Antonio Branca (15 September 1916,

Sion, Switzerland , neighboring_municipalities= Ayent, Conthey, Grimisuat, Grône, Les Agettes, Nax, Nendaz, Saint-Léonard, Salins, Savièse, Vernamiège, Vex , twintowns = Sion (; german: Sitten ; it, Seduno; la, Sedunum) is a Swiss town, a mun ...

– 10 May 1985,

Sierre Sierre (; german: Siders, ; frp, Siérro, ) is the capital municipality of the district of Sierre, located in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a population of 16,332. Sierre is nicknamed City of the Sun (french: Cité du Soleil) for i ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

) was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

driver from

who competed in three World Championship races. His motor racing career was allegedly financed by an admiring Belgian countess, the Vicomtesse de Walkiers. Branca mainly competed in privately owned

Maserati 4CLT The Maserati 4CL and its derived sister model the Maserati 4CLT are single-seat open-wheel Grand Prix racing cars that were designed and built by Maserati. The 4CL was introduced at the beginning of the 1939 season, as a rival to the Alfa Rome ...

, in Formula One and Two races. Branca made his Formula One debut at the

1950 Swiss Grand Prix The 1950 Swiss Grand Prix, formally titled the ''Großer Preis der Schweiz für Automobile'', was a Formula One motor race held on 4 June 1950 at Bremgarten. It was race four of seven in the 1950 World Championship of Drivers. The 42-lap race wa ...

, finishing 11th, and briefly led the non-championship Formula One race in Circuit des Nations at Geneva in a

Simca-Gordini Gordini () is a division of Renault Sport Technologies (Renault Sport). In the past, it was a sports car manufacturer and performance tuner, established in 1946 by Amédée Gordini (1899–1979), nicknamed "Le Sorcier" (The Sorcerer). Gordini be ...

. He scored a number of top-six placings in other minor races, his best finish being fourth at a Formula Two race at the

Aix les Bains Circuit du Lac Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, France had a race track, called Circuit du Lac, which hosted Formula 2, Formula Junior, and Motorcycle Grand Prix races between 1949 and 1960. Introduction The Circuit du Lac d'Aix-les-Bains (the lake race track) was in a ...

, before entering the and finishing in 10th place. Branca continued to race in 1951, retiring from the Formula One and finishing sixth in the non-championship

Pescara Grand Prix Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxi ...

, but finished competing in Grand Prix racing at the end of the year. Branca competed at a lower level until the mid-1950s, racing in

hillclimbs Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the fir ...

and participated twice in the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...

race. Racing with a Moretti 750cc, in 1955 the car was not ready and could not be brought to the starting line at the time of the start, and in 1956 the car broke down before his turn behind the steering wheel.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Branca, Toni 1916 births 1985 deaths Swiss racing drivers Swiss Formula One drivers People from Sion, Switzerland Sportspeople from Valais