Tazio Nuvolari
Born	November 16, 1892(1892-11-16) Castel d'Ario, Italy
Died	August 11, 1953 (aged 60) Mantua, Italy
Occupation	Racing driver
Spouse	Carolina Perina (1917-1953)
Children	Giorgio Nuvolari Alberto Nuvolari
Parents	Arturo Nuvolari Elisa Zorzi

Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari (November 16, 1892 – August 11, 1953) was an Italian motorcycle and racecar driver, known as Il Mantovano Volante (The Flying Mantuan) or Nivola. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Castel d'Ario is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 150 km east of Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mantua (Màntova in the local dialect of Lombard language Mantua is a city in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It He was the 1932 European Champion in Grand Prix motor racing. The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in Auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950 Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894

Tazio Nuvolari started out in motorcycle racing in 1920 at the age of 27. Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all Sporting aspects of Motorcycling. In 1925 he captured the 350cc European Championship. List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing FICM European Champions from 1924 to 1939, in order of year and Engine displacement. From then until the end of 1930, he competed both in motorcycle racing and in automobile racing. For 1931, he decided to concentrate fully on racing cars and agreed to race for Alfa Romeo's factory team, Alfa Corse. During its history Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Formula One, Sportscar racing, Touring Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo 's factory racing team Throughout the years Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport from Grand Prix motor racing In 1932 he took two wins and a second place in the three European Championship Grands Prix, winning him the title. He won four other Grands Prix including a second Targa Florio and the Monaco Grand Prix. The Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco.

After Alfa Romeo officially left Grand Prix racing, Nuvolari stayed on with Scuderia Ferrari who ran the Alfa Romeo cars on a semi-official basis. Scuderia Ferrari is the name for the Gestione Sportiva the division of the Ferrari automobile company concerned with racing During 1933, Nuvolari left the team for Maserati after becoming frustrated with the Alfa Romeo's performance. At the end of 1934, Maserati pulled out of Grand Prix racing and Nuvolari returned to Ferrari, who were reluctant to take him back, but were persuaded by Mussolini, the Italian prime minister.

The relationship with Ferrari turned sour during 1937, and Nuvolari raced an Auto Union as a one-off in the Swiss Grand Prix that year before agreeing to race for them for the 1938 season. Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German Automobile manufacturers established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression The Swiss Grand Prix was the premier Auto race of Switzerland. Nuvolari remained at Auto Union until Grand Prix racing was put on hiatus by World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The only major European Grand Prix he never won was the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix. The Czechoslovakian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing event first held on September 28, 1930 at the Masaryk Circuit now referred to as Upon his return to racing after the war, he was 54 and suffering from ill health. His final race, in 1950, saw him finish first in class and fifth overall. He died in 1953 from a stroke.

Personal and early life

Nuvolari was born in Castel d'Ario near Mantua on 16 November 1892 to Arturo Nuvolari and his wife Elisa Zorzi. Castel d'Ario is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 150 km east of Mantua (Màntova in the local dialect of Lombard language Mantua is a city in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year ^[1] The family were well acquainted with motor racing as Arturo and his brother Giuseppe were both motorcycle racers - Giuseppe was a multiple winner of the Italian national championship and was particularly admired by a young Tazio. MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. ^[1]

Nuvolari was married to Carolina Perina, and together they had two children: Giorgio (born 4 September 1918), who died in 1937 aged 19 from myocarditis^[2], and Alberto, who died in 1946 aged 18 from nephritis. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In Medicine ( Cardiology) myocarditis is Inflammation of the Myocardium, the muscular part of the Heart. Nephritis is Inflammation of the Kidney. The word comes from the Greek nephro- meaning "of the kidney" and -itis meaning "inflammation" ^[3]

Career

Motorcycle racing

Nuvolari gained his license for motorcycle racing in 1915 at the age of 23. ^[1] His motorcycling career was postponed, however, by the outbreak of World War I and Nuvolari served as a driver in the Italian army. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All ^[1] Once the war had ended, he resumed his sporting career and took part in his first race at the Circuito Internazionale Motoristico in Cremona in 1920. Cremonese redirects here For the football team see US Cremonese Cremona is a City in northern Italy, situated ^[1] During this period, Nuvolari also dabbled in car racing, winning a reliability trial in 1921. ^[1]

