ANSI president Giovanni Montiglio wrote a touching article in memory of Franco. It will be published at ANSI's web site.

October 23, 2002. Today one of the world's best scale racers, Italy's Franco Gianotti (47) has been buried in Brescia. Where they showed, he and his wife Corinna, they were a living example of hapiness so rare in this postmodern times of stress, anxiety and insecurity. They had nothing than friends.  Franco was a self-made man, expanding business in several branches. He married Corinna Bernardelli. In 1985 he built with Giovanni Montiglio his first slot-racing track and entered together with Corinna at once international instead of club racing.  Meanwhile he started La Padana Ricambi, a firm specialised in parts for scooters. Two days ago he found that the roof of the building was leaking and let come three specialists in roofing. When shortly before noon he - an extremely carefull person - wished to take a look at the leak, the roof cracked making him falling 8 metres down, just a few meters aside a pile of carton boxes where he could have landed safely. After his fall Franco was perfectly conscious and showed no external injuries. Shortly after noon he was brought to hospital and seemed to be out of danger until deeper anlaysis let expect an internal emorrhage at bouth lungs. Franco lost consciousness and died at 13h47. Corinna found just the time to see him still alive, arriving from home. Today she and her two daughters Arianna (10) and Silvia (7) accompained Franco with many slot-racing friends for his last trip. To Corinna and her two daughters the IMCA staff presents its sincere condolences. In the article below JPVR describes the international slot-race career of Franco and Corinna.

1985 - Before 1985 Franco Gianotti was totally unknown as a slot-racer, even in his own country. However, his first international race, at the Antwerp Crest Hotel was enough to remember him. He and his wife Carine arrived as two amateurs. They entered the second Pinky Point race where - except for Jan Limpach - all the best wing car racers and scale racers from the world were present. That they could qualify among the top-16 of 46 hyper professional teams was considered as an accident. But when 12 hours later he and his wife Corinna finished as high as 5th, immediately behind the best wing car experts of the world, and ahead of all scale racers, the great Sergio Maresca or Giovanni Montiglio included, nobody was intended to forget him. But even if he and Corinna had finished 46th and last, it should not have been other: with Corinna slot-racers discovered a dream woman, classy, gentle, extremely beautiful. By finishing 2nd in their second race, now even ahead of the best Americans, they were at once accepted as real experts in endurance racing. To the end of the year they confirmed their talent at a 24-hour race where they finished 5th overall (even ahead of the legendary Paul Pfeiffer, triple wing car world champ) and first in the class GT. On the left pic they received their awards out of the hands of Jan Groos (who passed away in 1999 due to diabetics). But Franco was not only an excellent endurance racer. At the European Grand Prix, a sprint race on the MRTU Blue King he qualified for the main (pic above with f.l.t.r. Didier Moret, Marc Joyeux, Jon Laster, JPVR, Csaba Szekelihydi and Franco himself) where he finished 3rd overall, even ahead of America's Jon Laster (IOC n°2 at those days).

