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#25 1953 Indy 500

2021-04-11 01:00

Osservatore Sportivo

#1953, Fulvio Conti, Ludovico Nicoletti,

#25 1953 Indy 500

On Sunday, February 1, 1953, the second and final race of the Argentine international racing season will take place in Buenos Aires. The race will sta

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On Sunday, February 1, 1953, the second and final race of the Argentine international racing season will take place in Buenos Aires. The race will start at 4:30 p.m. All racing cars of any type and engine capacity are allowed to compete, and this Grand Prix will not count towards any championship, neither world nor national. Ascari and Farina stand out in the practice sessions: the former has a Ferrari 4500 cc without a supercharger, while the latter will drive one of the experimental Ferrari 2600 cc without a supercharger, prepared for the 1954 races. It is noteworthy that, at least in training, Farina has maintained self-control and driving determination, overcoming the impact of the severe accident on January 18. The performance of the new Ferrari and that of Farina are the interesting highlights of the race; Hawthorn and Villoresi will also have the new Ferrari 2500 cc. It is possible that Villoresi will alternate with Ascari at the wheel of the 4500 cc. Other drivers, including Fangio, do not have much hope, as they have less powerful or older cars. A new victory for Ascari is expected. The Italian drivers will return to Rome by plane on Wednesday, February 4, 1953. On Sunday, February 1, 1953, in an exciting final sprint at over 200 km/h, Giuseppe Farina manages to beat his teammate Luigi Villoresi by just one-tenth of a second in the Buenos Aires Grand Prix at the 17th October Circuit. A tenth of a second, which is equivalent to very few meters, the time corresponding to a blink of an eye. The competition is fierce, without respite, until the end, between the two Ferrari aces, lasting practically for all laps of the race. Farina and Villoresi drive two identical 2500 cc Ferrari cars without a supercharger; a third identical car, driven by the Englishman Hawthorne, finishes in third place, completing the massive success of the new Ferrari car designed for the 1954 races according to the future technical formula (2500 cc without a supercharger or 750 cc with a supercharger). Ascari drives a powerful Ferrari 4500 cc, and logically, all predictions were in favor of the World Champion, as he had the most powerful car. However, a gearbox failure forced Ascari to retire after only the second lap. The Argentine drivers Fangio and Gonzalez had to settle for driving two 2000 cc Maseratis without a supercharger, a very recent model but less powerful than the larger Ferraris. The crowd is enormous, as it was on January 18. This time, however, the organizers and the police had arranged a more efficient security service to prevent further trouble. 

 

By agreement among the drivers, it was decided to reduce the duration of the Grand Prix from 60 to 40 laps, thus avoiding fuel stops. A total of 188,876 kilometers. The race of the Argentine driver Bucci is remarkable; on an old Alfa Romeo 1500 cc, he managed to take fourth place, one minute behind Farina, at the cost of daring moves that made the audience shudder: Bucci's car went off the track in a turn, but the driver managed to regain control, rejoining the track without braking. Bucci then lost time in the pits due to a small fire on the car. In the second half of the race, Villoresi launched a determined offensive against Farina, narrowing the gap lap after lap. Four laps from the end, Farina had only a 0.9s advantage. The crowd was on its feet, animated by the spectacle. At the finish line, Farina's car was still in the lead. Farina's victory elicits sincere and moved satisfaction from the Argentine sports community. The accident on January 18 and the mourning of the families affected by that fatal disaster had deeply shaken public opinion. On the other hand, by unanimous recognition, no blame could be attributed to the driver, involved in a situation caused by the recklessness of the crowd. Farina's case seemed truly pitiful. It was doubted that he was finished as a racing ace, annihilated by nerves. For several days, Farina cried and despaired; then the care of his teammates, the affectionate expressions of cordiality from the Argentine authorities, his exceptional strength of character, helped him gradually regain some confidence in himself. Almost everyone thought that he would not race again. The beautiful victory restores the former World Champion to his role as an excellent driver. Farina responds with few or calm words to the barrage of questions from journalists interviewing him. He will continue to race; this triumph over misfortune seemed to him like his first race, having to test himself; he will return immediately to Italy, with Ascari, Villoresi, and Bonetto, and will arrive in Rome on Thursday, February 5, 1953, by plane, at 4:00 p.m. The crowd around him applauds warmly; Farina responds with some hand gestures, smiling at times, with a shy and somewhat sad smile. He bears on his face the signs of the hard fatigue of the race and still a shadow of sadness, the mark of a man subjected to heavy trials by destiny. With clockwork precision, at 4:00 p.m., the four-engine plane carrying Ascari, Villoresi, and Farina, returning from the races in Argentina, arrives at Ciampino airport, where numerous personalities from the Roman motor racing world, along with a large group of journalists and photographers, have gathered. Thunderous applause, magnesium flashes, and bunches of flowers welcome the drivers. 

