Race of the two worlds
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The race of the two worlds was a car race that was held in Monza in 1957 and 1958 . American racing drivers in Champ Cars competed against European racing drivers in Formula 1 vehicles.
history
In 1954 an oval course with very steep curves was built in Monza. Together with the existing road circuit, a mixed route was created for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix . The vehicles drove one lap on the street course and then turned onto the oval at the end of the start-finish straight to end the lap there. This route was also used in 1956. The similarity of the Monza oval prompted the president of the Milan Automobile Club, Giuseppe Bacciagaluppi , to invite the United States Automobile Club (USAC) event director , Duane Carter , to Monza to watch the race. Together they worked out an idea for a race in which champ cars and Formula 1 vehicles should compete against each other.
The first race in 1957
For the race, which took place in June 1957, only the oval was used. Preparations for the American drivers were made in April 1957 by Pat O'Connor . He drove a 5.5 liter V8 Chrsyler test vehicle for Firestone 226 miles at an average speed of 163.4 mph (262.966 km / h). He drove his fastest lap with an average speed of more than 170 mph (more than 273 km / h). By comparison, the average speed O'Connor achieved for his pole position in Indianapolis was 144 mph (231.745 km / h). After the Indianapolis 500 , ten racing cars were shipped from New York City to Genoa , from where they were then brought to Monza by truck . The drivers and mechanics followed by plane.
The event threatened to fizzle out because the Formula 1 drivers refused to take part. Their vehicles were not competitive with the Champ Cars on the oval course with the banked turns. On the other hand, the Champ Cars would not have had a chance against the Formula 1 vehicles on a street circuit. The drivers were also concerned about the route. It was very uneven and in the bends the entire suspension travel was used when the vehicles were pushed towards the road by the centrifugal force. Most of the drivers boycotted the race because of the high speeds. Only three Jaguar D-Type from Ecurie Ecosse took part. The weekend before, these vehicles had clinched a double victory in the Le Mans 24-hour race . The Formula 1 drivers' concerns about the excessive speed were well founded, as the average speed Tony Bettenhausen achieved for pole position was 177 mph (284.853 km / h).
The American vehicles had only two-speed transmissions, while the Jaguars were equipped with four-speed transmissions. The Jaguar drivers were able to take advantage of this at the flying start and take the lead from the rear starting positions. From the first lap they came back with a lead of about 300 meters. However, the lead did not last long and they were overtaken by the American drivers. But there was a prize for the leader after the first round, which is Jack Fairman secured. Jimmy Bryan achieved overall victory with wins in the first and second runs and second place behind Troy Ruttman in the third run.
The second race in 1958
The second race of the two worlds took place on June 29, 1958.
Attendees
The following 19 drivers took part in the race:
The vehicles
The American racing cars all had the 4.2-liter Offenhauser engine with four cylinders and a double overhead camshaft, which was usually installed in the chassis slightly offset to the left in order to counteract the centrifugal forces in the long left-hand bends. The vehicles had composite axles at the front and rear with torsion springs. Most used twin-tube telescopic shock absorbers to minimize the problems from the previous year. As in the previous year, the American racing cars had a two-speed transmission. Firestone tires and light alloy rims were used because the normal wheels, as used in Europe, could not withstand the loads (as the example of Alberto Ascari shows, on whose Ferrari a wheel broke in Indianapolis in 1952).
Of the three Jaguars, two were 3.8-liter D-types and one was a 3.4-liter vehicle that had been driven the previous year. Jack Fairman drove a Jaguar with a Lister chassis. This was a single-seater that resulted in a 10 mph loss in top speed as the standard D-Type bodies were aerodynamically more favorable.
Ferrari built a completely new V12 4.2 liter vehicle. The car had wishbones and coil springs in the front and a De Dion axle with leaf springs in the rear. Ferrari still used spoked wheels for this race. Although the vehicle was equipped with a five-speed gearbox, two gears were blocked for the race. The second factory Ferrari had a purpose built chassis and a 2.8 liter V6 Dino 296 sports car engine. The car had coil springs all around, front wishbones and a De-Dion axle at the rear. The springs were completely encased in rubber to provide the necessary suspension. Harry Schell's third Ferrari was an old Grand Prix vehicle modified by Chinetti with a 4.2 liter naturally aspirated V12 engine. Carroll Shelby drove before with this car mountain race .
Stirling Moss entered the race with a strikingly painted Eldorado Maserati . He was white and had a one-toothed cowboy on his side. The engine was a 4.2 liter V8 from a Maserati sports car. During training, the fuel injection was four carburetors replaced. The engine was offset to the left and the transmission passed the driver's seat on the left. Tanks were installed in the stern and to the left of the cockpit. This vehicle also had a two-speed transmission, wishbones and coil springs at the front and a De-Dion axle with leaf springs at the rear.