In 1925, Nuvolari became the 350 cc European Motorcycling champion by winning the European Grand Prix. A cubic centimetre or cubic centimeter (symbol cm3 —the abbreviation cc, though widely used is deprecated is a commonly used unit of Volume At the time, the European Grand Prix was considered the most important race of the motorcycling season and the winners in each category were designated European Champions. ^[4] Nuvolari also won the Nations Grand Prix four times between 1925 and 1928^[5] and the Lario Circuit race five times between 1925 and 1929, all in the 350 cc class and each time on a Bianchi motorcycle. Bianchi motorcycles were made from 1897 to 1967 by FIV Edoardo Bianchi S ^[6]

It was also in 1925 that Nuvolari was asked by Alfa Romeo to have a trial in their Grand Prix car. During its history Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Formula One, Sportscar racing, Touring The car's gearbox seized and Nuvolari crashed,^[7] severely lacerating his back. In Medicine, a wound is a type of Injury in which the Skin is torn cut or punctured (an open wound or where blunt force trauma ^[8] Despite his injuries, he competed in the Nations Grand Prix at Monza six days later, winning the race after he had persuaded staff at the hospital to bandage him in a manner such that he could sit on his motorcycle and receive a push start. Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a Motorsport Race track near the town of Monza, Italy, north of Milan. ^[8]

A switch to four wheels

Nuvolari (fifth from left), with other Alfa Romeo drivers and Enzo Ferrari. Enzo Anselmo "the Commendatore" Ferrari ( February 20, 1898 &ndash August 14, 1988) was an Italian car driver and entrepreneur

1931-1932: Alfa Corse

Related Article: Alfa Corse

1930

In 1930, Nuvolari won his first RAC Tourist Trophy (he won one more time in 1933). Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo 's factory racing team Throughout the years Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport from Grand Prix motor racing The International Tourist Trophy is an award given by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC and awarded semi-annually to the winners of a selected Motor racing event each According to a legend, when one of the drivers broke the window of a butchery, Nuvolari, when passing by it, drove on the pavement and tried to catch a ham ^[9]. According to Sammy Davis who met him there, Nuvolari showed a great sense for dark humour and seemed to enjoy situations when everything went wrong. Sydney Charles Houghton "Sammy" Davis ( 1887, London - c For example, he told Enzo Ferrari after he got a ticket for a journey home from the Sicilian Targa Florio "What a strange businessman you are. Enzo Anselmo "the Commendatore" Ferrari ( February 20, 1898 &ndash August 14, 1988) was an Italian car driver and entrepreneur Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. The Targa Florio was an open road Endurance automobile race held near Palermo Sicily. What if I am brought back in a coffin?" Nuvolari and his co-driver Battista Guidotti in Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS spider Zagato won the Mille Miglia, becoming the first to complete the race at an average speed of over 100 km/h (62 mph). The Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles - pronounced 'miʎʎa was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen Due to starting after his team-mate Achille Varzi, he was leading the race despite still being behind Varzi on the road. This article is on Achille Varzi Italian racecar driver See also Achille Varzi (disambiguation. In the dark of night Nuvolari tailed Varzi for tens of kilometres, riding at speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) with his headlights off, thereby being invisible in Varzi's rear-view mirrors; he then switched on his headlights before overtaking "the shocked" ^[9] Varzi near the finish at Brescia ^[10]. Brescia ( Lombard: Brèsa) is a city in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy.

1931

Towards the end of 1930, Nuvolari made a decision to stop racing motorcycles and to concentrate fully on car racing during 1931. ^[7] The new season saw a change in the regulations which meant that Grand Prix races had to be at least 10 hours in duration. Season Review European Championship Grands Prix Non-championship Grands Prix Grandes Épreuves are denoted by a yellow background ^[11] After drawing ninth place on the grid at the Italian Grand Prix, Nuvolari started the race in an Alfa Romeo shared with Baconin Borzacchini. Results from the 1931 Italian Grand Prix held at Monza on May 24, 1931. During its history Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Formula One, Sportscar racing, Touring Baconin Borzacchini ( September 28, 1898 - September 10, 1933) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver often referred to as However, the car had to retire with mechanical problems after 33 laps. Nuvolari then teamed up with Giuseppe Campari and the pair took the race win,^[12] although Nuvolari could not receive the championship points from it. Giuseppe Campari ( June 8, 1892 - September 10, 1933) was an Italian opera singer and Grand Prix motor racing driver Apart from a second place at the Belgian Grand Prix, the only other European Championship race, the French Grand Prix, resulted in a disappointing 11th place finish. Results from the 1931 Belgian Grand Prix held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 12, 1931. The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in Auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950 Results from the 1931 French Grand Prix held at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry on June 21, 1931. Aside from the main European Championship Grands Prix, Nuvolari took victories in the Targa Florio and the Coppa Ciano. The Targa Florio was an open road Endurance automobile race held near Palermo Sicily. The Coppa Ciano was an automobile race held in Italy. Since the first competition the sport of Motor racing in Italy proved very popular