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Visibly pleased to finally set foot on the ground after many hours of flight, Ascari, Villoresi, and Farina, surrounded by their families, shook dozens of hands and posed for photographers. Ascari, in a radio interview, issues an invitation to sports fans to respond enthusiastically to the appeal for the populations of the Netherlands and England, affected by the immense flood. Ascari then talks about his victory in the Argentine Grand Prix on January 18 and explains that the retirement from the race on February 1 was caused by a mechanical problem that had already manifested itself during the practice sessions. Villoresi, half-serious and facetious, with his usual good humor, expresses regret that Farina did not show respect for him and his white hair, robbing him of victory on February 1. Farina declares in turn that he always aims for success, even if the race turns into a duel between cars of the same team. The gap between Farina and Villoresi was minimal at the finish line. Regarding the immediate sporting program, Farina says that he will rest until the complete recovery of his left foot, injured in the accident on January 18; and about the indiscipline of the public, he recounts that even the ambulance carrying him to the emergency room hit three people. On Thursday, February 12, 1953, Mercedes announces that it will not participate in motor racing this year. It is perfectly within its rights to do so, of course. But it is not sportsmanlike to declare in a statement distributed to the newspapers that abstention is due to a lack of opponents worthy of consideration. 

 

Mercedes, a great house with a great past, officially returned to international races last year. It participated in the Mille Miglia with Caracclola, Kling, and Lang and, after meticulous preparation for months, with a not-so-hidden belief in an easy victory. Bracco and his Ferrari shattered the Germans' dream, who, however, achieved excellent placements. It was expected, logically, a big rematch; it happened in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and was reiterated in the Mexican Carrera. But the races of 1952 were not only these. In almost all other races, the red cars from Maranello dominated, from circuit Grand Prix to road and hill climb competitions, across the entire spectrum of sports car racing. Not for nothing was the absolute world championship title won by the Italian Ascari on Ferrari. This in Formula 1 Grand Prix. Many of those absolute successes were achieved by Ferrari, an exclusively sports brand with few means but with a tenacity and a wealth of initiatives to envy even the much better-equipped Mercedes workshops. This does not mean, absolutely, that world motorsport is an exclusive Italian affair: one cannot and should not disregard the successes and merits of Gordini, Porsche, and even Mercedes. But to change the game and assert that it is not worth competing because now all opponents, including the Italians, are beaten, well, all this sounds so clumsy as to tempt not even a response. However, after a moment of perplexity, Ferrari summons his aces Ascari, Farina, and Villoresi to Modena and writes a letter of challenge. Essentially, it says: it's not the words that matter, but the facts.

 

"If it suits you Germans, for your reasons, to temporarily withdraw from the races to be better prepared tomorrow, the decision does not concern, harm, or move anyone. But contempt, no".

 

Now for Mercedes, there is only this crossroads: either accept the challenge or implicitly eat and retract the words badly. The response does not take long to arrive. On Friday, February 13, 1953, Mercedes does not accept the challenge thrown the previous evening by Enzo Ferrari, to measure themselves with the Maranello team, where, as, and when the Germans would deem it most appropriate. This is what (without room for misunderstandings) is declared by the Stuttgart-based company, where Italian journalists go to know its reactions to the challenge from the Maranello team. They are received by engineer Gerhardt Naumann, who is the head of the press office. At this moment, Mercedes is still unaware, at least in its precise terms, of Enzo Ferrari's statement; but as soon as journalists inform Mr. Naumann of the matter, he does not fail to express his surprise at the unexpected proposal. Afterward, he tries to convince the Italian journalists, in a very polite but firm manner, that Ferrari's initiative would constitute, according to him, very cheap advertising, as it comes absolutely out of place. The engineer begins by saying that - a couple of weeks ago - Mercedes announced that in 1953, it would not participate in any motor racing, neither in the sports car category, where it triumphantly prevailed last year, nor in that of Grand Prix cars.

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"As a result, the challenge now launched by Ferrari cannot but surprise, especially since until a few days ago, we had no news from the Modena manufacturer about its official presence in the international competitions of the sports car category. When we decided to boycott the international scene this year, we were completely unaware of the intentions of Commendatore Ferrari; he, among other things, after the defeat of his cars during the Mexican Carrera, showed no intention of seeking a rematch. How then can one explain that such a challenge comes so suddenly?"

 

The engineer Naumann adds that the decision of Mercedes executives not to participate in the 1953 races is based on highly significant technical reasons and is therefore irrevocable:

 

"The sports cars we used in 1952 mainly served for experiments and technical innovations, such as a new chassis model that yielded excellent results. On the other hand, all our technicians are now engaged in the construction and testing of racing cars for the technical formula that will come into effect in 1954".

 

At this point, shifting the discussion back to Ferrari's proposal, journalists inform Engineer Naumann that Ferrari has essentially communicated that the challenge can take place whenever and wherever Mercedes deems fit.

 

"This does not change my view that the challenge is essentially a form of cheap publicity. Commendatore Ferrari, in issuing it, was well aware that Mercedes had already decided not to participate in any sports car races this year. Given our withdrawal, it will be easy to say that we are unable to accept a confrontation with Ascari, Farina, and Villoresi".

 

This, impartially and faithfully reported, is the perspective of the Stuttgart-based company. In essence, Mercedes, whether out of fear or because it is entirely focused on the preparation and races of the coming year, cannot accept the challenge. Engineer Neumann also mentions that regarding the new racing car from Mercedes, it will feature a supercharged engine, i.e., with a displacement of 2500 cc. It will incorporate multiple technical innovations that no other racing car currently possesses. The first tests will take place on the Nurburgring circuit this summer. German drivers Karl Kling and Hermann Lang have already been confirmed, while others will be selected, and it is not ruled out that the services of a world-famous foreign driver may be enlisted. Could it possibly be the Argentine Fangio?