1986 will bring the confirmation that Franco and Corinna are excellent racers. They easily win the European Endurance Championship, organised by de U.E.S., i.e. the European Federation of Scale Ragers. After the withdrawal of Charleroi it's a series over three rounds (France, Spain and Italy). At their own track in Brescia (round 2) Francco and Corinna score their first international win. But up from now they try also to convince in individual racing. That's why they are both present at the World Championships at Valkenburg (NL). At the PR132 race Franco even realised the main final. In ES32 Corinna seemed to make easily the move to the main final, when at the last stages of the semis she looses a nearly certain second place. At two occasions Corinna finishes ahead of Franco, but just as in daily life, they are pretty close together. They also enter the 12 races of the UES European championship (ES32, PR32, F1) where Franco finishes 6th in PR32 and 8th in F1, again with Corinna close behind. At the 3rd Benelux Cup, a race with IOC-status, Franco and Corinna, now helped by Brazil's Celso Duarte, finish 4th overall, despite an extremely qualitative racer's field. The 4th Benelux Cup (at that days there were two such races per year) a very tactical game is played. Indeed it is the race deciding who of Willy Heerwegh (B) or Sergio Maresca (I) will win the famous Ferrari 308 GTB, being the first prize at the end of the 1985-86 Pinky Point Cup. The race goes with PR32, split in two classes: the faster EuroToy 1 and faster Club Car race in Division 1, the slower and older Plus car in Division 2. Before the start the gap between Heerwegh and Maresca is down to 3 little points. Since the unbeatable Maresca starts in Division 1, Heerwegh opts for Division 2: if Sergio wins his class, Willy has to do the same in Division 2 to win the Ferrari. The Italians decide to align their best racers in Divsion 2 with the instruction that as many of them can finish ahead of Belgium's Willy Heerwegh. Franco Gianotti is among the racers who have to stop Willy, together with Alberto Capra and the extremely fast young Michele Scarpato. Corinna is with Giacobbi in Division 1 to protect Maresca as well as possible. The 6 finalists in Division 1 (pic above left) are Debella (USA), Ingram (CND), Corinna, Maresca, Bellenger (F) and Giacobbi. The hyper nervous Maresca, normally never deslotting, looses the lead around mid-race when he deslots a couple of times and when one of the Heirwegh friends (Bellenger) holds up Maresca: enough for Chuck Ingram to set the pace. Corinna tries a couple of times to hinder the Canadian, but at no avail: he wins Division 1 with Maresca as second. That means that in the Division 2 final Heerwegh should finish at least second to win the Ferrari 38 GTB. He has Laurent Cardin (F) and JPVR (B) as allies, Capra, Scarpato and Franco as enemies. Immediately after the start Scarpato and Capra are pulling away from the rest of the field, with Heerwegh as third (too low to win the Ferrari). Just before mid-race a drama for Maresca when Scarpato deslots and has to retire with a broken Alba AR6. Heerwegh is now again second and sure to win the Ferrari. Then, however, comes Franco. He bites his Alba AR6 in the rear of Heerwegh's and even succeeds to pass him when the Belgian is heating his motor. Franco fights as a devil to keep his second place, but has during the last segment no more power when his motor is totally up. Eventually Heerwegh can pass Franco to win the second place and the Ferrari 308 GTB. Left below and standing we detect Capra, Heerwegh, Scarpato, JPVR, Franco and Cardin. 

1987 - Franco and Corinna decide to specialise in individual sprint races and to stop endurance racing. The Toulouse (F) Worlds bring the confirmation that they belong up from now to the elite of international pros. At all races, except the F1 race (where he is the first non qualified for the move) Franco realises the main: he finishes 6th in PR32 and Old Timers and gets as 3rd at the ES32 Scale Racing Worlds the podium with Giuseppe Rudilosso and Tim Ryan (after the disqualification of winner Sergio Maresca). He will be with Rudilosso and the nearly invisible Ryan, the first European racer to come on the cover of John Ford's famous American SARN Magazine. At Profondville he will finish second to Achim Burgmann in the European G12 Model Car Championship (with Corinna finishing 7th). At the Old Timer EuroNats, also at Profondville Corinna will finish as 9th, but Franco makes again the main, finishing 4th. This year the Pinky Point standings cover the 6 races at Toulouse (among them the G7 wing car race) and the 4 races at Profondville (among them again one G7 wing car race). In the overall ranking Franco will finish second to Jan Limpach, and being classified as the second best racer of 1987. He is now a star, able to beat the best racers in the world. He and Corinna are much appreciated international pros and any organiser of a top event wish to have them at the start. More and more he's interested in developing his own slot-race parts. He will contribute to the improvement of the Tover, a new production car, which he lets test by Giorgio Brenna. The new car is full of child diseases, but Franco continues to work on it. Meantime he runs his own club at Brescia. He starts up a manufactury specialised in parts for motor bikes. In daily life he's now a much appreciated business man with Corinna as an admirable help. For Franco and Corinna it becomes more difficult to travel around the world and to show at all international meetings. That explains why they are absent at the UES European Championship for scale 1/32nd cars. For 1988 they plan just one international trip to the Chicago Worlds, where spread over one week, they can enter a dozen of races with the best racers on earth. Since there is an Endurance World Championship scheduled, going over 5 rounds, they make it to their main objective for 1988. 

