Attilio Bettega

Attilio Luigi Antonio Bettega (19 February 1953 – 2 May 1985)^[1] was an Italian rally driver.^[2]

Attilio Bettega

Personal information
Nationality	Italian
Born	(1953-02-19)19 February 1953 Trento, Italy
Died	2 May 1985(1985-05-02) (aged 32) Zérubia, Corsica, France
World Rally Championship record
Active years	1978–1985
Co-driver	Isabella Torghele Gianni Vacchetto Maurizio Perissinot Mario Mannucci Arnaldo Bernacchini Sergio Cresto
Teams	Fiat, Lancia
Rallies	26
Championships	0
Rally wins	0
Podiums	6
Stage wins	47
Total points	130
First rally	1978 San Remo Rally
Last rally	1985 Tour de Corse

Biography

Bettega's Lancia 037.

Bettega was born in Molveno, Trentino. In 1982, he joined the Lancia team driving the Lancia 037 after some years with Fiat. In his Lancia years he gained four podium finishes in rallies counting towards the World Rally Championship. His last podium was also his most successful one, driving his Lancia to second place at the 1984 Rallye Sanremo. In the 1985 season, he entered the Safari Rally and the Tour de Corse. In Corsica, on the fourth stage of the rally – Zerubia – Bettega lost control of his Lancia and crashed into a tree which ruptured into the driver's seat and killed him instantly. His co-driver Maurizio Perissinot survived the crash uninjured.

Bettega's death caused the safety of Group B cars to be called into question. Exactly one year later his former teammate Henri Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto with the Lancia Delta S4 #4 (same number as Bettega's car) died in a fireball accident at the same event, causing the ban on Group B.

Bettega's son, Alessandro Bettega, has followed his father's footsteps and is also a rally driver.

Sources

1. "Motorsport Memorial - Attilio Bettega". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
2. Autosport 50th Anniversary Issue Celebrating 50 years of the Best in Motorsport. page 173. 13 July 2000. Haymarket Specialist Magazines ISSN 0269-946X