 

"We await with confidence the year 1954, which will see the definitive return of the silver racing cars to the international arena".

 

While awaiting developments in the situation involving Ferrari and Mercedes, on Sunday, March 22, 1953, Swiss Baron Emmanuel Toulo de Graffenried wins the Siracusa Grand Prix held in the afternoon. The Ferrari team, composed of Ascari, Farina, Villoresi, and the Englishman Hawthorn, withdraws completely due to mechanical issues with the cars. The large reinforced concrete grandstand is literally packed with spectators, and it is estimated that at least another 100.000 sports enthusiasts, coming from the nine Sicilian provinces, are scattered along the perfect circuit called Crottaperciata. A large group of English sports fans has also arrived from Malta to support their compatriots. The fate is very, too adverse for Italian drivers, almost reaching the unbelievable. The race starts at a dizzying pace. Ascari takes the lead from the first lap, followed closely by Villoresi and Farina, both in Ferraris. However, Villoresi retires in the fourth lap due to an oil pipe break, and Ascari, in the seventh lap, sets a record time of 2'06"2. Then Raffaeli (private Ferrari 12 cylinders) retires due to engine troubles. Ascari has already lapped many participants by the tenth lap, with the exception of Farina, Hawthorn, de Graffenried (Maserati), and Chiron (Osca). At 3:18 p.m., Ascari makes his first pit stop due to a semi-blocked wheel. He resumes at 3:19 p.m., encouraged by a long applause.

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Farina and others take advantage of Ascari's forced stop; Ascari manages to complete only one more lap and stops again to change a spark plug. He restarts with a daring speed. At the one-third mark, unfortunately, Ascari is already four laps behind Farina and Hawthorn. An exciting pursuit is looming, but Ascari has to stop at the pits for the third time due to engine troubles. The engineer says that, as for the new Mercedes racing car, it will have a supercharged engine, with a displacement of 2500 cc. It will be equipped with several technical innovations that no other racing car currently possesses. The first tests will take place on the Nurburgring circuit this summer. German drivers Karl Kling and Hermann Lang have already been confirmed, while others will be selected, and it is not ruled out that the services of a world-famous foreign driver may be enlisted. Could it possibly be the Argentine Fangio?

 

"We await with confidence the year 1954, which will see the definitive return of the silver racing cars to the international arena".

 

While awaiting developments in the situation involving Ferrari and Mercedes, on Sunday, March 22, 1953, Swiss Baron Emmanuel Toulo de Graffenried wins the Siracusa Grand Prix held in the afternoon. The Ferrari team, composed of Ascari, Farina, Villoresi, and the Englishman Hawthorn, withdraws completely due to mechanical issues with the cars. The large reinforced concrete grandstand is literally packed with spectators, and it is estimated that at least another 100.000 sports enthusiasts, coming from the nine Sicilian provinces, are scattered along the perfect circuit called Crottaperciata. A large group of English sports fans has also arrived from Malta to support their compatriots. The fate is very, too adverse for Italian drivers, almost reaching the unbelievable. The race starts at a dizzying pace. Ascari takes the lead from the first lap, followed closely by Villoresi and Farina, both in Ferraris. However, Villoresi retires in the fourth lap due to an oil pipe break, and Ascari, in the seventh lap, sets a record time of 2'06"2. Then Raffaeli (private Ferrari 12 cylinders) retires due to engine troubles. Ascari has already lapped many participants by the tenth lap, with the exception of Farina, Hawthorn, de Graffenried (Maserati), and Chiron (Osca). At 3:18 p.m., Ascari makes his first pit stop due to a semi-blocked wheel. He resumes at 3:19 p.m., encouraged by a long applause. Farina and others take advantage of Ascari's forced stop; Ascari manages to complete only one more lap and stops again to change a spark plug. He restarts with a daring speed. At the one-third mark, unfortunately, Ascari is already four laps behind Farina and Hawthorn. An exciting pursuit is looming, but Ascari has to stop at the pits for the third time due to engine troubles. II World Champion throws himself into the chase again, and during the 34th lap, he sets another time of 2'06"2. In the 36th lap, Farina overtakes Hawthorn, gaining a lap advantage over all the others. At 3:58 p.m., the loudspeakers exclaim:

 

"Tom Cole has overturned. The American's car is on fire".

 

A shiver passes through the spectators; the drivers have to pass through a very narrow corridor of free road to continue their race; then the circuit is cleared of the wreckage of Cole's car; the driver emerges unharmed from the impressive adventure. The accident was caused by Tom Cole hitting a small wall on the circuit and, in consequence, scraping against two oncoming cars, but they manage to continue. Meanwhile, Ascari has to stop again at the pits, and shortly after, Hawthorn (who was driving one of the cars that had collided with Tom Cole's) gives Ascari his own car, as allowed by the race regulations. Ascari launches into the chase with renewed ardor. Later, De Tomaco also retires, while Tom Cole, smiling, reassures the spectators on the microphone about his miraculous safety. Ascari, in his pursuit, reaches very high speeds: on the 53rd lap, he sets a time of 2'06"1, on the 55th lap 2'05"6, on the 56th lap 2'05"5. Finally, on the 57th lap, 2'05"0, i.e., an average of 158.400 km/h. But at the end of the 57th lap, he is forced to stop again and retire due to a mechanical failure. And even Farina, who would have already won the race, proceeding with a minute and a half advantage over the second, is removed from the race due to a broken valve spring in the 61st lap, despite his extremely cautious driving in the second part of his race. Meanwhile, de Graffenried completes his 60th lap in 2'05"2, and with Farina retired, he rises to the first position, winning the race undisturbed, ahead of Chiron driving the new Osca. 

