Jump to content


Photo

Calabresi drivers


  • Please log in to reply
26 replies to this topic

#1 mhferrari

mhferrari
  • Member

  • 3,238 posts
  • Joined: August 00

Posted 25 October 2001 - 23:29

After a half-effort search, I am curious to know of Calabrian drivers (region in Italy), or more specifically (if possible) those from the Calabrian province of Cosenza. For when I search, I only find ones from further north in Italy.

Thank you. :)

Advertisement

#2 alessandro silva

alessandro silva
  • Member

  • 758 posts
  • Joined: August 00

Posted 26 October 2001 - 07:55

Not much, I am afraid.
The d'Ippolito brothers were among the first to give their cars to be kept in order at Scuderia Ferrari early 1930. Guido d'Ippolito was the more active of them, and was a first class amateur driver almost exclusively in international sportscar racing. The d'Ippolitos suddendly disappeared around 33/35. I do not know if they were from Cosenza.
There was also a very strong hill-climb specialist in the 70/80s but I cannot remember the name right now.

#3 fines

fines
  • Member

  • 9,647 posts
  • Joined: September 00

Posted 26 October 2001 - 20:29

Was that Mauro Nesti, per chance??

#4 alessandro silva

alessandro silva
  • Member

  • 758 posts
  • Joined: August 00

Posted 26 October 2001 - 20:34

No, he was a Nesti's opponent.

#5 fines

fines
  • Member

  • 9,647 posts
  • Joined: September 00

Posted 26 October 2001 - 20:45

... and there I was believing to look smart when actually Mauro Nesti's was the ONLY name I ever recognised in hill climb reports! :lol: :lol:

#6 mhferrari

mhferrari
  • Member

  • 3,238 posts
  • Joined: August 00

Posted 26 October 2001 - 22:52

Thank you.

That's what I thought Alessandro.

As I have relatives in Calabria, and there is where I take my heritage from.

#7 alessandro silva

alessandro silva
  • Member

  • 758 posts
  • Joined: August 00

Posted 27 October 2001 - 10:03

The name of the hill-climber might have been Scola from Cosenza. Just from my memory, hence doubtful.

#8 Marcor

Marcor
  • Member

  • 1,198 posts
  • Joined: July 00

Posted 28 October 2001 - 18:50

The Italian driver d'Ippolito had a fatal crash during a race near Napoli in October 8th, 1933. This was a 787 km circuit won by Comotti (Alfa Romeo) in front of Bonetto and Farina. 4 (or more) spectators were also killed in the crash. The race is maybe the Princess of Piemont Cup.

Sorry but I don't know if it was Guido or his brother. My source says 'the excellent Italian driver..."

#9 Felix Muelas

Felix Muelas
  • Member

  • 1,207 posts
  • Joined: November 99

Posted 28 October 2001 - 19:36

According to my friend Jose Luis Otero, the brother who died in that accident was Guido.
The race being the 787km that you mention, (Napoli-Bari-Napoli) was called Circuito Province Meridionale.
As for casualties on spectators, not sure. Poor d´Ippolito hit one of those old horse-wagons (alas, one of those things that one could find in open road racing) and the only thing that might sound logic is that the people on the wagon died also. But that´s pure speculation on my part.

Felix

#10 alessandro silva

alessandro silva
  • Member

  • 758 posts
  • Joined: August 00

Posted 28 October 2001 - 19:58

Really one never stops learning.
That's why the d'Ippolitos disappeared after 33! Guido was really an "excellent" driver. I did not know also about the Napoli-Bari-Napoli race unless it was the Princess of Piemonte Cup. May I have some information?
Must have been quite something! 25 years ago that road was just incredible; then they finished building an Autostrada. Give a look into a map of Southern Italy for the road between Caserta and Foggia and you'll get an idea. These Southern Italian road races were much harder than Mille Miglia.
BTW Felix; I have a small photo of d'Ippolito somewhere. If I find it, I'll scan and mail it to you, so you can post.

