Ernesto Prinoth (15 April 1923 in Urtijëi, Italy – 26 November 1981 in Innsbruck, Austria) was a racing driver from Italy, and founder of Prinoth AG, manufacturer of snow grooming vehicles and equipment.
Prinoth started in Formula One in 1961 with his Lotus 18, racing in various non-Championship events, securing podium finishes in two relatively minor races. He entered the 1962 Italian Grand Prix with backing from Scuderia Jolly Club but failed to qualify, and this was his only attempt at a World Championship Formula One event. He returned in 1963 for two more Formula One races, all his appearances being at the wheel of the same car. Info from Wiki
Bio by Terry Trump
Born close to the Italian/Austrian border, Ernesto Prinoth Gröden, South Tyrol in 1951 when he established the engineering company that bore his name. An engineer by trade, his design for “grooming” the snow in Europe’s Alpine ski resorts transformed the enterprise during the early 1960s. A prototype machine was introduced in 1962 and Prinoth stopped his amateur racing career when it went into full production two years later.
He had driven a Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato in the 1959 Targa Florio, finishing 14th overall and winning the 750cc GT class with Enrico Carini. He also competed in rallying and Formula Junior at the time and he acquired a Formula 1 Lotus 18-Climax in 1961. He entered a number of non-championship events under the Scuderia Dolomiti banner that season and finished third in the Preis von Wien at Aspern and second at Vallelunga. Entered for the 1962 Italian Grand Prix by the Jolly Club, Prinoth’s fastest practice lap was 8.6 seconds shy of the qualifying mark and his brief GP career was over before it had begun. He raced the car in the non-championship races at Imola and the Austrian GP at Zeltweg during 1963 before retiring to concentrate on establishing his business. He died of a heart-attack whilst at work at the Innsbruck ski resort in Austria.
The Pioneer: A Go-getter with a Sense for the Here and Now
PRINOTH, a subsidiary of the HTI Group (High Technology Industries) with its headquarters in Sterzing, Italy, can look back on a long and successful history. A tradition with pioneering spirit. In 1951, the race driver and design engineer Ernst Prinoth opened the parent firm of today’s company, an automotive garage. Soon the native of Val Gardena found a way to translate his passion for powerful vehicles into something practical: snow groomers, which were ideal for the wintry conditions of his South Tyrolean home.
PRINOTH then and now
Everything began when racing driver Ernst Prinoth opened his automotive garage in Gröden in 1951. Fascinated by snow vehicles, he began developing slope vehicles and, in 1962, produced his first P 60 prototype. Two years later, the first production vehicle rolled off the assembly line. Developments continued over the years. LEITNER acquired PRINOTH at the turn of the millennium and continued the range as an independent company under the PRINOTH name. PRINOTH thereby became the world’s most complete provider of snow cats. The further acquisition of the groomer range of Canadian manufacturer Camoplast (previously Bombardier) in 2005 and the acquisition of Camoplast’s tracked utility vehicle range in 2009 gave PRINOTH a wider area of activity beyond snow groomers. With additional equipment of all types, thanks to their tracks, the robust vehicles are able to reach the most remote locations without sinking into mud or soft soil, unlike wheeled vehicles. Thanks to the acquisition of the German forestry machinery manufacturer, AHWI, PRINOTH expanded its activities to a third area of activity in 2011. In addition to snow grooming and the tracked utility vehicle range, PRINOTH is now also active in Vegetation Management and, in addition to the cost-effective processing of forestry and agricultural land, is also seeking solutions in the global development of biomass.
Bio by Philippe Bondurant /in French/
Si Ernesto Prinoth n’a jamais réussi à disputer une de Formule I pour le Championnat du Monde on l’a en revanche vu plusieurs fois hors-championnat (dont deux podiums) et aussi en GT.
Ingénieur, skieur, pilote automobile professionnel, Ernst Prinoth est né le 15 avril 1923 à St. Ulrich in Gröden, une commune proche d’Ortisei (Val Gardena, commune de Bolzano/Bozen, dans le Trentin-Haut-Adige ou SüdTirol). Il était le fils de Leo Prinoth, sculpteur et marchand de sculptures sur bois si typiques de Val Gardena.