1932

1932 saw a revision of the previous year's regulation change, with the race duration being reduced to between five and ten hours. Season Review European Championship Grands Prix Non-championship Grands Prix Grandes Épreuves are denoted by a yellow background ^[11] The season was the only one in which Nuvolari regularly had one of the fastest cars, the Alfa Romeo P3. ^[8] A consequence was that in the three European Championship Grands Prix, he took two wins and a second place - winning the championship by four points from Borzacchini. He took four other wins during the season, including the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix and a second Targa Florio. The Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. The Targa Florio was an open road Endurance automobile race held near Palermo Sicily. His mechanic Mabelli said about this race: "Before the start, Nuvolari told me to go down on the floor of the car everytime he shouts, which was a signal that he went to a curve too fast and that we need to decrease the car´s center of mass. I spent the whole race on the floor. Nuvolari started to shout in the first curve and wouldn't stop until the last one. " ^[9]

On 28 April that year he was given a golden turtle badge by the famous Italian writer Gabriele d'Annunzio which symbolised the opposite of his speed. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Gabriele d'Annunzio ( 12 March 1863 &ndash 1 March 1938) was an Italian Poet, Journalist, Novelist He wore the turtle ever since and it became his talisman and also his symbol.

1933-1937: Scuderia Ferrari and Maserati

Related Articles: Scuderia Ferrari, Maserati

1933

The 1933 season was the first year of a two year hiatus for the European Championship, and saw Alfa Romeo stop their official involvement in Grand Prix racing. Scuderia Ferrari is the name for the Gestione Sportiva the division of the Ferrari automobile company concerned with racing Maserati is an Italian manufacturer of racing cars and Sports cars established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. Season Review Grandes Épreuves Other Grands Prix Statistics Grand Prix winners Drivers They did not disappear altogether as they were represented by Enzo Ferrari's privateer outfit. Enzo Anselmo "the Commendatore" Ferrari ( February 20, 1898 &ndash August 14, 1988) was an Italian car driver and entrepreneur For economic reasons, the P3 was not passed on to Ferrari and they were forced to use the Monza, the predecessor of the P3. ^[14] Maserati were their main opposition with a highly improved car.

Nuvolari is often reported as having been involved in a race-fixing scandal at the Tripoli Grand Prix. The Tripoli Grand Prix was a motor racing event first held in 1925 on a racing circuit outside Tripoli, the capital of what was then Italian Tripolitania. It is said that he, along with Achille Varzi and Baconin Borzacchini, conspired to fix the race in order to profit from the Libyan state lottery. This article is on Achille Varzi Italian racecar driver See also Achille Varzi (disambiguation. Baconin Borzacchini ( September 28, 1898 - September 10, 1933) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver often referred to as The lottery saw 30 tickets drawn before the race - one for each starter - and the holder of the ticket corresponding to the winning driver would win seven and a half million lire. ^[15] However, this story is said by some to be a work of fiction by Alfred Neubauer, the team manager of Mercedes-Benz at the time and a well-known raconteur with a penchant for spicing up a story. Alfred Neubauer ( March 29, 1891 in Maehrisch-Ostrau – August 22, 1980 in Stuttgart) was the racing manager of the Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the Storytelling is the ancient art of conveying events in Words Images and Sounds often by Improvisation or embellishment ^[16] Some of the facts in Neubauer's version do not hold true with documented records of events, which point to Nuvolari, Varzi and Borzacchini agreeing to pool the prize money should one of them win, as opposed to Neubauer's claims of race fixing. Baconin Borzacchini ( September 28, 1898 - September 10, 1933) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver often referred to as In organized Sports, match fixing or game fixing occurs when a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result ^[16]

Alfa Romeo announced that for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nuvolari would be competing in a team with Raymond Sommer. The 24 Hours of Le Mans ( 24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, Raymond Sommer ( August 31, 1906, Mouzon, in the Ardennes département of France - September 10, ^[17] Sommer argued that he would be drive the majority of the race as he was more familiar with the circuit and Nuvolari would likely break the car. ^[17] Nuvolari countered that he was a leading Grand Prix driver and Le Mans was a simple layout that would not trouble him, to which Sommer backed down and they agreed to divide the driving equally. ^[17] The race itself saw Sommer and Nuvolari take a two lap lead before their fuel tank developed a hole, which was plugged by chewing gum whilst in the pits. ^[17] Several more pit stops were necessary as the makeshift repair came undone several times during the race. ^[17] Nuvolari drove from then until the end of the race, breaking the lap record nine times and winning the race by approximately 400 yards (366 m). ^[17]

