Piombino – Livorno

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Piombino, August 24th 1901, departure from Porta a Terra

The Piombino – Livorno automobile race is considered the first motor sport event in the Italian region of Tuscany . It was held on August 24, 1901 and ran from Piombino to Livorno .

history

The Livornese Summer Festival Committee, the cities of Piombino and Livorno, the Della Gherardesca and Ginori families and the Italian Touring Club were all involved in organizing the race. The initiative was supported by the tire manufacturer Michelin , who provided cash prizes for the winners, and the Italian King Victor Emmanuel III , who awarded the winner a gold medal.

The original plan was to hold the race over a distance of 150  mi (241  km ) from Grosseto to Livorno. Due to bad weather conditions, which made the route impassable, it was shortened to 51 mi (82 km) starting in Piombino. The race was part of a three-day event: on Saturday, August 24, 1901, the “Grand Prize of His Majesty the King” took place on the old Via Aurelia , starting in Piombino and arriving in Livorno; on Sunday, August 25th, there was a parade in the Lovornese district of Antignano and on Monday, August 26th, there was a 500-meter acceleration race from Antignano to San Jacopo and a skill drive at the Ardenza roundabout .

Winner: Felice Nazzaro (here 1907)

run

The participating vehicles were divided into different categories: I category - large automobiles (over 1,000 kg), II category - smaller automobiles (under 1,000 kg), III category - very small automobiles (up to 450 kg), IV category - three-wheelers and V category - motorcycles . The start was in this order: large automobiles, tricycles, smaller automobiles, very small automobiles, and motorcycles. The start time had to be moved a few hours back to 7:30 a.m. due to poor track conditions on the old Via Aurelia. No motorcycle reached the goal: Renzo Mazzoleni with his Ceirano  2¼ HP gave up near Vada and Emanuele Rosselli with his self-constructed Rosselli  2¼ HP gave up shortly after the start because of the impassable slope.

The winner was Felice Nazzaro on Fiat 12 HP Corsa . He needed 1: 49.54 hours for the 82 km, which corresponded to an average speed of 44.77 km / h. The car that Nazzaro drove belonged to Count Camillo della Gherardesca . Despite the bad weather, the race was a success and ended without any major accidents.

Anecdotal

The Cotta - Morandini team, who wanted to take part in the race with a Darracq , was arrested by the Carabinieri in La Spezia during their journey from Turin to Livorno , as they had been ordered by telegram to arrest the first motorist who was passing through as the cause of an accident. Both drivers were only released ten hours after another telegram arrived with the message that the person who had caused the accident had been arrested. It was still too late for them to take part in the race. Count Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia and his father Roberto, who came from Turin with a Phénix  3½ HP, also suffered an engine failure and were supposed to arrive in Livorno by train to watch the race as a spectator.

Result

space pilot brand Ranking list power Weight owner
1 Felice Nazzaro Fiat 12 HP Corsa Automobiles over 1,000 kg 12 hp 1,100 kg Conte Camillo della Gherardesca
2 Ugobaldo Tonietti Panhard & Levassor Automobiles over 1,000 kg 32 hp 1,200 kg Cavalier Ugobaldo Tonietti
3 Gaston Osmond De Dion-Bouton Tricycles 6 hp 150 kg Gaston Osmond
4th Galileo Serafini Panhard & Levassor Automobiles under 1,000 kg 12 hp 650 kg Principe Pietro Strozzi
5 Guido Trieste Florentia Automobiles under 1,000 kg 8 hp 480 kg Guido Trieste
6th Ettore Nagliati De Dion-Bouton Automobiles under 1,000 kg 5 hp 480 kg Ettore Nagliati
7th Nourry De Dion-Bouton Tricycles 6 hp 150 kg Nourry
8th Ernesto Wehreim Darracq Automobiles under 1,000 kg 12 hp 480 kg Ernesto Wehreim
Rit. Emanuele Rosselli Rosselli motorcycles 2¼ hp 32 kg Emanuele Rosselli
Rit. Renzo Mazzoleni Ceirano motorcycles 2¼ hp 32 kg Renzo Mazzoleni
Rit. ? Panhard & Levassor Vehicles over 1,000 kg 12 hp 1,100 kg Commendator Figner

References

literature

  • Il Telegrafo of August 15 and 25, 1901
  • La Gazzetta Livornese of August 24, 25 and 26, 1901
  • Storia dell'Automobilismo Toscano , 1893–1906: i pionieri, le prime automobili, Leonardo Ginori Lisci, Editore Bonechi, Florence, 1976
  • Lampi sul Tirreno, Le moto e le auto sul Circuito di Montenero a Livorno , Maurizio Mazzoni, Regione Toscana, Firenze, 2013

Web links