The idol of Sicilians and not only: Nino Vaccarella.
His career started in his beautiful Sicily, it was 1958 when he won his first race. In 1959, he came first in Pergusa and in the Catania-Etna, while he came third in his class at the Targa Florio.
He was engaged in hill races for the whole of 1960. In 1961, he came fourth at the Targa Florio and third at the 1000 km in Paris with a Maserati. In 1962, he came third once again at the Targa Florio and, in the following years, he became a member of the Ferrari team and he came second for two consecutive years at the 12 Hours of Sebring and, in 1964, he added first place at the 1000 km at the Nürburgring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, partnering with Guichet.
In 1965 he drove over the finish line of the Targa Florio in the first place. Vaccarella signed with Alfa Romeo and, in 1968, and at the 24-hour in Daytona, he came fifth, while he came first at the Mugello, partnering with Lucien Bianchi. In 1970 he raced once more with Ferrari and he won the 12-hour in Sebring with Andretti and Giunti. He came second at the Targa Florio and in Monza with Giunti, while he and Surtees came third at the Nürburgring.
He also raced in F1, but without major results. “Apparently calm and self-restrained, you could, however, avert in him a burning fire and passion for his land… He achieved major victories and then he went back to working as a headmaster in his school in Palermo”, Enzo Ferrari.