qualification
| Item | driver | Ø pace |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Luigi Musso * |
281.077 km / h |
| 2 |
 Bob Veith
|
278.857 km / h |
| 3 |
 Juan Manuel Fangio
|
275.841 km / h |
| 4th |
Eddie Sachs
|
275.841 km / h |
| 5 |
Don Freeland
|
275.180 km / h |
| 6th |
Jimmy Bryan
|
275.041 km / h |
| 7th |
Jim Rathmann
|
274.521 km / h |
| 8th |
Johnny Thomson
|
268.682 km / h |
| 9 |
Rodger Ward
|
268.635 km / h |
| 10 |
Troy Ruttman
|
268.578 km / h |
| 11 |
 Stirling Moss
|
264.553 km / h |
| 12 |
Ray Crawford
|
263.641 km / h |
| 13 |
Jimmy Reece
|
263.188 km / h |
| 14th |
Phil Hill ** |
259.468 km / h |
| 15th |
 Maurice Trintignant
|
258.591 km / h |
| 16 |
Masts Gregory
|
254.293 km / h |
| 17th |
Jack Fairman
|
246.376 km / h |
| 18th |
Harry Schell
|
245.586 km / h |
| 19th |
Ivor Bueb
|
241.960 km / h |
* Musso qualified Hawthorns vehicle
** Hill took over the vehicle from Musso
Run 1
Race day was warm and sunny, but there was speculation as to whether or not Juan Manuel Fangio would be able to take part in the race. When the spark plugs were changed on his vehicle that morning, the mechanics discovered that a piston had broken. It was hoped to move the start back long enough to be able to install a new piston. But despite a delay of 15 minutes, the repair could not be completed in time. According to the rules, the vehicle was pushed from its starting position into the pit lane and the reigning Formula 1 world champion did not take part in the race.
At the flying start, Musso took advantage of his three-speed gearbox and took the lead in front of Sachs, Bryan and Rathmann. He drove the first lap in 65 seconds. Sachs overtook Musso at the end of lap two, but Musso regained the lead on lap three with a lap time of 54.8 seconds. In the fifth lap, Sachs took the lead again and two laps later Bryan was able to overtake Musso.
From the eleventh lap on, Rathmann was in the lead and kept it up to the finish. Musso and Sachs continued to fight for second place until, on lap 20, a thrown connecting rod punched a large hole in the housing of Sachs' engine. Musso did not keep second place for long, however, because six laps later he pitted with complaints from the methanol exhaust. The tires were changed on the vehicle and Hawthorn took over the wheel. He returned to the race in seventh place. At this point Stirling Moss had come up to third place.
At the end of the 53rd lap, Bob Veith overtook Stirling Moss and shortly afterwards Troy Ruttman overtook both of them when they were stopped by a vehicle to be lapped. However, he had to pit again to refuel and fell back to seventh place. Jim Rathmann won the first run ahead of Jimmy Bryan, Bob Veith, Stirling Miss, Jimmy Thomson and Mike Hawthorn.
| Item | driver | Round | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jim Rathmann
|
63 | 0: 59: 40.9 hours |
| 2 |
Jimmy Bryan
|
63 | + 23.2 s |
| 3 |
Bob Veith
|
63 | + 45.5 s |
| 4th |
Stirling Moss
|
63 | + 54.2 s |
| 5 |
Johnny Thomson
|
61 | + 2 rounds |
| 6th |
Luigi Musso / Mike Hawthorn
|
60 | + 3 rounds |
| 7th |
Troy Ruttman
|
60 | + 3 rounds |
| 8th |
Jimmy Reece
|
59 | + 4 rounds |
| 9 |
Maurice Trintignant
|
59 | + 4 rounds |
| 10 |
Ray Crawford
|
58 | + 5 rounds |
| 11 |
Jack Fairman
|
57 | + 6 rounds |
| 12 |
Harry Schell
|
56 | + 7 rounds |
| 13 |
Masts Gregory
|
55 | + 8 rounds |
| 14th |
Ivor Bueb
|
45 | + 18 rounds |
| DNF |
Rodger Ward
|
20th | Torsion spring |
| DNF |
Eddie Sachs
|
20th | Connecting rod |
| DNF |
Phil Hill
|
17th | Ignition / fuel line |
| DNF |
Don Freeland
|
17th | Camshaft drive |
| DNS |
Juan Manuel Fangio
|
0 | piston |
Run 2
After the first run there was a break of 1½ hours during which mechanics could repair the vehicles. The starting order was the finish of the first run. Fangio could not take part in the second run either and Maurice Trintignant was replaced by AJ Foyt .
Rathmann immediately took the lead on lap one in front of Bryan, Musso, Moss and Veith and kept it until the finish line. Harry Schell's Ferrari quickly broke down due to some mechanical defects. In the next laps Veith, Moss, Ruttmann and Bryan constantly changed positions. On lap 19, Musso pitted again because the exhaust fumes were bothering him. This time, however, he handed it over to Phil Hill, whose Ferrari from the first run no longer started in the second.
