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The Coppa Ciano was an automobile race held in
Circuito del Montenero - Coppa Ciano
(Italian)
1931,1932, 1935-1939
The Formula One Archives
when Nuvolari waved the steering wheel at the crowd...
The Coppa Ciano was an automobile race held 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 ...
. Originally referred to as Coppa Montenero or Circuito Montenero, the Coppa Ciano name was officially in use between 1927 and 1939.
History
During the years immediately followingWorld War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
several road circuits were created in Italy. These included the Montenero Circuit at Livorno, which became home for the annual Coppa Montenero from its inauguration in 1921. In the beginning it was only a local affair and the organizers quickly found themselves in financial troubles. In 1923 the event was taken over by the Automobile Club of Italy The Automobile Club d'Italia (usually known by its acronym ACI) is a not-for-profit statutory corporation of the Italian Republic. The club originated through the efforts of Count Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia as the "Automobile Club of Turin" found ...
and the future was secured.
In 1927, the 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 a victory trophy: the Coppa Ciano. At first, this was awarded to the victor in a separate 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, run within a week of the Coppa Montenero. In 1929, however, the Coppa Ciano was merged into the main event and at the same time became the name most often used.
The driver Emilio Materassi won 4 years in a row 1925-1928 and earned the nickname "King of Montenero".
In the 1930s, Italian Hall of Fame driver Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari (; 16 November 1892 – 11 August 1953) was an Italian racing driver. He first raced motorcycles and then concentrated on sports cars and single-seaters. A resident of Mantua, he was known as 'Il Mantovano Volante' ( ...
won this race five times, more than any other driver. In his 1936 victory he made his way through the field, beating the otherwise superior German cars. This victory was one of the reasons leading to the Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
being held at the Montenero circuit in 1937, instead of the usual venue, Monza.
The 1939 race was run to Voiturette
A voiturette is a miniature automobile.
History
''Voiturette'' was first registered by Léon Bollée in 1895 to name his new motor tricycle. The term became so popular in the early years of the motor industry that it was used by many makers t ...
regulations and became the last before World War II stopped all racing for many years.
In 1947 the 20th and final edition of the Coppa Montenero was run, with 1500 cc unsupercharged cars. At that point, due to Costanzo Ciano's connections with the now abolished Fascist regime, it was no longer called Coppa Ciano.
Coppa Ciano by year
See also
*Coppa Acerbo
The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, and the consequent demise of fascism, the race was renamed the ...
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...
References
{{reflist Auto races in Italy Recurring sporting events established in 1927 Recurring events disestablished in 1939 Pre-World Championship Grands Prix