1934

At the start of 1934, Nuvolari entered the Monaco Grand Prix in a privately owned Bugatti. Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon 5th Earl Howe, CBE, PC, VD ( 1 May 1884, Mayfair, London - 26 July Bugatti was founded in Molsheim, France, as a manufacturer of high performance automobiles by Ettore Bugatti, an Italian Having made it up to third place in the race, he suffered brake troubles and fell back to fifth at the finish, two laps behind the winner, Guy Moll. Guillaume Laurent "Guy" Moll ( 28 May 1910 - 15 August 1934) was an Algerian racing driver. ^[18] Whilst racing at Alessandria in the Circuito di Pietro Bordino race, Nuvolari crashed whilst avoiding Carlo Felice Trossi's stricken car. Alessandria ( Lissandria in Piedmontese) is a city in Piedmont Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. Pietro Bordino ( November 22, 1887 – April 16, 1928) was an Italian racecar driver Count Carlo Felice Trossi (born in Biella, Italy, April 27, 1908 - died in Milan, May 9, 1949) was an Italian ^[19] He broke a leg, but suffering from boredom in hospital, he decided to enter the AVUS-Rennen just over four weeks after his accident. ^[8] His Maserati was specially modified so that he could use all three of its pedals with his left foot; his right was still in plaster. ^[18] Troubled by cramp, Nuvolari finished fifth. Cramps, sometimes called Charley horses are unpleasant often painful sensations caused by contraction or over shortening of Muscles Cramps can be caused by cold ^[8]

By the time of the Penya Rhin Grand Prix in late June, Nuvolari's leg was finally out of plaster, but was still causing him troubles as he battled pain until he retired his Maserati with technical problems. ^[20]

In the Italian Grand Prix, Nuvolari debuted Maserati's new 6C-34 model. The car performed poorly and Nuvolari could only finish fifth, three laps behind the Mercedes-Benz of Rudolf Caracciola and Luigi Fagioli. Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the Rudolf Caracciola ( January 30, 1901 &ndash September 28, 1959) was a Racecar driver, nicknamed "Karratsch" Luigi Fagioli ( June 9, 1898 - June 20, 1952) was an Italian champion race car driver ^[21]

1935

For 1935, Nuvolari set his sights on a drive with the German Auto Union team. Entrants Teams Works teams Independent teams Private entries Season Review European Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German Automobile manufacturers established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression ^[22] The team were lacking top-line drivers, but relented to pressure from Achille Varzi who did not want to be in the same teams as Nuvolari. This article is on Achille Varzi Italian racecar driver See also Achille Varzi (disambiguation. ^[22] Nuvolari then approached Enzo Ferrari, but was turned down as he had previously walked out on the team. ^[22] However, Mussolini, the Italian prime minister, intervened and Ferrari backed down. ^[22]

In this year, Nuvolari scored his most impressive victory, thought by many to be the greatest victory in car racing of all times ^{[9] [23] [24] [25]}, when at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, driving and old Alfa Romeo P3 (3167cm³, compressor, 265HP) versus the dominant, all conquering home team's cars of five Mercedes Benz W25 (3990 cm³, 8C, compressor, Template:Convert/HP, driven by Caracciola, Fagioli, Hermann Lang, Manfred von Brauchitsch and Geyer) and four Auto Union Tipo B (4950cm³, 16C, compressor, Template:Convert/HP, driven by Bernd Rosemeyer, Varzi, Hans Stuck and Paul Pietsch). The German Grand Prix ( Großer Preis von Deutschland) is an annual automobile race The Nürburgring, known as simply " The Ring " by enthusiasts is a Motorsport Race track in Nürburg, Germany. Hermann Lang (born April 6 1909 &ndash died October 19 1987) was a German champion race car driver Manfred von Brauchitsch ( 15 August, 1905 - February 5, 2003) was a German Auto racing driver who drove for Mercedes-Benz Bernd Rosemeyer ( October 14, 1909 in Lingen, Lower Saxony, Germany – January 28, 1938 on the Frankfurt This article is about the father for the son see Hans-Joachim Stuck. Paul Pietsch (born June 20, 1911) is a former Racing driver from Germany and successful magazine publisher This victory is known as "The Impossible Victory" ^[26]. The crowd of 300,000 applauded Nuvolari, but the representatives of the Third Reich were enraged ^[27]. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers

1936

Nuvolari had a big accident in May during practice for the Tripoli Grand Prix and it is alleged that he broke some vertebrae. Despite a limp, he took part in the race the following day and finished eighth. ^[28].

