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The youth Tazio
Giorgio Nuvolari was born in Castel d'Ario, not far from Mantua, on the
16th November 1892 at 9 in the morning. Tazio was the fourth son of
Arturo Nuvolari (1863-1938, a well off farmer) and his wife Elisa Zorzi
(1864-1943, a housewife from Trento). Tazio was a very lively and active
boy. He didn't like studying: sports were more interesting for him. His
father was a quite good cyclist, while his brother Giuseppe was a
champion: the latter won the Italian National Championship several
times, scoring some success even abroad in the speed track and in the
very first races behind motorcycles. The young Tazio had always felt a
great admiration for his uncle, always trying to imitate him.The speedOn the 5th of September 1904, Tazio saw for the first time a car race: the Circuit of Brescia. He was favourably impressed by the speed and by the ace drivers of that time: Vincenzo Lancia, Nazzaro, Cagno, Hémery, Duray,His first motorcycleIn 1904 and 1905 two episodes were very important and left a mark on his personality. First of all, one day his uncle Giuseppe tought him to drive a motorcycle. And then, one night Tazio stole his father's car and drove it in the moonlight. Later he said: "I was about 13. How fast was I driving? About 30 KpH, no more...".
"You are not cut out for this job"
His great passion for motorcycles and cars,
and his competitive spirit were growing faster and faster. Photos have
been found with Tazio standing tall on a motorcycle driving fast along a
dusty road, or wearing bonnet and goggles at the wheel of a Scat - a
car he never drove during a race, as far as we know. Tazio got the
motorcycle race licence in 1915, when he was 23. However, a few months
later the war broke out and he was in the Army as driver. He drove Red
Cross ambulances, lorries and car with the Officers. One day, while he
was driving, he got out of the road. The Official with him said «Listen
to me: forget driving. You are not cut out for this job». |
| Tazio
was bruised and suffered a few slight burns on his face, arms and legs.
He was more than anything severely shocked and had a long hard think.
He decided to retirefrom racing, but soon he rethought his decision. He
then left for a trip to the Unites States: he went to Indianapolis
where he tried - wearing shirt and tie, and a borrowed helmet - a
couple of single seaters without any satisfaction. On his return to Europe he signed with Auto Union. They were looking for a pilot who yook the place of the young ace Bernard Rosemeyer, died on January 28th while attempting a record on the Frankfurt-Darmstadt motorway. After three test drives, he drove the rear engined silver single seater Tipo D to two memorable victories: the Italian Grand prix in Monza and, two weeks later, the Grand Prix at Donington where he threw the Englishmen into ecstasies.    |
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The
racing calendar shortened down as threats of war increased. The II
World War had already broken out when the Grand Prix of Belgrade was
run on the 3rd of September. It was the last success and the last race
of Auto Union. Nuvolari won, ending an extraordinary era which found
him as a legendary protagonist.
In
1948 he drove in 5 races, finishing fourth in one, 7th in another and
not classified in the rest. However one of these retirements - the XV
Mille Miglia - was what many considered to have been his last great
drive. The Cisitalia which was especially prepared for him broke during
testing and could not be repaired in time. It seemed impossible that
Nuvolari could do the race, but the day before the start Enzo Ferrari
offered him a 166S. Tazio accepted and on the 2 of May, with no
practicing at all (his last drive dated back from September 14th of the
previous year!) was at the start. He took off as if he was 20 years
old, rather than 56. In Pescara he was leading, at Rome he was 12
minutes ahead, in Livorno 20 minutes, at Florence half an hour. His
drive was irresistible, but the car was breaking up. First it lost a
mud guard, then the bonnet, the the bolts holding the seats in.
Finally, in Reggio Emilia a broken leaf spring pivot blew away the
hopes of an happy ending to the last of Nuvolari's epic drives.
He
was back behind the wheel in 1950, with his final races. He was at the
Giro di Sicilia/Targa Florio (1.080KM long!) but had to retire due to
the broken gear box after a few kilometers. On April 10th, he raced at
Palermo-Montepellegrino hill climb, arriving 5th overall and first in
his class. His car was the Cisitalia 204 Spyder Sport elaborated by
Abarth. Although he never announced his retirement from racing, this
was to be his last win and his last drive, too.
His
first race was on the 20th of June 1920, at the Circuito Internazionale
Motoristico (International Motorcyclist Circuit) in Cremona. He entered
the competition with his second name - Giorgio - riding a Della
Ferrari. He was forced to retire. On March 20th, 1921, he drove an
Ansaldo tipo 4 in his first car race: a reliability trial ("Coppa
veronese di regolarità") that he finished first.
In 1923, the 31 year old Nuvolari made racing - as well as being his
over-riding passion - his own business. Competing mainly on two wheels,
he did not take long to be among the leaders. With motorcycles he gained
many wins, being less fortunate with the cars. He raced with the Diatto
but got along better with the little "Chiribiri tipo Monza".
1929
was one of the most difficult years in Nuvolari's life and career. He
managed himself his competitive activities, and this was very
expensive. The agreement he had with Varzi failed soon afterwards, as
two cocks couldn't stay in the same poultry pen. He tried to do his own
best, alternating car/motorcycle racing and sporting activities with
being a car dealer for Bianchi, Scat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia. He often
raced with different cars (Bugatti 35C, OM 665 Speciale, Alfa Romeo 6C
1750SS, Talbot 1500...) but he had such few success. For Tazio, the
1929 was to be considered a year to forget.
