Pasta, Pizza, Espresso, Fashion, Beaches, Fancy cars ( named after Spanish bulls )... the list is endless what Italy is famous for. Add Motor sports and it brings glitter to it. Italy is only behind UK and USA in the list of countries that produced most number (101) of Formula One drivers. Michele Alboreto is one of the famous driver in that long list.
Widely known for finishing second to Alain Prost in the 1985 Formula One World Championship and spanning his racing career beyond Formula one, he had his hand in 24 Hours of Le Mans , 12 Hours of Sebring sport and IndyCar series too. He is also famous for his duel with Ayrton Senna in the 1987 San Marino Grand Prix, Imola.
Alboreto raced 80 grands prix for Ferrari from 1994 to 1998. He won 5 races in his Formula one career in addition to winning 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2001 12 Hours of Sebring. He was killed in a tragic accident in 2001 while test driving for Audi.
Italy Post in 2009 issued a commemorative stamp on Michele Alboreto. The stamp shows the racing driver Michele Alboreto beside a Ferrari F1 156/85, with a Formula 1 race track behind him featuring and a number of cars whizzing round it. The logo of the “ITALIA 2009” event appears at the top on the left of each stamp.
The stamp features the words “GIORNATA DELLO SPORT” (Sports Day), “FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE DELLA FILATELIA” (International Philately Festival), “ITALIA”, the names of the sportsmen featured “MICHELE ALBORETO” and the denomination “€ 1,40” complete each stamp.
