About Piercarlo Ghinzani
Piercarlo Ghinzani (born 16 January 1952) is an Italian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1981 to 1989. Ghinzani participated in 111 Formula One Grands Prix for Osella, Toleman, Ligier and Zakspeed, debuting at the 1981 Belgian Grand Prix. He scored his only points finish at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix with Osella, where he finished fifth. Ghinzani entered four editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1980 to 1983 with Lancia, but retired with mechanical faults in each. Upon retiring from motor racing, Ghinzani founded the eponymous racing team Team Ghinzani in 1992, which has since competed in A1 Grand Prix as A1 Team Italy from 2005 to 2009, as well as in several national and continental Formula Three championships. Despite lapping faster than Michele Alboreto, Danny Sullivan, Chico Serra and Stefan Johansson, Ken Tyrrell deciced to retain Alboreto and Sullivan, and Ghinzani signed with Osella for his first full Formula One season. Ghinzani holds the record for the most Formula One appearances without qualifying in the top-ten. In 1976 he switched to Team Euroracing, and won the European Championship in 1977, giving March, who was supplying the chassis, its first European Formula Three title.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.