Gianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni (Italian pronunciation: [dʒaŋˈklaudjo dʒuˈzɛppe reɡatˈtsoːni]; 5 September 1939 – 15 December 2006) was a Swiss racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1970 to 1980.

Following an accident at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West, he was left paralyzed from the waist down, ending his career in Formula One.

Regazzoni did not stop racing, and he competed in the Paris–Dakar rally and Sebring 12 Hours using a hand-controlled car during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Exiting the chicane during the Monaco Grand Prix Formula 3 support race, Regazzoni lost control of his car and collided heavily with the crash barrier.

The diminutive size of the Formula 3 machine allowed it to pass under the rail, the sharp metal edge of the Armco slicing across the top of the open cockpit.

Regazzoni managed to duck down low enough in the driving seat for the rail to pass above him, missing his head by a tiny margin.

The car eventually came to a halt when the roll hoop, behind Regazzoni's head and significantly lower than the top of his helmet, wedged itself underneath the barrier.

His hard-charging style perfectly matched the forward-thinking Tecno ambitions, and Regazzoni quickly developed a reputation as a tough competitor.

Regazzoni was implicated in the death of young British driver Chris Lambert at the 1968 Formula Two Dutch Grand Prix.

Giunti was back in the seat for the following Grand Prix in France, but finished fourteenth, three laps behind the winner and eventual 1970 World Champion Jochen Rindt.

Four podium finishes followed for Regazzoni during the final six rounds of the 1970 season, including a win at Monza, Ferrari's home race.

Following the death of Giunti at a sports car event during the winter of 1971, Ferrari opted for Ickx and Regazzoni for the 1971 Formula One season.

[5] Prior to the start of the European legs of the Formula One World Championship, Regazzoni won the prestigious Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, beating Jackie Stewart into second place.

After a huge crash during the South African Grand Prix, he was pulled from the blazing wreckage by Mike Hailwood, who was later awarded the George Medal for his heroism in saving Regazzoni's life.

Ferrari had a big personnel shake-up at the start of 1974, after Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was hired to run the Italian team.

Entering the last race of the season, in the USA Regazzoni was well in contention for the title, and only needed to finish ahead of rival, Emerson Fittipaldi, to take the crown.

Regazzoni suffered handling problems during the race due to a defective shock absorber and could finish only 11th after two pit stops.

Despite a promising start of the season, with a dominating win from pole position at the inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix, and a further three podium finishes, Ferrari entered a period of internal turmoil following Lauda's accident at the Nürburgring.

At the Italian Grand Prix, motorsport journalist Nigel Roebuck asked Regazzoni why he continued to drive at the age of 40, with no prospect of a competitive seat.

[12] At the end of the year he was invited to compete in the 1980 International Race of Champions, the last active Formula One driver, alongside Mario Andretti, to do so.

Then I remember terrible pain in my hips..."[12] The crash left Regazzoni paralyzed from the waist down, ending his competitive career.

[citation needed] Regazzoni won back his racing licence and became one of the first disabled drivers to participate in high-level motorsports.

He once commented to Niki Lauda, his ten years younger teammate, that "if you drive as tensed up as you behave yourself towards women, you will never become great.

"[14] On 15 December 2006, Regazzoni was killed when the Chrysler Voyager he was driving hit the rear of a lorry on the Italian A1 motorway, near Parma.

[15] Crash investigators estimate that he was travelling at approximately 100 km/h at the time[16] and, despite early speculation, an autopsy specifically excluded a heart attack from being responsible for Regazzoni's loss of control.

In the 2013 Ron Howard film Rush, which depicts the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1976 Formula One season, he is portrayed by Pierfrancesco Favino.