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The very fast pace set initially by the Ferrari drivers may have jeopardized a victory that seemed almost certain in their hands. The Maserati of de Graffenried had the merit of greater endurance, and its driver displayed a more calculated conduct. On Thursday, April 2, 1953, Ferrari modifies its program for the period preceding the Mille Miglia, which will take place on April 16, 1953. Farina had planned to participate in the race on Saturday, April 4, 1953, at Goodwood in Great Britain, with a car offered to him for the occasion by an English friend; but Ferrari could not grant him the clearance, having changed his mind about participating in the Grand Prix that will take place on Monday, April 6, 1953, at the Pau circuit. The French organizers have managed to secure the participation of three Ferrari cars, which will be driven by World Champion Ascari, Farina, and the Englishman Hawthorn; Farina leaves Thursday night from Turin to Pau. Also, motorcycle ace Pagani, who has twice won the French car circuit and once the motorcycle race in Pau, will compete with a Maserati. The Italians will have as their main opponents the drivers of the French brand Gordini, namely the excellent Simon who was part of Ferrari in 1952, and the revelation of the previous year Behra, Trintignant, and for the occasion, also Harry Schell. It will be the first Ferrari-Gordini showdown of 1953. The Maranello cars undoubtedly start as favorites, despite the recent setback in Syracuse, where the entire Ferrari team had to withdraw due to a series of mechanical failures, emphasizing that motorsport is at the mercy of imponderable factors often related to chance and misfortune. The results will be of great interest nonetheless, as it anticipates a compelling return of Ferraris to victory, on the eve of major competitions, which will culminate, as mentioned, with the Mille Miglia. In view of this classic road race, Villoresi does not accompany his teammates to Pau but travels to Sicily to train for the island tour that will take place on April 12 and will serve as a test, a general rehearsal for the highly important road race on April 16. 

 

This year's Mille Miglia will have enormous importance: it will count as a race for the World Sports Championship; it will witness the debut of the new Lancia 3000 cc cars; Fangio will also participate (apparently with an Alfa Romeo); an imposing official foreign lineup is expected, especially British; Ferrari will enter the race with the full team, including Ascari, Farina, Villoresi, Hawthorn; the confrontation between closed-circuit aces and road and mountain specialists, such as Bracco, promises to be full of uncertainties and highly interesting. Villoresi, during the Sicily tour, should test a new agile car for the Mille Miglia. The return of the famous B.R.M. to Goodwood is also announced; after the romantic adventures of the powerful English cars that were supposed to dominate in the Grand Prix but instead failed and led to the liquidation of the manufacturing company, this latest experiment has its piquant appeal. Meanwhile, in Rome, there are not many people in Ciampino waiting for the arrival of the Argentine airline's four-engine plane, which arrived at 7:20 p.m. with over three hours of delay, bringing to Italy the team of Argentine drivers led by Fangio and composed of the young Marimon and the driving gentleman Bonomi and Mieres. Fangio returns to compete in Europe with his traveling companions. Marimon is a big guy whom Fangio assures is a promising talent. He has purchased one of the new Maserati 2000 for Formula 2, and with this car, he will complete the Modena team as an independent. He will not participate in road races for this year, but he will accompany Fangio in the coming days on a reconnaissance of the Mille Miglia route. Bonomi, in an elegant camel coat, looks like a rich Argentine businessman, passionate about car races. He is well-known in Argentina, having won several track races. He owns two old-type Ferraris but has purchased another Sports car and will go to Modena to pick it up. He will race with this car in the Mille Miglia. Then he will focus mainly on Sports races. The most uncertain of all is Roberto Mieres. He does not have a precise program yet, only contacts with Ferrari. Regarding Fangio, he confirms that Gonzalez will arrive next week, while Oscar Galves has given up the European tour because circuit races do not suit him. As for himself, the former World Champion will leave with his friends from Rome on Friday morning by car, heading to Modena, and then he will continue to Milan. In the Emilian city, he hopes to get the first news about the upcoming Maserati program. In Milan, he will immediately go to Alfa to find out for sure what serious possibilities there are for his debut with Alfa Romeo in the upcoming Mille Miglia, which he wants to race at all costs.

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In the coming week, he will conduct a reconnaissance of the route with Marimon, as mentioned.

 

"In essence, my program is subordinate to that of the Teams with which I am affiliated. For this reason, I cannot endorse the news spread by London that I will be racing at Silverstone on May 6. I will go if Maserati goes".