Naturellement, étant originaire de cette région, il était un bon skieur, mais, devenant indépendant de l’atelier de son père, il se consacra à la moto, en même temps qu’en 1951 il fonda une Officina Meccanica (située à Ortisei) qui d’abord n’était rien d’autre qu’un atelier d’entretien automobile, de graissage et de vidange d’huile ou encore de ravitaillement et de vente de pièces détachées ; mais plus tard, il se distingue en créant des Snowcats (transporteurs, chasse-neige et véhicules pour déplacer les touristes sur des surfaces enneigées). Son modèle P-15 fit sensation lors de son apparition en 1960.
Passionné de moto, cette station-service fut la première entreprise d’Ernesto PRINOTH ; mais de simple mécanicien, il devient rapidement préparateur de voitures de course, pilote, fondateur-dirigeant d’écurie et constructeur.
Il développa des variantes améliorées telles que des taxis, des camions de pompiers, des minibus ou des ambulances pour les itinéraires enneigés
En tant que constructeur, il a également créé une monoplace, le Prinoth Baby de Formule Junior.
La monoplace promotionnelle Baby Junior sortit en 1963. Elle avait un moteur bicylindre Steyr Puch et sera pilotée par Tonino Ascari, Herbert Demetz et Erwin Gassler, entre autres.
En tant que pilote, et mettant de côté sa première passion pour la moto, Ernst (ou Ernesto) a effectué des passages dans le sport automobile, qui l’ont amené à créer la Scuderia Prinoth, initialement équipée du petit Steyr Puch 500 (version autrichienne de la Fiat New Cinquecento) . Il a également utilisé d’autres Abarth-Fiat Zagato et Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.
En 1964, la Steyr Puch 500 standard avait un flat-twin (d’origine Fiat) de 493 cm3 et 16 CV à 4 800 T/mn dans sa version la plus modeste, soit un 643 cm3 de 20 CV (dans la 650T) ou 25 CV (700C), mais en mode amélioré, il doublait cette puissance.
Prinoth participe à la Targa Florio 1959 (avec Enrico Carini et une Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato nº 8 avec laquelle il se classe 14ème scratch et 1er en GT moins de 750 cm3) et atteint la Formule I. En 1961 il est 3ème du Preis von Wien disputé à Aspern, 2e de la Coppa Italia de Vallelunga (ou Grand Prix de Rome) et 9e à Naples. Ces course de Formule I étaient hors-Championnat du Monde des Pilotes de la FIA, mais cette même saison, Prinoth a engagé via la Scuderia Dolomiti Bolzano sa 4 cylindres 1,5 litre Lotus XVIII-Coventry Climax au Grand Prix d’Italie, mais il fut forfait suite à un accident de ski.
Il tente à nouveau de qualifier sa Lotus XVIII, cette fois engagée par la Scuderia Jolly Club, au Grand Prix d’Italie la saison suivante ; mais, malheureusement, et comme Keith Greene, Nasif-Moisés Estéfano, Ian Burgess, Jay Chamberlain, Tony Shelly, Gerry Ashmore, Roberto Lippi ou Jo Siffert, il rate la qualification. En 1963, il dispute encore les Grands Prix hors championnat d’Imola (9e) et d’Autriche (abandon).
En Touring, Sport et GT, cependant, il s’est montré plus brillant, obtenant de bons classements. En 1963, il termine 3e de classe avec l’Alfa Romeo Giulia dans l’une des manches des Terlaemen Cups qui se déroulent sur la neige et la grêle sur le circuit inaugural de Zolder pour les voitures. Il a également terminé 7e de la Coppa Inter Europa de Sport qui s’est tenue à Monza.
En 1964 et avec la Ferrari 250 GTO de la Scuderia Dolomiti Bolzano, Prinoth court dans la catégorie GT, il remporte les courses de côte de Stallavena/Boscochiesanuova, Trento/Bondone, Trieste/Opicina et Olympia, ainsi qu’une course sur l’aéroport d’Aspern à Vienne (Grand Prix de Vienne ), l’épreuve de Cividale Castelmonte et une autre course à Innsbruck, dans la que le GTO termina 2e au scratch et 1er en GT.
Ernst Prinoth décède à l’âge de 58 ans, le jeudi 26 novembre 1981, à Innsbruck. Il fut remplacé par son fils Erich Prinoth à la direction de l’entreprise qu’il avait créée, jusqu’à l’acquisition de Prinoth AG en 2000. par Leitner AG
Bio by Philippe Bondurant
Ernesto Prinoth has never managed to compete in a Formula I for the World Championship, he have however been seen in F1 non-championship races several times (including two podiums) and also in GT.
