NUVOLARI'S SIXTH COPPA CIANO
EASY VICTORY FOR FERRARI No. 1 AT RECORD SPEED TUFFANELLI (MASERATI) WINS JUNIOR RACE
Tazio Nuvolari can very well claim that the Coppa Ciano is his own race. His
victory on the Montenero circuit last month was his sixth, and he was very properly feted by an enthusiastic crowd. Truly is Nuvolari a national hero. The ” unlimited ” and 1,100 c.c. races were run concurrently, the faster cars be
ing drawn up in front. There were three British drivers present, Brooke with a 2.3 Bugatti, Reggie Tongue with his R-type M.G. Midget, and Dudley Froy with the single-seater Midget. Practice times had revealed the certainty of records falling in the 1,100 c.c. race, but not in the unlimited event. Nuvolari’s fastest lap had been 13 minutes 41 seconds, as against his own record, made in 1933
with a Maserati , of 13 minutes 27.8 seconds. In the junior category, however, Tuffanelli had clocked 14 minutes 37 seconds, 20 seconds faster than Landi’s record made in 1933. By 3.30 p.m. on the day of the race the stands were filled to overflowing, and the
arrival of Constant Ciano, donor of the Cup, accompanied by Galleazo Ciano and the Comtessa Edda Ciano Mussolini, was greeted with a roar of applause. On the fall of the flag Antonio Brivio promptly shot into the lead, and was 10 seconds ahead of Nuvolari at the end el* the first lap, Siena was third 29 seconds behind, Barbieri fourth at 35 seconds, and
Trossi fifth at a distance of 54 seconds. After a longish pause came Soffietti, Minozzi, Magistri (who stopped at the pits),
Ruesch, Dreyfus, Chambost and Pages. Farther back still were Cornaggia, Crestina and Piccolo. The Onglish Bugatti driver, Brooke, retired on the first lap. Nuvolari cut down Brivio’s lead to 6 seconds on the following lap, Siena was
still third, but Trossi had passed Barbieri. Soffietti stopped at the pits for plugs, and Chambost also attended to his Maserati. The third lap marked the decisive point in the race, for Nuvolari took the lead from Brivio, having put in a lap at 13 minutes 31 seconds. Brivio was 6 sec
onds behind. Count Trossi was getting into his stride and had passed Siena to take third place. The latter was having a tough job holding his 6-cylinder Maserati on the road, and was coping with his task extremely well in the circumstances.
Brivio was also fighting with his AlfaRomeo, the brakes of which were pulling the car violently to the right. Even with this handicap he covered the next lap in 13 minutes 28 seconds, but Nuvolari was still ahead. On this lap Ruesch retired with a broken gear-box and Barbieri retired with engine trouble. On the 5th lap Nuvolari got round in 13 minutes 23 seconds, handsomely beating his 1933 record, and at half-distance (6 laps) the order was as follows :
1. Nuvolari (Alfa-Romeo) lh. 21m. 45s. ,• 2. Brivio (Alfa-Romeo) lh. 22m. 36s.; 3. Trossi (AlfaRomeo) lh. 23m. 23s.; 4. Siena (Maserati) lh. 24m. 49s.; 5. Dreyfus (Alfa-Romeo) lh. 25m. 38s.; 6. Minozzi (Alfa-Romeo) lb. 29m. lle.; 7. Magistri (Alfa-Romeo) lh. 30m. 25s.; 8. Cornaggia (AlfaRomeo) lh. 32m. 53s.; 9. Chambost (Maserati) lh. 33m. 56s. ; 10. Piccolo (Maserati) lb. 38m. 58s.; 11. Pages (Alfa-Romeo) lh. 41m. 0.78.; 12. Sofftetti (Maserati) lh 42m. 0.5s.
When Siena crashed, without injury, his 4th place was taken by Dreyfus, who was driving a steady race. Now the Ferrari drivers were in the four leading positions, but this security did not prevent Nuvolari from breaking his own lap record with a phenomenal circuit in 13 minutes 19.6 seconds, followed by an even finer 13 minutes 15.8 seconds.
And so the end came, with Nuvolari a highly popular winner, beating his 1933 record for the race by 3 minutes. It was a pity that Brivio’s car was not going better, for he would have undoubtedly given Tazio a run for his money. Brivio improves with every race, and the day is not far distant when he will be in the top flight of drivers.
RESULT.
12 laps of 20 km. 240 km. in all.
1. Nuvolari (Alfa-Romeo) 2h. 42m. 8.8.s., 88.808 k.p.h.
2. Brivio (Alfa-Romeo) 2h. 44m. 68.
3. Trossi (Alfa-Romeo) 2h. 48m. 23.2s.
4. Dreyfus (Alfa-Romeo) 2h. 49m. 8.28. 6. Magistrl (Alfa-Romeo) 3h. Om. 38.
6. Chambost (Maserati) 3h. 9m. 30s.
7. Minozzi (Alfa-Romeo) 3h. 16m. 29s.
8. Piccolo (Maserati) 3h. 19m. 25.6s.
9. Soilletti (Maserati) 3h. 21m. 47s. Record lap : Nuvolari on his 10th, 13m. 15.8s. 90.474 k.p.h. (previous record in 1933, Nuvolari (Maserati) 13m. 27.88.)
Also Ran : Cornaggia (Alfa-Romeo) 7 laps ; Ruesch (Maserati) 6 laps ; Pages (Alfa-Romeo) 9 laps ; Siena (Maserati) 9 laps ; Barbieri (Maserati) 6 laps ; Crestina (Bugatti) 3 laps ; Brooke (Bugatti) 1 lap.
The small car race was run at the same time as the big event. Pietro Ghersi took the lead at the start, and held it for three laps, hotly pursued by Bianco, Tuffanelli, Bergarnini, Tongue, Panzacchi and Ferrara. Then Ghersi’s car developed trouble, and his place in the lead was taken by Tuffanelli, who was having a terrific scrap with Bianco. The latter injured his arm on the third lap, but in spite of being in pain he did not relinquish the chase.
At half-distance (4 laps) Tuffanelli was leading Bianco by 1 minute 51 seconds, with Reggie Tongue third some seven minutes astern. The M.G. was not going well, and shortly afterwards he retired. Dudley Froy retired on the 6th lap, while Villoresi was in trouble at the pits. Tuffanelli had an anxious moment when his engine began to misfire, but this was quickly remedied at the pits. After that he was never troubled, and came home a deserving winner with an advantage of
1 minute over Bianco.
over RESULT.
8 laps of 20 km. 160 km. in all.
1. Tuffanelli (Maserati) lh. 59m. 6.6s. 80.597 k.p.h.
2. Bianco (Maserati) 211. Om. 12.8s.
3. Villoresi (Fiat) 2h. Urn. 6.6s.
4. Ferrara (Fiat) 2h. 15m. 35.6s.
Fastest lap : Tuffanelli on his 7th, in 14m. 27.4s., 83.006 k.p.h. (Previous record by Landi (Maserati) in 1933, 14m. 44s.).
Also Ran : Ghersi (Maserati) 3 laps ; Froy (M.G.) 6 laps ; Musso (Fiat) 6 laps ; Tongue (M.G.) 7 laps; Panzacchl (Rocca) 4 laps ; Bergamini (Maserati) 6 laps.