 

On Monday, April 6, 1953, Alberto Ascari won the Pau Grand Prix, completing over a hundred laps of the 2.769-meter circuit at an average speed of 97.531 km/h during the three-hour race. Ascari covered a distance of exactly 292.695 kilometers in the three hours of the Grand Prix. Driving a non-supercharged two-liter Ferrari, Ascari defeated the Englishman Mike Hawthorn, who was driving a car of the same make. American driver Harry Schell, in a Gordini, secured the third position. At the end of the race, Ascari, fatigued with an oil-stained face, congratulated the very young English driver for his performance in the race.

 

"Hawthorn is a great driver. He is very young but has very little to learn".

 

At one point in the race, Hawthorn was leading confidently, having beaten the fastest lap record, which Ascari, already the record holder, reclaimed shortly after. There were two accidents during the race, but none caused serious injuries to the drivers or spectators. French driver Jean Behra, in a Gordini, hit a protective straw bale marking the edge of a tight hairpin turn during the seventh lap. This incident occurred as the French driver was taking the turn at too high a speed, attempting to keep up with the Ferraris. Behra received medical attention for minor injuries and bruises to his right arm and shoulder. Then, during the 33rd lap, Giuseppe Farina's car slid sideways and crashed into the protective bales. The car of the popular Italian driver, who was leading at the time and had set the fastest lap time of 1'41"9, was significantly damaged, but Farina remained uninjured. It was at this moment that Hawthorn took the lead in the race, also setting a new fastest lap time of 1'41"6. However, during the 55th lap, Ascari surpassed Hawthorn's time, completing the circuit in 1'38"9 at an average speed of 100.920 km/h, establishing a new record. From the start of the race, the three Ferraris of Ascari, Farina, and Hawthorn took the lead, followed closely by the Gordini cars driven by the Frenchmen Behra and Louis Trintignant. Farina's victory seemed likely given his performance, but the accident allowed Ascari and Hawthorn to take the first and second positions. Only Ascari's greater experience allowed him to beat the surprising Hawthorn; both demonstrated superb control of their cars on the challenging circuit with numerous tight turns and only one straight stretch of about 500 meters. 

 

Behra and Trintignant alternated in the fourth and fifth positions until Behra's accident. The two H.W.M. English cars, which were supposed to be driven by Lance Macklin and Giraud Cabantous, did not participate in the race. Last-minute technical checks revealed that these cars did not meet the requirements of the race formula. On Sunday, April 12, 1953, a serious accident involved Turin driver Franco Rol during the Tour of Sicily, won by Luigi Villoresi. Rol participated in the challenging road race, covering a thousand kilometers with numerous curves, along with co-driver Macchieraldo, also from Turin, in a Ferrari in the commercial sports category, over 1000 cc. The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning in the first part of the race, near Castelvetrano. The car of the two Turin drivers went off the road and overturned. Both drivers, both injured, were admitted to the hospital in Castelvetrano. Initially, it was reported that Rol and Macchieraldo had suffered minor injuries. Unfortunately, the reality was quite different. While Macchieraldo's condition did not cause serious concern, Rol's injuries were of grave concern. The driver had a fracture of the skull base, a fracture of the right clavicle, and severe brain and visceral concussion. Professor Latteri, at the Palermo clinic, described Rol's prognosis as reserved. The bradycardic pulse raised concerns about a brain injury. On Monday, further X-ray investigations were hoped to determine the exact nature of Rol's head injuries, as he had lost consciousness on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, the condition of the brave sportsman must be considered extremely serious. The injured party received special and attentive care from the medical staff in Palermo. 

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The news caused dismay and sorrow in the Tour of Sicily community, especially among Turin drivers and sports enthusiasts who had gathered in Palermo for the major competition, considered the dress rehearsal for the upcoming Mille Miglia. On Sunday and during the night, many friends of Franco Rol went to the clinic to get news and visit him. The doctors did not give up hope of saving him. Meanwhile, news comes from Ragusa that another accident occurred during the passage through that province, fortunately of lesser importance. The Lancia car, driven by Milanese racer Felice Bonetto, collided with a wall on the left side of the road while entering the curve of the Mòdica bridge. The serious damage to the car prevented the racer from continuing the race. Both Bonetto and mechanic Felice Maggio, 55 years old from Turin, were promptly assisted by some spectators. Bonetto suffered abrasions to the knee and left arm; a few hours later, the Italian driver managed to return to Palermo by train. Maggio, on the other hand, suffered a nasal septum fracture, and his prognosis was reserved. On Wednesday, April 22, 1953, with the start of the verification operations for the competing cars in Piazza Venezia, the Mille Miglia officially entered its twentieth year. For three days beyond the barriers of the two enclosures in the square - one for sports categories and one for touring categories - the procession of 573 cars, on board of which the competitors would start their new challenge on Saturday night, would pass. The city was already bustling with the intense activity of every year. The organization's machinery was already in full swing under the careful guidance of Renzo Castagneto. The number of participants increased each time; from 77 cars that started in 1927, the number would reach a record, about 500, or a thousand people in the race, speeding on the great Italian roads. A magnificent and formidable race. Several cars exhibited at the current Turin Motor Show would participate in the Mille Miglia, from powerful Ferraris, Alfas, Lancias, Porsches, Fiat S V, Dyna Panhard, to Aston Martin. In the heavyweight category, the return of Giuseppe Farina to the great road race promises to be very interesting. In the three now distant editions of the Mille Miglia, the Turin ace finished in second place overall. The official participation of Ferrari now brings the former World Champion back to compete in a race he had abandoned. 