Engineer, skier, professional racing driver, Ernst Prinoth was born on April 15, 1923 in St. Ulrich in Gröden, a town near Ortisei (Val Gardena, town of Bolzano/Bozen, in Trentino-Alto Adige also called SüdTirol). He was the son of Leo Prinoth, sculptor and dealer in woodcarvings so typical of Val Gardena.
Naturally, being a native of this region, he was a good skier, but, becoming independent of his father’s workshop, he devoted himself to motorcycling, at the same time as in 1951 he founded his Officina Meccanica (located in Ortisei) which at first was nothing more than a workshop for car maintenance, lubrication and oil changes or even for refueling and the sale of spare parts; but later he distinguished himself by creating Snowcats (transporters, snowplows and vehicles to move tourists on snowy surfaces). Its P-15 model caused a sensation when it appeared in 1960.
Passionate about motorcycles, this garage was Ernesto PRINOTH’s first business; but from a simple mechanic, he quickly became a race car preparer, driver, team founder-manager and builder.
He developed improved variants for his snowcat such as taxis, fire engines, minibuses or ambulances for snowy routes
As a constructor, he also created a single-seater, the Formula Junior Prinoth Baby.
The Baby Junior promotional single-seater was released in 1963. It had a Steyr Puch twin-cylinder engine and was driven by Tonino Ascari, Herbert Demetz and Erwin Gassler, among others.
As a pilot, and putting aside his first passion for motorcycling, Ernst (or Ernesto) made passages in motorsport, which led him to create the Scuderia Prinoth, initially equipped with the small Steyr Puch 500 (version Austrian Fiat New Cinquecento). He also used other Abarth-Fiat Zagato and Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.
In 1964, the standard Steyr Puch 500 had a flat-twin (of Fiat origin) of 493 cm3 and 16 HP at 4,800 rpm in its most modest version, i.e. a 643 cm3 of 20 HP (in the 650T) or 25 CV (700C), but with an preparation, it doubled this power.
Prinoth participated in the 1959 Targa Florio (with Enrico Carini and a Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato nº 8 with which he finished 14th scratch and 1st in GT less than 750 cm3) and reached Formula I. In 1961 he was 3rd in the Preis von Wien disputed in Aspern, 2nd in the Coppa Italia of Vallelunga (or Grand Prix of Rome) and 9th in Naples. These Formula I races were outside the FIA World Drivers’ Championship, but that same season, Prinoth entered via Scuderia Dolomiti Bolzano its 4-cylinder 1.5 liter Lotus XVIII-Coventry Climax at the Italian Grand Prix, but he was forfeited following a skiing accident that left him injured.
He tried again to qualify his Lotus XVIII, this time entered by the Scuderia Jolly Club, at the Italian Grand Prix the following season; but, unfortunately, and like Keith Greene, Nasif-Moisés Estéfano, Ian Burgess, Jay Chamberlain, Tony Shelly, Gerry Ashmore, Roberto Lippi or Jo Siffert, he misses the qualification. In 1963, he still competed in the non-championship Grands Prix at Imola (9th) and Austria (retirement).
In Touring, Sport and GT, however, he showed himself to be more brilliant, achieving good placings. In 1963, he finished 3rd in class with the Alfa Romeo Giulia in one of the rounds of the Terlaemen Cups which took place in snow and hail on the inaugural circuit of Zolder for cars. He also finished 7th in the Coppa Inter Europa de Sport held in Monza.
In 1964 and with the Ferrari 250 GTO of Scuderia Dolomiti Bolzano, Prinoth raced in the GT category, he won the hill climbs of Stallavena/Boscochiesanuova, Trento/Bondone, Trieste/Opicina and Olympia, as well as a race on the Aspern airport in Vienna (Vienna Grand Prix), the Cividale Castelmonte event and another race in Innsbruck, in which the GTO finished 2nd in scratch and 1st in GT.
Ernst Prinoth died at the age of 58 on Thursday, November 26, 1981, in Innsbruck. He was succeeded by his son Erich Prinoth in the management of the company he had created, until the acquisition of Prinoth AG in 2000. by Leitner AG
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