#11 Felix Muelas

Felix Muelas
  • Member

  • 1,207 posts
  • Joined: November 99

Posted 28 October 2001 - 21:37

Originally posted by alessandro silva
I did not know also about the Napoli-Bari-Napoli race unless it was the Princess of Piemonte Cup. May I have some information?

I hope Jose Luis is able to trace the original source. By his notes I am not (just two names and what seems to be quite a recent date -1998- so I am just waiting for him to clarify)

These Southern Italian road races were much harder than Mille Miglia.

Having recently rediscovered my -how could I call it, love, fascination...- with the Mille Miglia, your comment has the ability of making me feel unconfortable on the one hand and excited on the other, for I am sure that you know what you are talking about! Please, suggest me something to plunge into on the classical way, I mean a book... :)

BTW Felix; I have a small photo of d'Ippolito somewhere. If I find it, I'll scan and mail it to you, so you can post.

I´ll be delighted.

Felix

#12 Marcor

Marcor
  • Member

  • 1,198 posts
  • Joined: July 00

Posted 29 October 2001 - 00:32

According Auto-Passion in a 16-page article about the Scuderia Ferrari from 1929 to 1937, Gianfranco Comotti, with Barbieri, won the 1933 Pr. of Piemont Cup. I concluded (maybe too quickly) Pr. means Princess... The car was an Alfa Romeo 8C 2.6 MM.

Other entries: Taruffi, Pellegrini, Strazza, Ruesch...

#13 Felix Muelas

Felix Muelas
  • Member

  • 1,207 posts
  • Joined: November 99

Posted 29 October 2001 - 20:03

On behalf of alessandro silva...
Posted Image

Here is the photograph of d'Ippolito. He is the fellow on the left. The others are from the left Siena, Birkin, Howe, Taruffi, Brivio. The photo is (my guess but very likely correct) taken at Spa 1932 for the 24hrs race. d'Ippolito-Taruffi came in second behind Brivio-Siena on Scuderia Ferrari cars.



#14 alessandro silva

alessandro silva
  • Member

  • 758 posts
  • Joined: August 00

Posted 29 October 2001 - 20:05

Felix,
The MM was a cultural and social phenomenon of its own that was going well beyond its signifance as a fact of sport. Imagine 10 to 12 – in the last editions – millions people gathering along the roads - for what today would be called a true “event” - and the rest of the population fixed for 12 hrs at their wireless posts. In face of these figures, political exploitation was evidently called for and big political support was the reason why the race lasted until 57 and it became so enormous. Its shrewd organizers took advantage of this support, ingratiating also the World governing body of the sport by favouring token foreign participation with only few notable – and famous - exceptions. Of course, for the enthusiast as we are, it was also a sensational race full of deeds by the drivers and we perceive it – I believe correctly – as the race of men as opposite to the race of machines in the same way as Italians did at the time. Indeed, technically the race soon lost a lot of importance when all the roads were paved and the very difficult section – usually raced during the night – from Treviso, to Feltre, Primolano, Bassano and back to Vicenza was discontinued.
My impression of the MM being less demanding than other Italian road races follows mainly from the fact that I had the opportunity of driving along the roads that until 25/30 years ago were the same used for these races and they are still the same TODAY in Sicily. But let’s read what Lurani has to say about:
“… the MM was not an extenuating race. It was much more tiring to race in the Tour of Sicily, of only [sic!] 1080 kms. but tremendously twisty. The variety of the MM course allowed the teams of drivers to recuperate energy…”
And Taruffi:
“…[about the Giro delle Calabrie] a course even twistier than the Tour of Sicily….with its 800 kms and 4000 curves…” [5 curves per kilometre, that is!]
It is a common thought among drivers of the period that Giro delle Calabrie was the toughest indeed. ( I am not taking into account the Targa Florio and the old Mugello since the races there were long more than one lap)
But – during the Golden Era of Italian road racing, i.e. 48/57 - there were also:
Coppa delle Dolomiti
Giro dell’Umbria
Giro (Coppa) della Toscana
Stella Alpina
Trofeo della Sardegna
And others that now I remember only vaguely.
But the monster had been the following:
In 1934, a faction of the ruling Fascist Party wanted to get the best over another faction that supported the MM by having organized a Tour of Italy.
The race was in three legs:
26/27 May, Roma-Messina of 1712 kms
29/30 May Reggio Calabria-Milano of 1972 kms
31 May/June 1st Milano-Roma of 2003 kms (I ignore the course)
197 started, 124 arrived
1. Pintacuda-Nardilli Lancia Astura
2. Rosa-Comotti Alfa-Romeo
3. Nino Farina-Oneto Alfa Romeo.

