Jump to content


Photo

Scuderia Madunina


  • Please log in to reply
17 replies to this topic

#1 Sharman

Sharman
  • Member

  • 5,284 posts
  • Joined: September 05

Posted 15 May 2009 - 16:05

Scuderia Madunina was for a long time one of the main Italian teams supporting the lower formulae and I believe also made forays into Sports Cars.
Going along with my last request for information on forgotten names, is it known if any of the original personnel connected with the team are still contactable?
To continue with my quest. On another thread it was mentioned that Fritz D'Orey was still active in business in Brazil and was contactable. Having qualified for my place in the State Home for the Bemused I find myself incapable of remembering or finding the thread again. Is there anyone more compos mentis who can point me in the right direction?
Thanks to all
John

Edited by Sharman, 15 May 2009 - 16:07.


Advertisement

#2 Tim Murray

Tim Murray
  • Moderator

  • 24,591 posts
  • Joined: May 02

Posted 15 May 2009 - 16:58

TNFer acarvalho started this thread in February in which he mentioned having interviewed D'Orey a few years ago. He possibly has current contact details.

#3 Sharman

Sharman
  • Member

  • 5,284 posts
  • Joined: September 05

Posted 15 May 2009 - 19:22

To my knowledge Scuderia Madunina was no team as such but a business arranging entries, transports and mechanics for Fj drivers like US boy Peter Carpenter and severall others who had bought a Stangullini FJ races but did not have the "rest" to do racing and in Peters case also did not speak Italian.

The Scuderia which was founded by Marcella Giambertone and the "Team" had a big transporter with trailer for 8-10 FJ cars.

(The Scuderia name lso appears in some sports car races.

Bjorn
Alberti, Brambilla, Jonathan Williams drove for them at various times and these names would hardly be in need of somebody to grease the wheels. I suspect they were a team in their own right. They started in the mid 50s and went on for 10 or 12 years. As you no doubt realise I am still on the trail of drivers contemperaneous with Bill (who has now written to me to ask if I will attend a reunion on the 50th anniversary so my mission becomes more pressing) who as aforesaid is 88 in June.
John

#4 wenoopy

wenoopy
  • Member

  • 648 posts
  • Joined: January 09

Posted 16 May 2009 - 05:58

Bjorn
Alberti, Brambilla, Jonathan Williams drove for them at various times and these names would hardly be in need of somebody to grease the wheels. I suspect they were a team in their own right. They started in the mid 50s and went on for 10 or 12 years. As you no doubt realise I am still on the trail of drivers contemperaneous with Bill (who has now written to me to ask if I will attend a reunion on the 50th anniversary so my mission becomes more pressing) who as aforesaid is 88 in June.
John


I remember reading an article by DSJ - Denis Jenkinson in a "Motor Sport" magazine, probably mid-1959, in which he reported on the development of Formula Junior and gave some description of Scuderia Madunina and its manner of operation. At this stage the formula was a European (mainly Italian) preserve, but after the victory of French-sounding Englishman Bill de Selincourt (in a front-engined British car!) at Cadours late in the season, the British 'floodgates' opened, and nothing was ever the same! Someone with the "Motor Sport" 1950's CD Rom could look it up.

#5 Sharman

Sharman
  • Member

  • 5,284 posts
  • Joined: September 05

Posted 16 May 2009 - 10:54

I remember reading an article by DSJ - Denis Jenkinson in a "Motor Sport" magazine, probably mid-1959, in which he reported on the development of Formula Junior and gave some description of Scuderia Madunina and its manner of operation. At this stage the formula was a European (mainly Italian) preserve, but after the victory of French-sounding Englishman Bill de Selincourt (in a front-engined British car!) at Cadours late in the season, the British 'floodgates' opened, and nothing was ever the same! Someone with the "Motor Sport" 1950's CD Rom could look it up.

You are quite right about Bill's win. With about 65 bhp (versus 80/85 for the 1100 cc Fiat engined cars)the 960cc [3000overbore] Elva lost ground on the initial charge but by dint of superior handling and road holding was in a position to benefit from Michael May's engine trouble and Fritz d'Orey's broken throttle pedal, although in all fairness Bill was closing on both with 10 laps to go and would probably have got both of them. It was the first major win for a British FJ and Elva sold about 100 cars on the back of it.


#6 bradbury west

bradbury west
  • Member

  • 6,096 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 16 May 2009 - 12:37

I remember reading an article by DSJ - Denis Jenkinson in a "Motor Sport" magazine, probably mid-1959, in which he reported on the development of Formula Junior and gave some description of Scuderia Madunina and its manner of operation. At this stage the formula was a European (mainly Italian) preserve, but after the victory of French-sounding Englishman Bill de Selincourt (in a front-engined British car!) at Cadours late in the season, the British 'floodgates' opened, and nothing was ever the same! Someone with the "Motor Sport" 1950's CD Rom could look it up.


December 1959, pps 938/39/940. includes a photo of the Madunina transporter, drawbar with 10 cars up
Jenks mentions a young American driver, Peter Carpenter, with his Stanguellini as part of Signor Giambertone's Madunina arrangements in 1959 as an example of how the operation worked
Roger Lund

Edited by bradbury west, 16 May 2009 - 12:41.