 

Farina, who had specialized in closed-circuit Grand Prix, had trained with great dedication and his characteristic meticulousness for the past month. Farina will drive a Ferrari 4100 cc, a very exuberant car capable of Grand Prix performance but very difficult to control if the weather were to wet the asphalt. For drivers of powerful cars, the outcome of the Mille Miglia will depend a lot on weather conditions. The new Lancia sport 3000 cc, on the other hand, will face the uncertainty of a real test in the race; the drivers of this team are Taruffi, Bonetto, Maglioli, and Biondetti: a very strong lineup, but with the unknown debut of the cars. Another great character is the former World Champion Fangio, driving an Alfa Romeo 3000 cc. The performance of the Argentine and his car is highly anticipated. The starts will begin on Saturday night. The arrivals will take place on Sunday afternoon. When the time for the Mille Miglia comes, the name of driver Giovanni Bracco looms large in uppercase letters in the headlines of newspapers, frequent in the public's predictions, symbolizing a style, a special personality. Every driver aiming for the absolute top in the long Brescia race, marking with a pencil on the list of participants those five or six opponents to keep an eye on as direct rivals, invariably mimics Bracco as competitor number one, the most formidable, the toughest to beat. This year's Mille Miglia will also see the participation of true speed aces, specialists in closed-circuit racing, including Farina, who has not competed in the road race for several years. Villoresi will also be there, an expert in Grand Prix and also a winner of a Mille Miglia; and Fangio, who, although trained in the grueling Argentine stage races, has never shown himself to be an exceptional road racer. The lineup, therefore, includes almost all the most well-known personalities in various aspects of motorsport. Unfortunately, this year, the Mille Miglia is marred by various accidents, some of which are quite serious. The toll is two dead and several injured. The most serious accident occurs near Ferrara involving the English car Jaguar marked with #601 and driven by the Frenchman Pierre Jean Gilbert Ugnon, 39 years old, residing in Lyon, who was racing with his fellow citizen Lue Descollanges, 35 years old. Just outside the city, at 7:30 a.m., along the Via Adriatica leading to Ravenna, in a curve before the railroad crossing to Rimini, the car, for reasons unknown, goes off the road, crashes through a guardrail, and tumbles for about twenty meters into the countryside. 

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The two drivers were immediately assisted and transported by ambulance to the hospital in Ferrara: Ugnon had suffered a fractured skull base, rib fracture, brain and visceral concussion, and a fracture of the right leg's ankle, and he died shortly afterward. Descollanges sustained a laceration-contused wound to the frontal region, multiple abrasions, and severe traumatic shock, and is considered to have a reserved prognosis. Ugnon's body is then placed in the hospital morgue awaiting instructions from the French authorities. Two hours earlier, at the same hospital in Ferrara, the thirty-year-old Gianni Balzarini, a merchant from Turin, on Arsenale Street 35, and Dr. Mario Veglia, also from Turin, residing on Corso Sebastopoli 187, had been admitted; they were competing with the Osca #403. Along the road to Ravenna, near Fossanone San Marco, the car of the two Turinese skids and crashes into a plane tree, overturning into the roadside ditch. Balzarini suffers a fracture of the lower third of the right arm and a suspected fracture of the external malleolus of the left arm, judged recoverable in a few days. Veglia only sustains a wound to the upper lip and multiple abrasions to the face and hands, recoverable in seven days, and leaves the hospital during the evening. X-rays will be performed on Balzarini. The other fatal accident takes place near Cesena at 7:00 a.m., and a spectator falls victim: the worker Aurelio Turci di Antonio, 48 years old, who was watching the race near a dangerous curve in Diegaro. Approaching this curve at high speed, the German car Porsche 1500 cc, racing with the number #426 driven by Jiarralde-Metternich, skids and collides head-on with Turci. The two drivers are slightly injured but are forced to abandon the race due to the serious damage to the car. Turci, urgently admitted to the hospital in Cesena for a fractured skull base and brain concussion, passes away at 1:30 p.m. At Ponte Marzaglia, between Modena and Reggio Emilia, Paolo Marzotto, driving a Ferrari with the number 543, is forced to retire due to an injury that could have had serious consequences. The car of the brave driver catches fire suddenly due to a short circuit; both Marzotto and the mechanic Zignago manage to escape unharmed from the burning car. The firefighters intervene promptly, but by now, the car is reduced to a smoking heap of wreckage. In a road exit near Forlì, the Frenchmen Pages and Claude (Renault #2218) also suffer injuries, the first lightly while the second fractures some ribs. 