This amazing race was an organizational desaster and was immediately discontinued. (Mussolini, adequately advised by our friends from Brescia saw personally that thus would happen).
Back to the 50s, all this disappeared after Portago’s accident. It was certainly one of the reason of the lack of success of Italian drivers since then, having lost a training ground that required extreme precision and sensibility in driving and they had no dismissed airfields at disposal.
As for books there is almost nothing besides MM. Only two recent titles that I do not have :
Il mitico Giro di Sicilia
Polvere e Gloria – La Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti.
Your interest has given me some ideas. Maybe I’ll go into this when my project on the 40s will be finished.

#15 Felix Muelas

Felix Muelas
  • Member

  • 1,207 posts
  • Joined: November 99

Posted 29 October 2001 - 20:36

"...and wondered what is it that makes a driver carry on under such circumstances, for apart from all the physical discomforts there was the added mental strain of knowing that he had little or no safety limit with the car should he overdo a corner...

But still he battled on and, when I realized that all the other drivers were suffering from much the same problems, I saw the Mille Miglia in its true light and began to get a glimmering of why people race in it and why they were refusing to give up. All along the road we were seeing wrecked cars, some in ditches, others upside down, another with its nose through a wall, one so far off the road in a field it was difficult to see how it would ever get out again.

I began to realize that this was not a motor race, this was something far greater, far tougher - it was a battle between the human race and all those things its agile brain had schemed up.

Here was Man trying to prove to himself that the machines he made, the roads he built, the houses, the walls, the bridges, everything he had constructed, were for his use and that he was master of them all, but Nature was putting up her best opposition and everything that Man had made with his own brain and hands was now conspiring to kill him. If we gave up now it would be admitting defeat by our own devices. I could see that we must go on, we must fight our way through; this was not a battle of one man against another, it was an impossible fight of Man against himself, and if he gave up now the human race was going to lose some of its reason for existence.

It was only under such terrific pressure that the human being could satisfy itself that it was master of the earth. This was more than a motor race...it seemed that we were fighting for the mere right to go on living. Maybe we were not good enough to win this battle, but others would be, and I felt that whoever was leading this greatest of all battles must go on to the bitter end, no matter how many fell by the wayside. Knowing racing drivers as I do, I was sure that some of them would fight their way through, and I could see clearly, perhaps for the first time, just why a man drives a racing car in competition."

For those of you who are familiar with the text I have nothing to add. Hope you enjoyed reading it again. For those who are not (familiar with) there are some clues in the text itself. It´s not a translation, for although Mediterranean, I wouldn´t dare to even attempt to translate a similar text into English.

Alessandro : I know it´s easy for me to say, but I will really push you, in the near future, within my capabilities, to "go into this". :)

Un abbraccio,

Felix

#16 Nanni Dietrich

Nanni Dietrich
  • Member

  • 1,430 posts
  • Joined: February 04

Posted 16 June 2005 - 15:46

Originally posted by alessandro silva
The name of the hill-climber might have been Scola from Cosenza. Just from my memory, hence doubtful.