1988 - This year the IMCA pays for 50 non-American racers a plane ticket to Chicago and 8 days of free hotel. It will be the best attended Worlds in the history of slot-racing with more than 150 racers coming from 17 different countries together in IMCA's new commercial raceway. The Gianottis show with an extremely well prepared Parma Flexi chassis equipped with a standard Mura X12 and a Tiga CG287. As was done at the last Pinky Point race in 1986 there are again 2 classes: C1 is the Open G12 class, C2 the production class. All cars are at scale 1/24th. Half of the racers go for C1 with the ProSlot RTR as most popular chassis, the other half for C2 with the new stamped chassis EuroToy RTR as favourite. Franco is an intelligent guy: he knows that most top racers go after overall victories and use C1 cars for this, so that competition in C2 is less heavy. There are 5 races to go: 4 over 3 hours and one over 12 hours. In each class (C1 and C2) the top-10 finishers win the same amount of points. In C2 Franco's most dangerous competitors are Jan Limpach (USA)/Wayne Bramble (AU), Dan Debella (USA)/JPVR (B), Lee Gilbert/Dave Liebenthal (USA) and Mike "Raisin" Garrett/Boyt Johnson (USA). Franco counts that in C1 the wolves will devore each other. Thr first round is won by Dieter Jens/Burkhrd Werner, driving a rental car, since their luggage was lost on the plane. C2 goes to Lee Gilbert/Liebenthal, with Debella/JPVR as 2nd, and Franco and Corinna as 3rd. The following round Jens/Werner are disqualified. Andrew Smith/Timothy Smith (USA) are the surprising winners, whilst Franco and Corinna bring their Tiga home as 4th and C2 winner. Limpach/Bramble, having finished 4th at round 1 are now 3rd. That means that Franco and Corinna lead the provisional standings with 32 points, heading the C1 drivers Bernardino/Buggenhout (BR) with 27 points, Debella/JPVR with 25 points, Gilbert/Liebenthal with 24 points and Limpach/Bramble with 22 points. Round 3 is won by the C1-drivers Rudilosso and Trigilio (I) having now 32 points. C2 goes to Gilbert/Liebenthal increasing their points total to 44. By finishing 3rd in C2 Franco and Corinna are now in with an equal total of points, whilst Debella/JPVR, having finished as 2nd C2 stand on 40 points. Limpach/Bramble (4th in C2) are now already 12 points behind the leaders. The fact that Bernardino/Buggenhout missed to qualify implies that no C1 teams are any longer dangerous for Franco and Corinna. Round 4 is won by Capra/Montiglio (I) ahead of Rudilosso/Trigilio. C2 is won by Maresca/Giacobbi who swifted from an unsuccessful C1 to C2. Debella/JPVR are 2nd, Limpach/Bramble 4th, Liebenthal/Gilbert 5th and Franco and Corinna only 6th. That gives the following standings: 1. Debella/JPVR 55 pts, 2. Liebenthal/Gilbert 52 pts, 3. Franco/Corinna 50 pts, 4. Rudilosso/Trigilio 47 pts, 5. Limpach/Bramble 40 pts, 6. Bernardino/Buggen- hout 39 pts. That means that the last round will be decisive. Rudilosso/Trigilio decide not to start to let Franco's chances on winning intact. The Italians decide that wonderboy Sergio Maresco has to help Franco and Corinna to win the title. Debella/JPVR opt for Mark Harrison (GB) as third driver, Gilbert and Liebenthal for Jeff W. Long (USA), Limpach/Bramble for Paul Lyon (GB) and Bernardino/Buggenhout for Dieter Jens (D).  
Fastest away at the fifth and decisive round is "Gugu" Bernardino, winning the $ 1,000 US. For Lee Gilbert the race starts as a disaster when the chassis of his Gebhardt JGTC is bent after a crash. But also Debella & Co are in problems, loosing 350 laps in the pits. When everybody is back on track we find 2 C1 cars leading: Bernardino/Buggenhout/Jens followed by Young/Duarte/Werner. Franco and Corinna are now 3rd, Limpach & Co 4th, Debella & Co 7th, Gilbert & Co 8th. That means that Franco is on his way to become the 1988 Endurance World Champion. 