 

The Bolognese driver Pagani, in turn, comes out battered from an accident just after Rimini. In Verona, at 1:00 a.m., the Alfa Romeo 1900 of the pair Marimon-Moroni marked with #320 goes off the road and crashes into a house, overturning and catching fire. The two drivers manage to be extracted from the car with minor injuries. The so-called annals of Italian sports record for this edition of the Mille Miglia a triumph-record, truly worthy of the twentieth anniversary of the world's greatest road race. Numerical and qualitative primacy of participants, popular interest, technical and sporting results; all records, absolute and in various classes, are widely surpassed. We would like to dedicate this brief comment to complement the necessarily rushed chronicle - focused for obvious reasons on the struggle in the maximum class for the absolute primacy - highlighting the sacrifices, struggles, wounds, and laurels of the other 400 obscure enthusiasts, remaining in the shadow of a cold and unpublished ranking of the more modest ranks, or retired due to accidents after having tried and dared everything to stand out. But the task would be practically impossible, apart from any other consideration of space, for fundamental reasons of informational organization; it is now a reiterated destiny that nine-tenths of the participants in the Mille Miglia race for a test of themselves and in front of themselves - or in front of a narrow circle of individual fans - and not for sporting glory. Which renunciation, moreover, inevitable and foreseen from the start by all the minor ones, only illuminates even better the overpowering and disinterested charm of the audacious race. Let's return, therefore, to the traditional picture focused on the spotlight: to the race of the protagonists and the sporting and technical lessons that can be drawn from it. The top positions remained below 150 km/h, as could be expected for the entire course, at the Pescara checkpoint (over a third of the race at 175 km/h on average), and the alternation in the top three absolute positions of three cars and three brands so different demonstrates that we are gradually approaching a saturation limit beyond which merit elements can be overwhelmed or leveled by the unpredictable or chance. The twenty-five-year-old Giannino Marzotto is a young prodigy, with this second victory of his, after 1950, in the absolute victory: but it would be too much to expect from his years and his wisdom to attribute to him the deliberate slowing down in the first half of the race to prepare for the grand finale. 

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Perhaps his luck was in receiving the new car (the big Ferrari 4100) on the eve of the race and starting cautiously and uncomfortably to warm up and gradually familiarize himself with the car. Then the very fast ones ahead of him retired, and the only survivor, Fangio, fell behind due to a steering problem; thus, the prestigious Giannino could afford the luxury of a dozen minutes' lead over the Argentine, the second-placed finisher. This certainly speaks of the inappropriateness of drawing too peremptory and definitive judgments from the ranking of a race so tremendously suffocated by extraneous elements, especially concerning the cars. Otherwise, less flattering judgments should be formulated when considering the high percentage of retirements due to breakdowns that affected almost all the models in the fastest classes. It must be said, however, that in road races (even if open to traffic only potentially or minimally: sufficient in any case to aggravate risks and mechanical torments), the high percentage of retirements is statistically inevitable - although, perhaps, not entirely devoid of counterproductive elements for the public that one would like to propagate. And it must be said, above all, that all three brands engaged in the Mille Miglia have recorded exceptional merits. Ferrari, for having won with the youngest of the aces in the race and with the heaviest and less manageable of its very fast cars, which was predicted to be very suitable for the long straights (where it failed to excel at all) but sacrificed on mixed routes (where it achieved brilliant advances). Alfa Romeo, for having dominated (and not by the casual fortune or superiority of a pilot, but alternating Sanesi, Kling, and Fangio) at all checkpoints until Florence, with its original creation that truly said something interesting in the field of Sports cars. Lancia, for having managed, with its evolutionary technique from touring to gran turismo and Sport, to stand up again this year, albeit with less luck, to the technique devolved from the Grand Prix to Sport, typical of its great opponents; and to place honorably at the finish also its debutant car of 3000 cc, so new that even journalistic rumors had not managed to penetrate before the race. It will still be possible, in the coming years, to break the record: a lighter and more manageable Ferrari without sacrificing power; or an even more powerful Alfa without sacrificing docility; or an exceptionally lucky driver from start to finish, will undoubtedly be able, on the course of the twenty-first edition, to further improve the already fantastic averages. 

 

However, having reached the 150-155 km/h average speed, it will be necessary to resort to increasingly distant precautions from ordinary users (who already, despite the pseudo guideline of road races, are clearly far from Mille Miglia's technique): namely, all-wheel drive, since today the main difficulties in exploiting the enormous available powers come precisely from the limit of tire-terrain adhesion. And then what? Here the forecast must stop, not to arrive skeptical and out of tune just as the Mille Miglia is celebrating or in triumph in its twentieth year. In any case, in the meantime, the racing season continues with the Bordeaux Grand Prix, which takes place on Sunday, May 3, 1953. On this occasion, Alberto Ascari confirms his World Champion class by winning a record-breaking race. It is a real triumph for Italian drivers and cars: in second place is Villoresi who, like the winner, was aboard a Ferrari; the third-place finisher, the Argentine Manuel Fangio, on Gordini, is four laps behind. Ferrari's victory could have been even more complete if Farina had not been forced to retire, halfway through the race, due to a gearbox failure. The competition route, through the city streets, is one of the most severe: this is evidenced by the fact that out of sixteen cars that started, eight have to abandon the race. Only one accident occurs, fortunately without consequences for the driver, on lap 63: Trintignant's Gordini goes off the road, colliding at high speed with one of the seven curves of the course and shattering after a frightening somersault. Trintignant miraculously emerges unscathed from the wreckage of the car. The superiority of Ferrari is evident from the beginning: Ascari takes the lead on the first lap, followed in order by Villoresi, Trintignant, and Farina, who starts from the second row. In the next lap, the Turin driver overtakes Trintignant, moving to the third position. These positions remain unchanged until lap 20 when Ascari laps all other competitors. The record for the fastest lap, set in 1951 by the Frenchman Rosier, is broken several times in this initial phase of the competition: Villoresi travels at an average of 101.646 km/h on the fifth lap, then Ascari improves the limit, bringing it to 102.772 km/h at the end of lap 13. During lap 58, Farina retires, and shortly after Trintignant, so Fangio rises from fifth to third place. After 98 laps, Ascari and Villoresi lap all other drivers for the second time, continuing with an impressively regular pace to gain ground. 