Allessandro you are correct: he is Domenico Scola, also known as "Don Mimì" Scola. He is from Cosenza and is about 75 y.o. and HE IS STILL RACING!!! He raced until last year (I think) in the southern Italy hillclimbs driving an Osella. He has two sons (Emilio and Carlo) also sportscar drivers but the old father beats always both the sons... :lol:

#17 Muzza

Muzza
  • Member

  • 802 posts
  • Joined: March 03

Posted 25 June 2005 - 20:16

Hello Folks,

Originally posted by Marcor
The Italian driver d'Ippolito had a fatal crash during a race near Napoli in October 8th, 1933. This was a 787 km circuit won by Comotti (Alfa Romeo) in front of Bonetto and Farina. 4 (or more) spectators were also killed in the crash. The race is maybe the Princess of Piemont Cup.

Sorry but I don't know if it was Guido or his brother. My source says 'the excellent Italian driver..."


Originally posted by Marcor
According Auto-Passion in a 16-page article about the Scuderia Ferrari from 1929 to 1937, Gianfranco Comotti, with Barbieri, won the 1933 Pr. of Piemont Cup. I concluded (maybe too quickly) Pr. means Princess... The car was an Alfa Romeo 8C 2.6 MM.

Other entries: Taruffi, Pellegrini, Strazza, Ruesch...



According to the book "Albo della Gloria: Al Piloti Caduti in Tutto il Mondo al Loro Posto di Combattimento", by Emanuele Carli, Modena, Italy, 1972, page 21, Guido D'Ippolito died in Potenza on 08 October 1933 when his car crashed against a horse carriage on the course of the I Circuito delle Province Meridionali.

In parallel, the website Saluti da Forino, article "Quando Nuvolari sfrecciava per le strade di Forino", author unknown, published on 18 January 2003, http://www.salutidaf...e/sdf_u_012.htm, states that the 1933 edition of the Coppa Principe di Piemonte was held on 06 August of that year, being the race won by Eugenio Siena in an Alfa Romeo.

Therefore, is that possible that Auto-Passion made an error calling the race in which D'Ippolito died "1933 Pr. of Piemonte Cup"? It seems so...

Regards,


Muzza

P.S.: My father was Calabrese (my mother is Piedmontese) and although most of my family immigrated to different countries I still have relatives in San Lucido, a small seashore village in the Cosenza Province, not far from Paola.

#18 humphries

humphries
  • Member

  • 931 posts
  • Joined: February 03

Posted 26 June 2005 - 10:08

From Napoli GP by Maurizio Addati:-

VI Cicuito Principe di Piemonte, Avellino - 6 Agosto, 1933

I Coppa Principessa di Piemonte, Ciruito delle Province Meridionali - 8 Ottobre, 1933, when Guido D'Ippolito was killed.

The circuit for the latter race is described as running along the autostrada at Napoli - Pompei-Nocera Infeferiore-cava dei Tirreni-Vietri sul mare-Salerno-Battipaglia-Eboli-Auletta-Vietri di Potenza-Potenza-Gravina di Puglia-Altamura- Bitetto-Bari-Giovinazzi-Molfetta-Bisceglie-Trani-Barletta-Cerignola-Foggia-Lucera-Iesi-Campobasso-Avellino-Capodichino-Napoli ( parco della Rimembranza Posillipo alto).

According to Orsini it was at Altamura where D'Ippolito crashed.

Hope this helps.

John

#19 Muzza

Muzza
  • Member

  • 802 posts
  • Joined: March 03

Posted 26 June 2005 - 15:10

Dear John,


Thank you indeed for your posting, it was most helpful.

May I say that Carli's book is, unfortunately, riddled with errors of names, dates and places, therefore the discrepancy between it and Orsini's concerning D'Ippolito's place of death is not all surprising.

(Or maybe D'Ippolito crashed at Altamura and was taken to a clinic in Potenza, where he succumbed. However, this would not make sense, as Altamura is near Bari, and rather far from Potenza, located across the Appennini mountains).

