The Montenero Circuit, official name: Circuito del Montenero or sometimes referred to simply as "the Livorno Circuit", was a
Grand Prix motor racing road course
Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...
located at the southern outskirts of
Livorno, a city on the mediterranean coast of the
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
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region in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. The venue was best known as the home for the annual
Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano and the
1937 Italian Grand Prix
The 1937 Italian Grand Prix was a "750 kg Formula" Grand Prix race held on 12 September 1937 at the Montenero Circuit in Livorno.
Race report
Caracciola took an early lead from pole, Lang was second but he soon took the lead from Caracciola, th ...
.
History
The circuit was created in 1921 at the initiative of
Paolo Fabbrini, owner of the newspaper ''
Corriere di Livorno'' to host local sports car races.
On September 25 the same year, the first "Coppa Montenero" was held on an 18.5 km long public roads circuit with 164 corners, starting at the seafront "Rotonda" (Parco Bartolini) in the Ardenza district of Livorno, stretching up into the hills of Montenero, climbing to about 300 meters above sea level before returning down to the start/finish line. The circuit was long, with dangerous sections and extremely hard on both man and machine but considered a huge success, attracting interest from regional motoring clubs and the automobile industry alike.
In 1927, Livorno-born politician
Costanzo Ciano
Costanzo Ciano, 1st Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari (; 30 August 1876 – 26 June 1939) was an Italian naval officer and politician. He was the father of Galeazzo Ciano.
Biography Early life
Born at Livorno the son of Raimondo Ciano and wife A ...
donated the first "Coppa Ciano" trophy, starting one of the most prestigious Grand Prix racing series to endure for the next 12 years. Like many other circuits of the era, Montenero had to change its layout several times over the years to accommodate the growing demands of racing technology. The last major Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano Grand Prix in 1939 also marks the end of the great road course era. Safety concerns, increasingly unmanageable circuit demands, faster cars among other factors left shorter, purpose-built race tracks as the only viable alternative for future Grand Prix venues. One last "Coppa Montenero" was held in 1947 in an attempt to revive the circuit but proved to be financially unsuccessful. A minor
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 ...
race in 1953 was the last event before the track was closed down for good.
List of events
(*) The mountain section of the circuit was dropped from 1936 to 1947
Circuito Montenero by year
Montenero circuit maps
Notes
* Circuit data for 'Fast Lap' (if available) is inconsistent.
* Times given are for the completed race.
* Fastest drivers for the major circuit variants are determined by median speed average
* Race (event) numbering is adopted from
Circuito del Montenero Coppa Ciano (Italian)
''Inconsistencies and discrepancies in Grand Prix era race numbering were often due to political conflicts between regional municipalities and national sanctioning bodies. (example: Grand Prix de la Marne
The Grand Prix de la Marne (commonly known as the Marne Grand Prix) was a motor race organized by the Automobile Club de Champagne and staged at the circuit Reims-Gueux on public roads located west of the city of Reims in the Marne département ...
vs Grand Prix de Reims vs Grand Prix de l'ACF''
References
{{reflist
External links
Circuito del Montenero - Coppa Ciano(Italian)
1931,1932, 1935-1939
The Formula One Archives
when Nuvolari waved the steering wheel at the crowd...
Montenero
Montenero
Italian Grand Prix
Livorno