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In the rear positions, retirements follow one another: Rosier (Gordini), de Graffenried (Maserati), Macklin (H.W.M.), Whitehead (Cooper) stop definitively at the boxes unable to withstand the pace set by Ferrari; Chiron is disqualified for having been pushed by the mechanic after stopping to repair a fault. Ascari definitively establishes the lap record in the final phase of the race at an average speed of 104.341 km/h. The winner also improves the overall race record at an average speed of 101.340 km/h. For Ascari, this is his second victory in France within a month; on April 6, he had already won the Pau circuit. It is also worth noting the excellent performance of Villoresi and Fangio. The latter has to settle for an honorable placement due to the inferiority of the vehicle at his disposal. However, in his constant effort to compensate for the machine's shortcomings with skillful driving, he has shown no lingering effects from the serious injuries he sustained, proving to be a worthy rival to our best drivers. About 60.000 people attend the Bordeaux race, despite the rather overcast weather and the fear of rain. On Sunday, May 10, 1953, all records collapse on the enchanting Posillipo racing circuit; firstly, the audience record: 10,000 spectators are scattered along the hill, orderly and enthusiastic at the same time. Then comes the race record, set by the winner Farina, and finally the lap record, by Ascari, rendered all the more impetuous by the misfortune that delayed him. The intense duel between Scuderia Ferrari and Maserati cars does not disappoint. It is a superb battle between Ascari, Farina, and Villoresi on one side, and the Argentines Fangio and Gonzalez on the other. In the end, the experience and class of the Turin-born driver, who was already a winner in Naples last year and is in great form today, clearly and persuasively prevail. Farina deserves credit for conducting an intelligent and decisive race. This time, fate targets the World Champion, Alberto Ascari, who, nevertheless, fights bravely, setting the fastest lap. Ascari jumps to first place immediately on the first lap and maintains that position for 23 laps, closely followed by Fangio and Farina. In this first part of the race, the fight for the lead remains open among the three great rivals, with a certain dominance by Ascari, who records a lap time of 2'09"9 on lap 23. Gonzalez is in fourth place, 33s behind; Villoresi is fifth, 38s behind.

 

The gap between Ascari, Fangio, and Farina is a few seconds. However, after setting the lap record, Ascari slowly reaches the pits, stopping for five laps due to a throttle malfunction. Fangio takes the lead, closely followed by Farina, a minute behind. For a couple of laps, the Turin ace closely follows the Argentine champion, and on lap 26, in the corner before the Casale climb, Farina skillfully overtakes Fangio, taking the lead. Greeted by thunderous applause from the enthusiastic crowd, the Turin driver firmly maintains the lead and wins the Grand Prix; Fangio, who never gave the impression of being able to surpass his direct rival, has to stop at the pits for 22s to change a tire. Meanwhile, Ascari, demonstrating his high class, repeatedly lowers the circuit record to 2'07"7 at the astonishing average speed of 115.583 km/h. Ascari finishes the race in fifth place; Gonzalez finishes third; Villoresi fourth, patiently supporting the Ferrari team. With this race also concluded, attention shifts to the second episode of the Formula 1 World Championship. All thirty-three drivers competing in the Indianapolis 500 on Saturday, May 30, 1953, are American. This year, the famous American race generates less anticipation than in 1952. Ascari has decided not to travel to America. The new single-seater with a 3000 cc supercharged engine prepared by Ferrari lacks testing. It would have been a futile adventure to cross the ocean to compete against highly skilled opponents. Americans are tough to beat at Indianapolis. Their conception of sports car racing differs significantly from the European one. Probably, if they were to compete on European Grand Prix circuits, they would be beaten nine times out of ten, at least. But at Indianapolis, it's a different story. The characteristics of the famous four-kilometer track, where speeds reach 300 km/h for four hours without changing gears except at the start, somewhat disorient Europeans. The race has mainly technical interest, in addition to the usual cinematic aspect of a classic wheel duel, with cars flying off the track like skittles. It seems almost impossible to beat the lap record of 139.800 mph set by Phet Miller, who tragically died in this year's trials, or the general race record, a fantastic 107.115 km/h. Indianapolis will count as a race in the World Championship, albeit in a somewhat platonic way, as Americans do not participate in other tournament events, and European aces are all absent from the Indiana track this year. 

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The competition, which began in January in Buenos Aires, will resume on Sunday, June 7, 1953, in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, we will have a curious interlude: on Sunday in Albi, the largest Ferraris and the famous B.R.M. will engage in an academic confrontation. Fangio will drive one of the famous English cars, never ready for the test; it is possible that the technicians have finally achieved the desired performance. However, the B.R.M. now has only limited and almost historical importance. The race formula for which it was built is about to expire. At most, it will be curious to see what the B.R.M. could have given and did not, for one reason or another. Ascari or Villoresi and Farina are given as probable drivers of the Ferrari 4500 cc cars.


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