The
turning point dates back from 1930. After the failure in Monza, the
Alfa Romeo had not taken Tazio into consideration anymore, but Vittorio
Jano had not forgotten about him. He wanted Nuvolari in the Alfa Romeo
team and wrote a memorable letter to him.Tazio signed the contract and
was soon summoned for testing. The official debut could not have been
more exciting: Nuvolari at the wheel of the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 won the
4th Mille Miglia in a record time. He was the first driver to complete
the long and extremely difficult route at an average speed of over 100
KpH. This fact made him immensely popular. The race is remembered for a
curious event which is still under discussion: after a strong long
distance duel with Varzi, Nuvolari managed to overtake him driving with
lights turned off for the last kilometers. His coéquipier G. B.
Guidotti, indifferent of all the objections (first of all, that the
overtaking took place in the daylight), told in many interviews it was
himself to switch the lights off.
1931
was one of the most active years for Nuvolari. He drove for 20 races
with at least 3 major victories out of a total of 7: the Targa Florio,
the Italian Grand Prix and the Coppa Ciano. He raced the Reale Gran
Premio di Roma with an old Bugatti 35C, driving all the other races with
the Alfa Romeo cars of Scuderia Nuvolari: the 6CC 1500SS, the Tipo A
monoposto and above all the 8C 2300 - versions "Passo corto" and Monza.
Nuvolari's
name was frequently seen on the front page. He found himself invited by
many of the "Greats" of the time. The poet Gabriele D'Annunzio received
him at The Vittoriale degli Italiani, where Nuvolari was given a little
golden turtle bearing the dedication: "To the fastest man in the world,
the slowest animal". Tazio considered this little piece as a good luck
charm, and also a symbol. He had it embroidered on the yellow jersey
which he wore to race in, printed on his stationery and painted on the
side of the personal airplane that he acquired some years later. He had
also some copies made which - just as the poet had done - he gave to
friends, those dear to him and also those who could be important.
A
few months later, just after Tazio's win in the Coppa Acerbo, Mussolini
received him in Rome and posed with him for the photographers by an
Alfa Romeo P3.
In
1933 Nuvolari won 11 races. On the racing side this was certainly a
positive season, but otherwise it was characterized by disagreements and
tension. Tazio won the Tunisian Gran Prix, the Mille Miglia, the
Circuit of Alessandria, the Eifelrennen, the Grand Prix of Nimes and the
24 Hours of Le Mans; but then he decided to divorce from the Scuderia
Ferrari. Tazio was led to this move by being convinced that, by going it
alone, he could get better cars and make more money, too.
This
season opened with a new formula for Gran Prix cars: a 750Kg weight
limit was issued to stop the dangerous escalation of the engine power.
Besides, the German car makers (the Mercedes-Benz and the newborn Auto
Union) made their entrance and shortly their control was overwhelming.
Nuvolari set up his own team with not very competitive cars, so the
season was really unfavourable for him. On April 22nd, at the Circuito
"Bordino" in Alessandria he had what was to be the most serious
accident of his entire career. A little more than a month, however, he
stoically started the Avusrennen still on crutches, with his left leg
in a cast. He arrived 5th.
He
run from a circuit to another, with many withdrawls (9 out of 23
races) and quite modest performances. Almost at the end of the season,
things went better and he won in Modena and Naples. He drove up to
seven cars: Bugatti 59, Maserati 8CM, Maserati 6C34, Alfa Romeo
(private, of course) 8C 2300 Monza, 6C 2300 B Pescara and 8C 2600
Monza.
At
the end of 1934 Nuvolari entered into negotiations with Auto Union. It
is known that in September Tazio had a double test drive with the 16C
Tipo A rear engine: the first test at the Grand Prix in Spain, on the
Lasarte Circuit in San Sebastian; the second in Brno, at the Masaryk
Circuit. However, some pilots of the Auto Union (maybe Stuck) opposed
to the signing up of Tazio. The engagement was broken, and the
"wedding" put off: the Auto Union engaged Achille Varzi.
His
most impressive performance was the "impossible victory" in the German
Grand Prix at Nürburgring, driving the obsolete Alfa Romeo P3
(3167cm3, compressor, 265HP) versus the ultimate home-teams cars: five
Mercedes Benz W25 (3990 cm3, 8C, compressor, 375HP) and four Auto Union
Tipo B (4950cm3, 16C, compressor, 375HP).
Before
the season ending, he won three more times: the Coppa Ciano, the Grand
Prix of Nice and the one at Modena. On June 15th, he set two new
international records over the kilometer and the flying mile (timing
321,426 and 323,125 KpH - and touching 336,252 KpH). The car was an
Alfa Romeo bimotore, mounting two supercharged propellers (the 8C of
the P3, one in the front and the other on the rear). They were 3165cm3
each, for a total power of 6330cm3 and a maximum strength of 540HP (270
x 2).
Nuvolari
started the racing season occurring in another accident on May 8th,
practicing for the Tripoli Gran Prix. Again he was thrown from the car
sustaining multiple contusions and also appearantly cracking a couple
of vertebrae. However the next day, although limping heavily, he
returned to the track and in a tremendous pain managed to finish eight.
On June 7th he beat the German cars in Barcelona, on the 21st in
Budapest, on the 28th in Milan, where he was first once more on the
Alfa Romeo 12C, beating Achille Varzi's Auto Union. He sent the crowd
wild with other two wins (the Coppa Ciano and the Modena Circuit) and
finally he conquered the Americas with a runaway win in the Vanderbilt
Cup. He drove two Alfa Romeo: the 8C-35 and the 12C-36.