The history of Life hardly can be even by some other equipment of Formula 1, or by the obtained results, never was classified in no race, like by the fragility of its cars exhibited in track.

Gary Brabham underwent a boycott in Brazil and not even Photo could take part from the Prequalification -: © John Townsend

The project began to be developed by the end of 1988, when the ex- Italian pilot of F1 Lamberto Leoni, tried to enter to the maximum category with a car that in theory was going to be driven by a Judd motor. The design of the single-seater trusted the Brazilian Richard to him Divila, who made boceto initial. Divila inspired its design by small and agile a car, as the March 88B of Formula 3000, that lead Pierluigi Martini and Marco Apicella in escudería commanded by Leoni.

In 1989 Divila one left to the Ligier equipment and boceto of the future car happened at the hands of a study of design in Milan, Italy, that concluded the project. When Divila finally could see the finished car, it was alarmed before the serious defects of design in the suspension, the direction column, among others details, and it noticed Lamberto to him Leoni, that the car was “a time pump”, and immediately was a denunciation to avoid that their name is associated with the design of the new car.

In spite of the experience and efforts of Dark brown Giacomelli, the equipment always was to years light to obtain a decent result

But the worse news for Divila was about to arrive. The car did not surpass the Crash obligatory Test ENTRUSTS of it in 1989, but surprising if it spent the test a year later, under the name of Life Racing Engines, company commanded by Ernesto Bollard. The chassis originally designed by Divila was modified and received a novel motor of 12 cylinders made by the same engineers and technicians of Life. Now Life, along with Ferrari, was both unique equipment of 1990 that had chassis and own motor.

Of what the revolutionary motor of 12 cylinders consisted? , since it was not of 12 cylinders in “V”, but its design was of 12 in “W”. That is to say, instead of 2 rows of 6 cylinders each, the Life motor owned 3 rows of four cylinders each. According to Rocchi Franc, designer of the Life 3,5 W12, the impelling as compact era as a V8, and generated all the power of a V12 as well. Clear that this only in theory…

The incredible motor Life 3,5 W12 of 3 rows of 4 cylinders each. A good idea, but only in the papers - Photo: 8w

Escudería made its flaming opening the 11 of March in the first date of the world-wide one, Iceberg U.S.A. Grand Prix of 1990. Life Racing Engines presented/displayed a single car, the Life F190 with motor Life 3,5 W12, Goodyear tires and Agip lubricants. The brave pilot in driving the new car was the Australian Gary Brabham, who as well towards its debut in F1. The same Richard Divila noticed Brabham of the risks that implied to drive a as fragile car as it was it the Life.

Finally 8 cars took part from the Prequalification, where Brabham obtained 7º better time a 34,855 seconds! of fastest, the Euro Brun/Judd de Brown Roberto.

In Portugal the equipment decided on the Judd motors, but they forgot to modify the back fairing, that never closed… - Photo: © John Townsend

In the second competition, in Brazil, Brabham hardly crossed 400 meters and stopped its march before the Prequalification. The same Brabham recognized time after the mechanics of the equipment were in strike and on purpose they loaded neither fluid oil to him nor of brakes to the car. But with or without oil, the Life never could cross more than 2 or 3 turns without something was broken to him. In all the season the equipment had of a single car and 2 W12 motors. They did not count either on spare parts, or as much of body as of motor.

Brabham left the equipment after Brazil and Bruno Giacomelli became position of the conduction from San Marino. The problems followed and Giacomelli never managed to classify itself in no of the remaining races. In Monaco its second time was of 14,053 slower than the one of Eric Bernard. In Germany it was located to 25,273 seconds of Philippe Alliot, and in Italy to 28,297 seconds of Olivier Grouillard. Exactly in Italy it was the last presentation of the disastrous motor Life 3,5 W12.

After the resounding failure in Formula 1, nobody returned to hear of Ernesto Bollard - Photo: © John Townsend

The equipment tried a desperate modification for the following four competitions (Portugal, Spain, Japan and Australia), replacing the original impelling plant by the motor 3,5 Judd V8. The change by the Judd became to the worried ones in Portugal, to the point of which the back bedspread of the motor did not close … is for that reason that Dark brown Giacomelli not even made the Prequalification.

34º Great Prize Uncle Pepe of Sherry Spain, disputed, saw for the last time the Life F190 in track. There, Dark brown Giacomelli established a second time 20,229 slower than the obtained one by Yannick Dalmas, with AGS/Ford. Escudería stopped to travel to Japan and Australia, last two valid dates of the world-wide one of F1.

The name of Life Racing Engines never more returned to be listened to in the scope of the competition, luckily…