{{Short description|Italian automobile engineer and racecar driver}} thumb|Lurani with "Nibbio 1" in 1935 '''Giovanni “Johnny” Lurani Cernuschi''', VIII Count of Calvenzano (December 19, 1905 – January 17, 1995) was an Italian automobile engineer, racing car driver and journalist.

Lurani studied engineering at the Politecnico di Milano and raced cars such as Salmson, Derby, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, participating eleven times in the Mille Miglia. He took class wins in the event three times: 1933 in an MG K3, 1948 in a Healey and 1952 in a Porsche.<ref>http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Giovanni-Lurani-I.html. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105223737/http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Giovanni-Lurani-I.html |date=2013-11-05 }}</ref>

After partaking in the second Italo-Abyssinian War from 1935 to 1936,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenera.fi/dl.htm|title=The Golden Era of Gp Racing 1934-40 - Drivers (L)|access-date=2012-11-08|archive-date=2021-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021034743/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/dl.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lurani founded the racing team Scuderia Ambrosiana in 1937<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenera.fi/gp3701.ht |title=1937 Grand Prix Season - Part 1 |accessdate=2013-07-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030130126/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp371.htm |archivedate=2013-10-30 }}</ref> along with Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cortese (1937). Sustaining a bad hip injury in a Maserati 4CM at Crystal Palace, Lurani ended his single-seater career in 1938 but continued racing sportscars until 1953.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Giovanni-Lurani-I.html| title = Giovanni Lurani (I) - Complete Archive - Racing Sports Cars}}</ref>

After World War II Lurani became more involved in administration and politics, working with the FIA, where he initiated GT in 1949 and Formula Junior in 1959 and was one of the principal organizers of FIA-sanctioned events at Monza, including the Italian Grand Prix there.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.historicracing.com/driver_az.cfm?type=drivers_alpha&tStartRow=1&AlphaIndex=L&driverID=7749 |title=Giovanni Lurani |access-date=2014-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507173501/http://historicracing.com/driver_az.cfm?type=drivers_alpha&tStartRow=1&AlphaIndex=L&driverID=7749 |archive-date=2016-05-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Motor Sport June 1977. Denis Jenkinson {{cite web| url = http://www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk/maser10.htm| title = The Maserati Tipo 4CM}}</ref>

He also designed record breaking cars based on Moto Guzzi engines. In 1935 the Nibbio 1 was the first 500cc car to exceed 100&nbsp;mph.<ref>The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport page 250 G.N. Georgano. 1971 {{ISBN|0-670-29405-5}}</ref> The 350cc Moto Guzzi powered Nibbio 2 broke long-distance records at Monza in 1956.<ref>Autocar 11 May 1956</ref><ref>The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport. G.N. Georgano. 1971 {{ISBN|0-670-29405-5}}</ref><ref>Moto Guzzi. Styles. 2001 {{ISBN|0-7603-1004-1}}</ref> He was president of the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) Sporting Commission for several years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fim-live.com/en/fim/the-federation/honorary-members/honorary-presidentsdirectors-of-commissions-and-panels/|title = Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme &#124; FIM}}</ref>thumb|Moto Guzzi Nibbio 2 in the Museo Nazionale Dell'Automobile, Turin<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.museoauto.it/website/en/collezione-gallery| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110318001907/http://www.museoauto.it/website/en/collezione-gallery| archive-date = 2011-03-18| title = Museo dell'automobile - Collection}}</ref> In 1971 he won the prestigious Premio Bancarella Sport literary prize for his book ''Storia delle Macchine da Corsa'' (History of Race Cars) <ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.premiobancarella.info/bancarella_sport/storia.php| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050507085356/http://www.premiobancarella.info/bancarella_sport/storia.php| archive-date = 2005-05-07| title = :: PREMIO BANCARELLA SPORT::}}</ref>

==Publications== *''Auto Italiana'', which he founded and edited *''Nuvolari'' (Cassell & Company Ltd., 1959). With Luigi Marinatto. *''La storia delle macchine da corsa'' (1970). Translation ''History of the racing car: Man and machine'' (1972) *''La storia della Mille Miglia 1927-57'' (1979). *''Alfa Romeo: Catalogo ragionato'' (1982). With Paolo Altieri. *''Racing around the world 1920-35''. * NUVOLARI. Legendary Champion of International Auto Racing. (1959) Sports Car Press

==Racing record==

===Complete European Championship results=== (key) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" ! Year ! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! {{Tooltip|EDC|European Drivers' Championship}} ! Pts |- | 1931 ! F. Pirola ! Alfa Romeo 6C-1500 ! Alfa Romeo 1.5 L6 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ITA<br /><small>6</small> | FRA | BEL ! 13th ! 20 |- !colspan=9|{{center|{{small|Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenera.fi/main.htm|title=THE GOLDEN ERA – OF GRAND PRIX RACING|work=kolumbus.fi|accessdate=October 11, 2017|archive-date=June 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606091347/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/main.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}}} |}

===24 Hours of Le Mans results=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |- ! Year ! Team ! Co-Drivers ! Car ! Class ! Laps ! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Overall Position}} ! {{Tooltip|Class<br />Pos.|Class Position}} |- ! 1951 |align="left"| {{flagicon|ITA}} Scuderia Ambrosiana |align="left"| {{flagicon|ITA}} Giovanni Bracco |align="left"| Lancia Aurelia B20 GT | S<br />2.0 | 235 | 12th |style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st''' |- ! 1953 |align="left"| {{flagicon|FRA}} Ets Fiat Dagrada |align="left"| {{flagicon|FRA}} Norbert Jean Mahé |align="left"| Fiat 8V | S<br />2.0 | 8 | DNF | DNF |- !colspan="8"|{{center|{{small|Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/results/Giovanni-Lurani-I.html|title=All Results of Giovanni Lurani|work=racingsportscars.com|accessdate=October 22, 2017}}</ref>}}}} |}

==References== {{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lurani, Giovanni}} Category:Italian racing drivers Category:Italian motorcycle designers Category:Italian male journalists Category:Formula One journalists and reporters Category:Motoring journalists Category:Racing drivers from Milan Category:1905 births Category:1995 deaths Category:Polytechnic University of Milan alumni Category:Formula One team owners Category:Italian motorsport people Category:European Championship drivers Category:20th-century Italian journalists Category:20th-century Italian male writers Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers