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The 12 Hours of Casablanca was a
In December 1952, the first edition of the 12 Hours of Casablanca race was held. 24 entrants had started the race, but only 14 of them finished and were classified.
The second edition of the endurance race was held in 1953. This time 17 cars finished the race. Casimiro de Oliveira and
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
endurance race organised on the route of the future Ain-Diab Circuit in Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
. Only two editions were held in 1952 and 1953, before the race was replaced by the Moroccan Grand Prix
The Moroccan Grand Prix (Arabic: سباق الجائزة الكبرى المغربي) was a Grand Prix first organised in 1925 in Casablanca, Morocco with the official denomination of "Casablanca Grand Prix".
History
In 1930, the race was held ...
in Agadir
Agadir ( ar, أݣادير, ʾagādīr; shi, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south ...
for the 1954 season.
History
The race was held on a road circuit, partially on the main road from Casablanca, that was initially 4.2 kilometers long in 1952. By 1953, the route was changed to 3.26 kilometers. The competition was intended forsports racing cars
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is o ...
and for passenger cars as well. The starting grid was of a ' Le Mans start'-type.
1952
In December 1952, the first edition of the 12 Hours of Casablanca race was held. 24 entrants had started the race, but only 14 of them finished and were classified.
1953
The second edition of the endurance race was held in 1953. This time 17 cars finished the race. Casimiro de Oliveira and Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari (; 13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles ...
had crashed during practice in their Ferrari 375 MM
:''See Ferrari 375 F1 for the 375 used in Formula 1 racing, and 375 America, a GT car''
The Ferrari 375 MM, was a sports racing car produced by Ferrari in 1953 up to 1955 for the road cars. It was named "375" for the unitary displacement of one ...
and had to change teams and cars. Luckily for Ascari, he joined Luigi Villoresi
Luigi Villoresi (16 May 1909 – 24 August 1997) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception.
Biography
Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed "Gigi", he was the older ...
in the Ferrari 500 Mondial and arrived second at the finish line in the actual race. The 500 Mondial that won its class, was based on a Ferrari 625 TF berlinetta chassis that was destroyed in a fire, rebodied by Scaglietti
Carrozzeria Scaglietti () was an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding company active in the 1950s. It was founded by Sergio Scaglietti in 1951 as an automobile repair concern, but was located across the road from Ferrari in Maranello outsid ...
and equipped with a 2.0-litre engine. Charles Pozzi, who won the first edition with his Talbot-Lago
Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside Paris. The company was owned and managed by Antonio Lago, an Italian engineer that acquired rights to the Talbot brand name after the demise of Darracq ...
T26GS, failed to arrive for the race.
Demise
Between 1954 and 1956, no motor racing was organized on this dangerous road circuit and the racing was moved to the Agadir area. Ain-Diab was more suited for the bicycle races. In 1957, the race route was refitted and increased to 7.618 kilometers thanks to the Royal Automobile Club of Morocco. The new track was named Ain-Diab Circuit and hosted the first official Moroccan Grand Prix in 1957.References
{{Reflist, 30em Sports car races Endurance motor racing Sport in Casablanca Motorsport competitions in Morocco