Third placed Moss came closer to Veith while Bryan, who followed Ruttman, came closer to Moss. There was a very close battle between these four drivers from lap 32 to 56. On the long straights, the drivers overtook each other out of the slipstream. From the 57th lap onwards, Moss' engine lost revs due to a defect in one of the two magnets (the engine had two spark plugs per cylinder). It fell back to fifth place. As Ruttman crossed the finish line, Fairman's car dragged a large cloud of smoke behind it as a piston broke on the final lap.
| Item | driver | Round | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jim Rathmann
|
63 | 1: 00: 18.5 hours |
| 2 |
Bob Veith
|
63 | + 16.8 s |
| 3 |
Jimmy Bryan
|
63 | + 42.4 s |
| 4th |
Troy Ruttman
|
63 | + 43.7 s |
| 5 |
Stirling Moss
|
62 | + 1 rounds |
| 6th |
AJ Foyt
|
61 | + 2 rounds |
| 7th |
Jimmy Reece
|
60 | + 3 rounds |
| 8th |
Ray Crawford
|
60 | + 3 rounds |
| 9 |
Luigi Musso / Phil Hill
|
60 | + 3 rounds |
| 10 |
Jack Fairman
|
57 | + 6 rounds |
| 11 |
Ivor Bueb
|
51 | + 12 rounds |
| DNF |
Rodger Ward
|
31 | + 32 rounds |
| DNF |
Masts Gregory
|
Defect at the stern | |
| DNF |
Harry Schell
|
4th | mechanical defects |
| DNF |
Johnny Thomson
|
1 | crankshaft |
| DNF |
Don Freeland
|
||
| DNS |
Juan Manuel Fangio
|
0 | piston |
| DNS |
Eddie Sachs
|
0 | |
| DNS |
Phil Hill
|
0 |
Run 3
Fangio appeared on the grid for the last run, but initially without a vehicle, which is why the spectators thought he might take over another participant's vehicle. Moss had a large plaster on his hand, but he put on a helmet and racing goggles and got into his vehicle. Hawthorn got into his vehicle too, and eventually Fangio's racing car was pushed onto the grid. The race didn't last long for him, however. At the end of the first lap he retired with a defective fuel pump.
Rathmann was leading again from the first lap, with the two Jaguars behind him. Moss was the last to get off the start because he could not shift into first gear and had to drive into second. But he was catching up more and more. On lap 14 he overtook Hawthorn and was sixth, on lap 20 he took fifth place from Crawford. Then he caught up with AJ Foyt two seconds per lap.
On lap 29, Veith suddenly lost a wheel, the vehicle lurched, but came to a safe stop. As a result, Moss was now in fourth place behind Rathmann, Bryan and Foyt. This time, Hawthorn suffered from the exhaust of the Ferrari and pitted to hand over to Phil Hill. On the 41st lap, Moss dropped out because the steering of his Eldorado Maserati no longer responded in one of the steep turns. He touched the guardrail at the top of the lane, skid and came to a stop below unharmed. The order in the race was now Rathmann, Bryan, Hill and Crawford. Hill had passed Crawford on lap 58. Rathman held his position to the finish.
| Item | driver | Round | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jim Rathmann
|
63 | 0: 59: 37.9 hours |
| 2 |
Jimmy Bryan
|
63 | + 26.7 s |
| 3 |
Mike Hawthorn / Phil Hill
|
60 | + 3 rounds |
| 4th |
Ray Crawford
|
60 | + 3 rounds |
| 5 |
Jimmy Reece
|
59 | + 4 rounds |
| DNF |
AJ Foyt
|
54 | Broken crankshaft |
| 7th |
Ivor Bueb
|
52 | + 11 rounds |
| DNF |
Masts Gregory
|
44 | - |
| DNF |
Stirling Moss
|
40 | accident |
| DNF |
Bob Veith
|
28 | lost wheel |
| DNF |
Troy Ruttman
|
12 | Fuel line |
| DNF |
Juan Manuel Fangio
|
1 | fuel pump |
Bottom line
The three runs were added. The 1958 Race of Two Worlds was won by Jim Rathman.
| Item | driver | Round | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jim Rathmann
|
189 | 2: 59: 37.3 hours |
| 2 |
Jimmy Bryan
|
189 | + 01: 32.3 min. |
| 3 |
Mike Hawthorn / Luigi Musso / Phil Hill
|
180 | + 9 rounds |
| 4th |
Ray Crawford
|
178 | + 11 rounds |
| 5 |
Jimmy Reece
|
178 | + 11 rounds |
| 6th |
AJ Foyt / Maurice Trintignant
|
174 | + 15 rounds |
| 7th |
Stirling Moss
|
164 | + 25 rounds |
| 8th |
Bob Veith
|
153 | + 36 laps |
| 9 |
Ivor Bueb
|
148 | + 41 laps |
| 10 |
Troy Ruttman
|
135 | + 54 laps |
| 11 |
Jack Fairman
|
114 | + 75 laps |
| 12 |
Masts Gregory
|
99 | + 90 laps |
| 13 |
Harry Schell
|
71 | + 118 laps |
| 14th |
Johnny Thomson
|
65 | + 124 laps |
| 15th |
Rodger Ward
|
51 | + 138 laps |
| 16 |
Eddie Sachs
|
20th | + 169 laps |
| 17th |
Don Freeland
|
17th | + 172 laps |
| 18th |
Phil Hill
|
17th | + 172 laps |
| 19th |
Juan Manuel Fangio
|
1 | + 188 laps |