How I met Adriano Parlamento

The race Vallecamonice in Italy was a last wandering for Adriano Parlamento. I hope that nearly everybody, who is interested in hill climb racing, knows him. He was a person who raced for joy, for his love of racing cars. It isn’t main thing to talk about things like how and why this tragic accident happened. It’s said that documentation of his car wasn’t adequate to pass his inspection, that he wasn’t a participant of the race or he was late in scrutineering – he was only a forerunner, that it ought to be his last race, that technical trouble on his drive happened to him. The earthly life of this lovely friend and pilot has just finished at the race course in cockpit of his favourite single-seater March F3 Toyota. His March in black colours reminds of late cars Lotus F1. We realize that the legend, the nice pilot has left us. He obtained his celebrity in the second middle of his life and he has always stayed with us.

I have actively been interested in hill climb racing roughly since 1989. I couldn’t notice a car March of group C3. Adriano Parlamento introduced the red prototype of this mark at Ecce Homo and I was very glad because these opened prototypes weren’t been produced yet for several years. Time passed and this red car was a part of every hill climb race of European championship. When I started to put all results together to my computer, I saw that the most frequent pilot of the hill climb racing in category II was again Adriano Parlamento. I could see him on the race course as well as in parking-site of racing machines. He was a modest and cheerful person who didn’t hesitate to help his rivals. I was a witness of the race in Sternberk in 1997 when a famous pilot Pasquale Irlando crashed in the training and he couldn’t help to himself with destroyed laminated plastics of bodywork. Experienced Adriano came and repaired these laminated plastics. Irlando could get in the race and he overcame a record of group CN and he won. I couldn’t believe in old used tyres of Adriano´s March at the Slovak race called Baba in 1998. I admired his lovely times because this car couldn’t hide its line falling in 70th. Though his nice style of race and lovely powerslide in curves always meant fine results. In 2002 I personally met this nice person. He filled up database of results from races of European Championship. He hadn’t to put the most modern technology but an interesting car that changed every race.

Adriano didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Italian. But our mutual speech was a speech of motorsports fans, of photo’s fans, of interest of sport cars and of web-site www.vrchy.com, which go in for hill climb racing. It was really a lovely meeting in Le Mont Dore in France and I never forget it. It was a big reputing that Adriano remembered my face. I could again and again say "ciao" to him at the next races.

Considering what rules of group C3 were changed and cars of this group wasn’t admitted to European Championship. It meant that his red March was slowly losing. Indeed Adriano showed us another car of the same mark, formula 3 because he loved racing. It was again historical unique and I think that he was dreaming about similar car and make the dream real. He wanted to try well-known courses like Rechberg or French hills.

A pilgrimage of the person who became a real friend and a fan of motorsport (there is still less fans of motorsport here) finished earlier than we would wish. I am so happy that I could personally meet him. And I also believe that nothing is so absolute for ending of everything. Adriano left here a legacy and he has still stayed with us. He is also in lovely place where pilots of our world meet and when I will meet him there I will again shout “Ciao, Adriano!”

Several information:

Adriano Parlamento (*1.2.1942 - +26.6.2005)

Adriano got his driver licence in 1964. He started to race at European Championship in 1979. He had one daughter. He worked as a driver, he likes nearly every food, he prefered spaghetti and salad. He likes drinking red wine. The best success for him was 4th position at European Championship in group C3 in 1996. Cars and technology were his real hobby. He wished to obtain title of European Champion.

A few pictures

Adriano in Sternberk in 1986


Adriano again in Sternberk in 1986


Original shape of car March 75S, which was produced by English car factory. Adriano drove this car after Pignard, perhaps since 1977.





Adriano equipped his car with front bodywork from car Osella after serious accident at Ecce Homo in 1988. A grandiose “chimney” for engine cooling disappeared as well as rear wind was modified. Red colour was on its car already in 1987.


I saw Adriano at first in single seater at race in Rechberg in 2001


Mont Dore 2002


Mont Dore 2002 at the car March F3 that was his fatal car



Few results:

EHC:

                                                     year   position points

European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1986     7.      36
European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1987     7.      32
European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1988     7.      28
European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1989     5.      37
European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1993    10.      13
European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1994     9.      45
European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1996     4.      85
European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1997     6.      73
European Hillclimb championship cat. II              1998     5.      95