Then, after 8 hours of racing, Franco had at once a serious motor problem. Changing brought no solution and he decided to change braids, leadwire and gear. When he came back on the track his advance over Debella/JPVR was at once down to 39 laps. With Franco leading C2 (good for 20 points) and Debella as second (good for 15 points) both teams were virtually with an equal amount of points: 70. In that case the ranking of the four racers (Corinna, Franco, Debella, JPVR) should depend upon the achieved number of laps. After 9 hours of racing Franco had still an advance over Debella of 25 laps, but in total, over the 5 races, he had done 24 less than Debella. That implied that he was still virtual leader, but only ... one lap ahead of Dan. After 9 hours racers were replaced. With Corinna being extremely tired it was decided that Maresca should do the stint, while Debella give it to Harrison. During one full hour both cars were still in the same position, with at the end always a 25 lap difference. After 10 hours Franco came back for a one hour stint, thus Dan did the same. He needed 36 minutes to take one lap on Franco. The direct consequence was that both had now 70 points and an equal number of laps. Then Debella decided to attack as hard as he could. In 5 minutes he took 2 other laps on Franco and was now the virtual world champion. However his attack was so heavy that the gear was coming off. After repairs Debella was at once 120 laps down to Franco. Meantime Limpach jumped into the second place in C2, so that even on points Debella came now 3 units short to be the world champion. Franco, however was so tired, that he had to ask Maresca to take over. After 11 hours of racing Debella had achieved 161 laps more over 5 races than Franco: now it was sufficient that he could pass Limpach's car to be again the virtual world champ. The last hour both teams convenied that JPVR should do the last stint for Debella's team, Maresca for Franco's team. Limpach decided to do a double stint. After 11 hours the difference between him and JPVR was 30 laps. Debella could only be world champion if JPVR could pass Limpach. He tried what he could, however without taking the smallest lap back. Eventually Franco, Corinna and Sergio Maresca finished 3rd overall behind both Brazilian teams, but as winner in C2. By finishing 5th, 32 laps down to Limpach's car, and as 3rd C2, Debella came 3 points short to be the new world champion. So Franco was crowned the 1988 Endurance World Champion, with beautiful Corinna as runner-up. It brought him on the cover of the famous EuroSlot magazine (n°13) together with Mike Swiss who won the wing car worlds and Jan Limpach who won the scale worlds.
1989  was the last year that the Gianottis were seen in international racing. Meantime JPVR withdrew from slot-racing after he bought a F1 team with Stefan Johansson, Bertrand Gachot (and later J.J. Lehto) as racers. He gave Andrew Smith the financial means to continue the IMCA. Andrew organised in 1989 a new world championship in Chicago, but now with less races. One last time Franco Gianotti reached the main, now at the Scale Racing Worlds, where no less than 6 Italians were in for the final combat. Franco was a long while found in third position (just as in 1987), but eventually he had to retire with technical problems. In 1990 the IMCA had no longer own financial means and Andrew Smith was unable to continue the great international events of the five preceding years. In 1991 Corinna was pregnant and the Gianottis disappeared from the international scene. Up from now Franco was busy with his new firm, but he released time by time high quality slot-racing parts. This year he released a new competitive G12 chassis, and it was told that he should make his come-back. A stupid 8-metre fall from the roof of his building ended the hope on any return. With Franco Gianotti the international community of slot-racing pros looses one of its most congenial racers. Up to now Franco is always ranked among the top-50 on the all-time ranking of slot-racers. He will be missed by all of us. [JPVR]

Antwerp  July 19 1985 - 92 entries

Valkenburg (NL)  July 11-13 1986 - 82 entries

Italy, France, Spain, Belgium  - 64 racers ranked

Toulouse (F) Nov 19 - 34 entrants

Profondville (B) Dec 12 - 35 entrants

Chicago (USA) June 24 - 48 entrants

Chicago (USA) July 1 - 51 entrants