retire with an overheating engine at the end of the day. Then, again, it was time to head for Corsica, where the 037 could dream of his farewell WRC win…

 

The Curse of Corsica:

Unsurprisingly, Bettega was fast from the beginning and was fighting for the lead when the departure of the SS4, Zerúbia-Santa Giulia, was given. Less than two kilometres after, Bettega lost control of his Lancia after a fast right bend at more or less 150 Km/h and hit a pole, then plunged into a ravine and stopped after a final crash with a tree, right on the side of the driver, between the roof and windshield. It was such a brutal impact that the rollbar collapsed, and Attilio died on the spot due to massive head injuries, while Perissinot was unscathed and promptly climbed back to the route to advise the remaining drivers. In sequence, Miki Biasion, Bernard Béguin and François Chatriot arrived at the scene of the tragedy and stopped. Still, Perissinot feared help would take too long as in 1982 and ran with difficulty (due to the pain he suffered after breaking his leg in 84) to the starting point, and the organisers soon received the message and cancelled the stage. The rescue was immediately provided, and the ambulance reached the local 20 minutes later, but nothing could be done. Perissinot would only receive the news at night, as he was yet too distressed from the accident. Lancia withdrew immediately the remaining works car of Markku Alén, and the Jolly Club's one from Miki Biaison retired a stage later, in respect to their deceased colleague. Also, Tre Gazzelle withdrew their Lancias from the concomitant ERC Rally Albena-Zlatni Piassatzi in mourning.

In retrospect, we may think that this was already a prognostic for the dark year of 1986, which signed the death warrant for the beautiful but overpowered Group B cars, but, as a matter of fact, Bettega's crash was something that could have had almost the same effect on every car at the same speed, and Attilio's death was a consequence of the angle of the impact, more a twist of fate than a security failure. Probably, one of the leading causes was the decision from Lancia to put hard compounds on their cars to cope with the 31 Km long stage, so the tyres weren't yet at their ideal temperature and made it easy for Bettega to lose the car. It was also said that, at the time of the crash, Bettega was pushing too hard as, despite his previous assertions, he felt his place at Lancia was menaced by the Italian rising star Miki Biasion and by the young and immensely gifted Finn Henri Toivonen, so in Corsica, he had one of the few opportunities to show everyone what he could do with the aged 037. Ironically, Toivonen died on the same day one year later when, leading the Tour de Corse, he lost control of the Lancia Delta S4, and it also plunged into a ravine, exploding with the impact. Both cars used number 4, and it was abandoned by the Corsican organisation when deemed as cursed until the standardisation of the WRC numbers in 1996. Both crashes also led to a habit of general avoidance by Finnish drivers concerning the Tour de Corse that would endure until the mid-nineties.

One of the most beautiful Tributes to Toivonen and Bettega in my opinion (unknown)

         Bettega will be forever recalled as one of the best Italian rally drivers ever, even though he never won a WRC round and had few wins in the national championship. He wasn't as fast and spectacular as some of his contemporaries, such as Röhrl, Alén, Mikkola, Blomqvist, Toivonen and Vatanen, but he compensated for the lack of the "little bit" of talent the great champions have with extreme mechanical smoothness and a terribly metronomic style, so he rarely crashed or broke the car. If there were any doubts on Attilio's skills, the 1980 Monte Carlo Rally and, later his performances with the 037 against the 4WD's, demonstrated he could extract almost the impossible from every car he drove, apart from being able to quickly adapt to every terrain (such as the Safari), albeit being considered a tarmac specialist. Bettega died at thirty-two years old and was a mature driver, and I wonder what he could have done with the monstrous Delta S4, as it was probably at the maximum height of his career. No wonder why he deserves to be among the best.

Even if Attilio is mostly remembered for his driving prowesses, he was also widely loved as a man by all those who contacted with him. Extremely passionate and dedicated to his profession, Bettega was, nevertheless, a very humble and simple man, known for the respect he used to treat his adversaries – something reciprocal to Bettega by the motoring community – and the sympathy he devoted to the team members and fans, which made him one of the most admired characters of the rally entourage, and one of the last true gentlemen's of the sport… perhaps he deserves the often-repeated epitome "too kind to be a champion". Despite being Italian, he was known for his calm demeanour and the very private lifestyle he always enjoyed, and his particular hate for Italian football due to the violence associated with it. For the fans, Attilio was known as the champion with a sad smile. 

Attilio Bettega (unknown)

 

Bettega and his wife Isabella owned a hotel on the shores of the Lake Molveno, and Attilio wanted to devote himself to its management when he decided to retire or even pursue his studies after completing one year at the Faculty of Economy and Commerce. When he died, he left two very young children, Alessandro and Angela. The eldest would follow his father's footsteps and became a rally driver in his late teens, reaching the WRC in 2006, when he won the junior competition Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy. Sadly, he couldn't thrive on the world ranks despite promising performances on the JWRC and returned to Italy, where he still competes occasionally. Attilio's legacy lives through the Memorial Bettega, a Rallysprint organised alongside the Bologna Motor Show that usually attracts the best rally drivers from the moment and on the hearth of every rally enthusiast in the world.