I have kindly asked our friends Nanni Dietrich and pyrytus to carry out research on this subject in libraries in Italy, checking contemporary newspapers and other sources. Let's see what comes up.

Best regards,


Muzza

Advertisement

#20 Nanni Dietrich

Nanni Dietrich
  • Member

  • 1,430 posts
  • Joined: February 04

Posted 04 July 2005 - 08:38

Originally posted by humphries
From Napoli GP by Maurizio Addati:-

VI Cicuito Principe di Piemonte, Avellino - 6 Agosto, 1933

I Coppa Principessa di Piemonte, Ciruito delle Province Meridionali - 8 Ottobre, 1933, when Guido D'Ippolito was killed.

The circuit for the latter race is described as running along the autostrada at Napoli - Pompei-Nocera Infeferiore-cava dei Tirreni-Vietri sul mare-Salerno-Battipaglia-Eboli-Auletta-Vietri di Potenza-Potenza-Gravina di Puglia-Altamura- Bitetto-Bari-Giovinazzi-Molfetta-Bisceglie-Trani-Barletta-Cerignola-Foggia-Lucera-Iesi-Campobasso-Avellino-Capodichino-Napoli ( parco della Rimembranza Posillipo alto).

According to Orsini it was at Altamura where D'Ippolito crashed.

Hope this helps.

John


About the circuit of the race, John, I'm sure there is a mistake, because it is impossible that the race passed in IESI after Lucera going to Campobasso, but the correct name must be JELSI (a small village near Campobasso), probably an error in writing. Iesi is a town some 400 km far from Lucera and Campobasso, in Marche region, Centre-North Italy!

:)

#21 humphries

humphries
  • Member

  • 931 posts
  • Joined: February 03

Posted 04 July 2005 - 10:39

Iesi is what it says in the Napoli book; little wonder I could not find it on a modern map of the area!
Jelsi makes sense.

John

#22 Nanni Dietrich

Nanni Dietrich
  • Member

  • 1,430 posts
  • Joined: February 04

Posted 18 July 2005 - 09:19

Originally posted by Nanni Dietrich


Allessandro you are correct: he is Domenico Scola, also known as "Don Mimì" Scola. He is from Cosenza and is about 75 y.o. and HE IS STILL RACING!!! He raced until last year (I think) in the southern Italy hillclimbs driving an Osella. He has two sons (Emilio and Carlo) also sportscar drivers but the old father beats always both the sons... :lol:


Correction: Scola arrived 6th over all last 26 June at the Santo Stefano-Gambarie hillclimb, at the wheel of a Osella PA21S-Honda!!! So, Don Mimì (born 1930 :eek: ) is definitely still racing!!!
:D

#23 Marcov

Marcov
  • Member

  • 33 posts
  • Joined: February 04

Posted 31 August 2005 - 13:29

Originally posted by Nanni Dietrich


Correction: Scola arrived 6th over all last 26 June at the Santo Stefano-Gambarie hillclimb, at the wheel of a Osella PA21S-Honda!!! So, Don Mimì (born 1930 :eek: ) is definitely still racing!!!
:D


Yes Nanni, he is still racing! He was born in november 1930! According to his own tale, his first race was in 1946 (in that period it was possible to have the driving licence at 16 years) but I do not have yet evidence that confirms this. But I met his name in hill climb results from 1960.

I saw him last month at Rieti, for a round of the European Hill Climb Championship. I was on the fast point of the 15.1 km long course. He drives with great attention but still very well! And he is in perfect physical condition. Just at Rieti he won in 2001 - due a strike of the other sport drivers - his first and only european championship titled race! He is simply a "living legend".

Under here a PART of the Scola's trophies...

