Circuito del Montenero
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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 located at the southern outskirts of Livorno, a city on the mediterranean coast of the Tuscany region in Italy. The venue was best known as the home for the annual Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano and the 1937 Italian Grand Prix.[1][2]
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.[1] 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 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 race in 1953 was the last event before the track was closed down for good.
List of events
| I Circuito Montenero (Coppa Montenero) | 110 km | (6 laps - 18.5 km road course) |
(*) The mountain section of the circuit was dropped from 1936 to 1947
Circuito Montenero by year
Year | Race Name | Dist. | Circuit | Formula | Driver | Manufacturer | Time | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1921 | I Circuito del Montenero | 109.2 km | 18.5 km | 2000cc | ![]() | Ansaldo 2000 | 2:44:26 | Report |
1922 | II Circuito Montenero | 180 km | 22.5 km | Formula Libre | ![]() | Bugatti 37 1500 | 2:52:42 | Report |
1923 | III Circuito Montenero | 180 km | 22.5 km | Formula Libre | ![]() | Ansaldo 2000 | 2:52:42 | Report |
1924 | IV Circuito Montenero | 180 km | 22.5 km | Formula Libre | ![]() | OM 665 | 2:34:58 | Report |
1925 | V Circuito Montenero | 225 km | 22.5 km | Formula Libre | ![]() | Itala Special[3] | 3:16:40 | Report |
1926 | VI Circuito Montenero | 225 km | 22.5 km | Formula Libre | ![]() | Itala Special[4] | 2:55:10 | Report |
1927 | VII Circuito Montenero | 225 km | 22.5 km | Formula Libre | ![]() | Bugatti T35C | 2:45:18 | Report |
I Coppa Ciano (Sport) | 225 km | 22.5 km | Sports car | ![]() | Alfa Romeo 6C-1500 | 2:52:42 | Report | |
1928 | VIII Circuito Montenero | 225 km | 22.5 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Talbot 700 | 2:38:57 | Report |
II Coppa Ciano (Sport) | 225 km | 22.5 km | Sports car | ![]() | Alfa Romeo 6C-1500 | 2:52:42 | Report | |
1929 | IX (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 225 km | 22.5 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Alfa Romeo P2 | 2:38:51 | Report |
1930 | X (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 225 km | 22.5 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Maserati 26M | 2:33:50 | Report |
1931 | XI (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 200 km | 20.0 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza | 2:23:40 | Report |
1932 | XII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 200 km | 20.0 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3' | 2:18:19 | Report |
1933 | XIII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 240 km | 20.0 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Maserati 8CM | 2:45:08 | Report |
1934 | XIV (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 240 km | 20.0 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3' | 2:49:52 | Report |
1935 | XV (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 240 km | 20.0 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3' | 2:42:08 | Report |
1936 | XVI (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 216.5 km | 7.218 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Alfa Romeo 8C-35 | 1:44:54.4 | Report |
1937 | XVII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano * | 360.0 km | 7.218 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Mercedes-Benz W125 | 2:44:54.4 | Report |
1938 | XVIII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 232.0 km | 5.80 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Mercedes-Benz W154 | 1:00:35.2 | Report |
XVIII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 145.0 km | 5.80 km | Voiturette | ![]() | Maserati 6CM | 1:05:21.6 | Report | |
1939 | XIX (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano | 348.0 km | 5.80 km | Grand Prix | ![]() | Alfa Romeo 158 | 2:30:10.4 | Report |
1940-1946 (Not held) | ||||||||
1947 | XX Coppa Montenero | 125.0 km | 5.01 km | Voiturette | ![]() | Cisitalia D46 - Fiat | 1:13:51.2 | Report |
* (AIACR European Driver Championship round) [5][6] - Sources:[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] |
Montenero circuit maps
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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 vs Grand Prix de Reims vs Grand Prix de l'ACF
References
- ^ a b "La Coppa Montenero (1921-1939)" (in Italian). circuitodelmontenero.it. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ^ "1937 - XV Gran Premio d'Italia". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ^ "1925".
- ^ "1926". Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "AIACR European Championship 1937". dlg.Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "AIACR European Driver Championships". dlg.speedfreaks.org. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1924 IV Circuito Montenero". teamdan.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1925 V Circuito Montenero". teamdan.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1926 VI Circuito Montenero". teamdan.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1927 VII Circuito Montenero - I Coppa Ciano (Sport)". teamdan.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1928 VIII Circuito Montenero - II Coppa Ciano (Sport)". teamdan.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1929 IX Circuito Montenero - III Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1930 X Circuito Montenero - IV Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1931 XI Circuito Montenero - V Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1932 XII Circuito Montenero - VI Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1933 XIII Circuito Montenero - VII Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1934 XIV Circuito Montenero - VIII Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1935 XV Circuito Montenero - IX Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1936 XVI Circuito Montenero - X Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1937 - XVII Circuito Montenero - XI Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1938 XVIII Circuito Montenero - XII Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on January 9, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1939 XIX Circuito Montenero - XIII Coppa Ciano". Leif Snellman. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ^ "1947 XX Circuito del Montenero". formula2.net. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
External links
- Circuito del Montenero - Coppa Ciano (Italian)
- The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
- AIACR European Driver Championships 1931,1932, 1935-1939
- Formula One WC and non-championship results The Formula One Archives
- A forgotten Championship when Nuvolari waved the steering wheel at the crowd...