APRIL 16, 2002

Being a Barilla

PAOLO BARILLA will not be remembered as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time but he was more than capable in a sportscar and in 1985 shared victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours in a Joest Porsche 962 which he shared with Klaus Ludwig and the German gentleman racer "John Winter".

In recent years Paolo has helped to run the family business with his brothers Luca and Guido. It is a pretty substantial business, the world's biggest pasta making firm which boasts the largest food production facility in the world and the factory is odd in that it also houses the family art collection, including works by Picasso, Miro, Braque and Chagall, which are the fruits of four generations of successful businessmen.

In recent years Barilla has had a small involvement in CART with Alex Zanardi as part of its drive into the American market. Now Barilla is bidding to buy Germany's biggest bakery business called Kamps for $875m. One wonders if Michael Schumacher might not be a good salesman for the Barillas...