Mario Gatto

One point. That was the margin at the end of the 1968 season, fifty-one to fifty, and it was settled on the last lap of the last final. The loser was Alberto Colombo of Varedo, like Gatto a student and like him in his second year in the class.

Gatto was twenty-three and came from Turin. Four wins, two seconds and a fourth made up his total. The engine of his C.R.M. had been tuned by Capra in Turin; at the final round he quoted 28 CV, while Colombo’s LAB, prepared by Alloni, reached 31 CV at 7200 rpm. A year earlier 25 to 26 CV had been the maximum.

It was not a clean season. Engines failed scrutineering one after another, and Gatto’s twin proved irregular too after his win in the second round; the victory was taken from him. The Coppa nazionale CSAI went that year to Colombo.

Gatto had already moved up to Formula 850 during the season. For 1969 he meant to go there for good with a revised Ol-Ga; he had raced there already, among other events at the Cesana–Sestriere hillclimb.