Posted Image

#24 Coppa Sila

Coppa Sila
  • New Member

  • 2 posts
  • Joined: March 06

Posted 28 March 2006 - 18:29

To all the impassioned of the Calabrian pilots and of the competitions of beginning century, I signal an important publication: “Coppa della Sila.”
The Book actually describes the history of this competition from the 1924 first edition to 2000 the 35°.
Further information on the site: www.cronosprint.it/CoppaSilaBook/CoppaSilaBook.htm

#25 gdecarli

gdecarli
  • Member

  • 1,038 posts
  • Joined: June 03

Posted 24 June 2006 - 16:49

In 1934, a faction of the ruling Fascist Party wanted to get the best over another faction that supported the MM by having organized a Tour of Italy.
The race was in three legs:
26/27 May, Roma-Messina of 1712 kms
29/30 May Reggio Calabria-Milano of 1972 kms
31 May/June 1st Milano-Roma of 2003 kms (I ignore the course)
197 started, 124 arrived
1. Pintacuda-Nardilli Lancia Astura
2. Rosa-Comotti Alfa-Romeo
3. Nino Farina-Oneto Alfa Romeo.

I have a map and (on my website) some more info about:

Posted Image

Ciao,
Guido

#26 gdecarli

gdecarli
  • Member

  • 1,038 posts
  • Joined: June 03

Posted 24 June 2006 - 16:52

Originally posted by humphries
VI Cicuito Principe di Piemonte, Avellino - 6 Agosto, 1933

I Coppa Principessa di Piemonte, Ciruito delle Province Meridionali - 8 Ottobre, 1933, when Guido D'Ippolito was killed.

The circuit for the latter race is described as running along the autostrada at Napoli - Pompei-Nocera Infeferiore-cava dei Tirreni-Vietri sul mare-Salerno-Battipaglia-Eboli-Auletta-Vietri di Potenza-Potenza-Gravina di Puglia-Altamura- Bitetto-Bari-Giovinazzi-Molfetta-Bisceglie-Trani-Barletta-Cerignola-Foggia-Lucera-Iesi-Campobasso-Avellino-Capodichino-Napoli ( parco della Rimembranza Posillipo alto).


I have a map and (on my website) some more info about:

Posted Image

Ciao,
Guido

#27 Nanni Dietrich

Nanni Dietrich
  • Member

  • 1,430 posts
  • Joined: February 04

Posted 13 July 2006 - 10:53

Originally posted by Muzza
Hello Folks,



According to the book "Albo della Gloria: Al Piloti Caduti in Tutto il Mondo al Loro Posto di Combattimento", by Emanuele Carli, Modena, Italy, 1972, page 21, Guido D'Ippolito died in Potenza on 08 October 1933 when his car crashed against a horse carriage on the course of the I Circuito delle Province Meridionali.



Muzza



Many other things are uncertain about the 1933 Circuito delle Province Meridionali / Coppa Principessa di Piemonte: according to Italian and American newspaper reports at least four people were killed in two separate accidents during the race.

Guido D'Ippolito lost his life when his Alfa Romeo entered by the Scuderia Ferrari crashed against a horse carriage near Grumo Appula in the province of Bari. A short distance ahead, still in the province of Bari, precisely in the territory of Giovinazzo, another car left the road and hit a group of spectators, at least two of whom died of the injuries received. The driver of the car was himself severely injured. Other accounts report of four victims of this accident.

The identity of the driver who caused the second accident is still uncertain, according to the Italian newspaper Il Littoriale it was a German called Brosch, driving another Alfa Romeo entered by Scuderia Ferrari; on the other hand American newspapers The Modesto Bee or Reno Evening Gazette point to a driver named Grosh, himself a German. Motorsport Memorial resaerchers are inclined to believe the driver was Walter Grosch, a German competitor who raced Alfa Romeos in the mid thirties, it is still to be confirmed that the car was one of the Scuderia Ferrari team.

If it was Walter Grosch, he eventually recovered and raced again, he is listed in the 1935 Mille Miglia (http://wsrp.wz.cz/prewar1935.html notice that here the first name is spelled Walther)


http://www.motorspor...hp?db=ct&n=4958
http://www.motorspor...hp?db=ct&n=2682