#7 coco

coco
  • Member

  • 166 posts
  • Joined: March 02

Posted 16 May 2009 - 12:42

Scuderia Madunina was for a long time one of the main Italian teams supporting the lower formulae and I believe also made forays into Sports Cars.
Going along with my last request for information on forgotten names, is it known if any of the original personnel connected with the team are still contactable?
To continue with my quest. On another thread it was mentioned that Fritz D'Orey was still active in business in Brazil and was contactable. Having qualified for my place in the State Home for the Bemused I find myself incapable of remembering or finding the thread again. Is there anyone more compos mentis who can point me in the right direction?
Thanks to all
John

John,
MADUNINA was founded in 1952 and one of the race organizations that was run by Marcello Giambertone, the manager of Fangio, Munaron and de Fillippis. Headquarter was Corse Venezia 29 in Milan/Italy. President was for a time Ezio Vigorelli, the Italian Minister of Labor. They had 15 members in 1952 and 288 in 1954. MADUNINA was very active in South- and Latin America, mostly with sports cars. It is not clear when exactly they closed their operations but it might be very late in the 50ies.

Ciao!
Walter


#8 Sharman

Sharman
  • Member

  • 5,284 posts
  • Joined: September 05

Posted 16 May 2009 - 15:25

John,
MADUNINA was founded in 1952 and one of the race organizations that was run by Marcello Giambertone, the manager of Fangio, Munaron and de Fillippis. Headquarter was Corse Venezia 29 in Milan/Italy. President was for a time Ezio Vigorelli, the Italian Minister of Labor. They had 15 members in 1952 and 288 in 1954. MADUNINA was very active in South- and Latin America, mostly with sports cars. It is not clear when exactly they closed their operations but it might be very late in the 50ies.

Ciao!
Walter

Hi Walter
There seem to have been entries up until as late as 1966 with Jonathan Williams in a T33. What I am looking for are leads to drivers who ran under the Madunina banner.
John

#9 David Force

David Force
  • Member

  • 287 posts
  • Joined: June 03

Posted 16 May 2009 - 15:55

Hi Walter
There seem to have been entries up until as late as 1966 with Jonathan Williams in a T33. What I am looking for are leads to drivers who ran under the Madunina banner.
John


Madunina lives on today in the shape of a group of, mostly Milan based, drivers who raced historic Formula Junior cars and, as importantly, met every Wednesday in a restaurant to wine, dine and exchange motor sport chat. A kind of real life TNF !

I became a sort of honorary member a few years back when I used to travel to Italy frequently and anyone with an interest in racing cars from the 60's was welcome. Their racing centred around Monza of course, often on the very short circuit and their social life at the track around the splendid museum in the centre of the park.

Many of the members eventually 'graduated' to 1.5 litre Formula 1 cars and can still be seen at the major historic events.

:cool:


#10 bschenker

bschenker
  • Member

  • 523 posts
  • Joined: March 02

Posted 16 May 2009 - 18:45

"La Madunina" is the city of Milan.

Edited by bschenker, 16 May 2009 - 18:46.


#11 David McKinney

David McKinney
  • Member

  • 14,156 posts
  • Joined: November 00

Posted 16 May 2009 - 19:14

"La Madunina" is a famous statue in the city of Milan

#12 bschenker

bschenker
  • Member

  • 523 posts
  • Joined: March 02

Posted 16 May 2009 - 19:28

It's not only a statue is the city himself. There is also some songs like "La bella Madunina" singing about the city. The statue have a religion background as patron of the city.


#13 David McKinney

David McKinney
  • Member

  • 14,156 posts
  • Joined: November 00

Posted 16 May 2009 - 21:47

O mia bèla Madunina is a song dedicated to the Madonnina, the golden Virgin Mary statue placed on top of the highest spire of the Milan Dome

#14 Sharman

Sharman
  • Member

  • 5,284 posts
  • Joined: September 05

Posted 17 May 2009 - 07:56

O mia bèla Madunina is a song dedicated to the Madonnina, the golden Virgin Mary statue placed on top of the highest spire of the Milan Dome


David
Delightful though it is to wander unchecked through the gardens of your mind, may we return to the subject ;
which is where can I contact any remaining members of Scuderia Madunina
John :wave:


#15 David McKinney

David McKinney
  • Member

  • 14,156 posts
  • Joined: November 00

Posted 17 May 2009 - 07:59

Sorry John
Be assured, if I knew I'd tell you...

#16 coco

coco
  • Member

  • 166 posts
  • Joined: March 02

Posted 17 May 2009 - 11:03

Hi Walter
There seem to have been entries up until as late as 1966 with Jonathan Williams in a T33. What I am looking for are leads to drivers who ran under the Madunina banner.
John

Hi John,
OK, might be possible! Interesting is that Giambertone was also connected to Scuderia Guastalla, also from Milan. They had activities in EU and also in Latin- and South-America. BUT: they had 2 headquarters: one in Milano and the other in Caracas. I strongly assume that Masunina had a 2nd office there. Perhaps I am wrong but if there were activities of Madunina "late" in 1966 then for sure their "Glory days" were over then and they acted as a quite small organization and mainly within Italy.
Unfortunately I cannot help you on this as I am focussed only on the 50ies.

Ciao!
Walter


#17 Sharman

Sharman
  • Member

  • 5,284 posts
  • Joined: September 05

Posted 18 May 2009 - 10:52

New question on the same topic, among the entries handled by Madunina were those for "Madero". Who He?

#18 ERault

ERault
  • Member

  • 336 posts
  • Joined: November 07

Posted 18 May 2009 - 16:28

"Madero" was Bruno Gavazzoli. He raced an OSCA MT4 then a Ferrari 250 GT TdF and maybe some other italian exotics. Hope that helps a bit.