1937

At the beginning of 1937, Alfa Romeo took their works team back from Ferrari and entered it as part of the Alfa Corse team. Season Review European Championship Grands Prix Non-championship Grands Prix Grandes Épreuves are denoted by a yellow background Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo 's factory racing team Throughout the years Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport from Grand Prix motor racing ^[29] Nuvolari stayed with Alfa Romeo despite becoming increasingly frustrated with the poor build quality of their racing cars. ^[29]

At the Coppa Acerbo, Alfa Romeo's new 12C-37 car proved to be slow and unreliable. The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician This frustrated Nuvolari, who handed his car over to Giuseppe Farina mid-race. Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina ( October 30 1906 - June 30, 1966) was an Italian Racing driver. Not wanting to leave Alfa Romeo, he drove an Auto Union in the Swiss Grand Prix as a one-off. After the Italian Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo withdrew from racing for the remainder of the season and dismissed Vittorio Jano, their chief designer. The 1937 Italian Grand Prix was a 750kg Formula race held on September 12, 1937 at the Livorno Circuit. Vittorio Jano (János Viktor 22 April 1891 &ndash 13 March 1965) was an Italian Automobile designer of Hungarian ^[30]

1938-1939: Auto Union

Related Article: Auto Union

1938

Although Nuvolari started 1938 as an Alfa Romeo driver, a split fuel tank in the first race of the season at Pau was enough for him to walk out on the team, critical of the poor workmanship that was exhibited. Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German Automobile manufacturers established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression Season Review European Championship Grands Prix Non-championship Grands Prix Grandes Épreuves are denoted by a yellow background The Grand Prix de Pau is an Auto race held annually in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, southwestern France. He announced his retirement from Grand Prix racing and took a holiday in America. At the same time, Auto Union were having to rely on inexperienced drivers. Following the Tripoli Grand Prix they contacted Nuvolari who, having been refreshed from his break, agreed to drive for them. The Tripoli Grand Prix was a motor racing event first held in 1925 on a racing circuit outside Tripoli, the capital of what was then Italian Tripolitania. ^[31]

Post-war racing

In 1946, Nuvolari raced in the Milan Grand Prix using only one hand to steer; the other was holding a bloodstained handkerchief over his mouth. ^[7]

Nuvolari's last race was in 1950 at the Palermo-Montepellegrino hillclimb, in which he came first in his class and fifth overall. ^[2]

Death and legacy

Nuvolari never formally announced his retirement, but his health had deteriorated and he became increasingly solitary. ^[2] In 1952 he suffered a stroke which left him partially paralysed, and he died in bed a year later from a second stroke. ^[32] Almost the entire town of Mantua attended his funeral,^[13] which is said to have seen an attendance of between 25 and 55 thousand people. ^[13] The funeral procession was a mile long, and Nuvolari's coffin was placed on a car chassis which was pushed by Alberto Ascari, Luigi Villoresi and Juan Manuel Fangio. Alberto Ascari ( July 13, 1918 &ndash May 26, 1955) was an Italian Racing driver and twice Formula One Luigi Villoresi ( May 16, 1909 - August 24, 1997) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula Juan Manuel Fangio ( Balcarce, June 24, 1911 - Buenos Aires, July 17, 1995) nicknamed "El Chueco" ("knock-kneed" ^[32]

Nuvolari has had three cars named after him - the Alfa Romeo Nuvola,^[33] the EAM Nuvolari S1, and the Audi Nuvolari Quattro. The Alfa Romeo Nuvola Concept car was released at the Paris International Auto Show in 1996 The EAM Nuvolari S1 is a limited production car announced in 1990 by the Munich based company Edelsbrunner Automobile München. The Audi Nuvolari quattro (also known as the Audi Nuvolari) was a Concept car created by German automobile maker Audi. ^[34]

Nuvolari was one of the early proponents of the four-wheel drift technique. refers to a driving technique and to a motor sport where the driver intentionally skids the rear tires through turns preserving vehicle control and a high exit speed The technique was later utilised by drivers such as Stirling Moss^[9]. Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss OBE (born September 17, 1929 in London) is a retired racing driver from England.

Dr Ferdinand Porsche called Nuvolari "The greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future. Prof Dr Ing hc Ferdinand Porsche ( " ^[35]

References

External links

• Official site, including complete list of his races, with placements.
• Grand Prix History - Hall of Fame, Tazio Nuvolari
• Film of Tazio Nuvolari winning the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Races (VanderbiltCupRaces. com)
• The Golden Age by Leif Snellman