10 replies to this topic

[Marques]

Photo of the trophy (1st place) of 24 hours of Interlagos (Sao Paulo/Brazil) / 1951, won by Francisco Marques ("Chico Marques") :

http://parkpage.plan..._interlagos.jpg

[Marques]

The link above is dead.
The new link is:
http://parkpage.bizl..._interlagos.jpg

[David McKinney]

All my sources say Marques was fifth (not first) in the 1951 24 horas do Interlagos Mercedes-Benz. I'm sure there wasn't another 24hr race there that year

[Marques]

Originally posted by David McKinney
All my sources say Marques was fifth (not first) in the 1951 24 horas do Interlagos Mercedes-Benz. I'm sure there wasn't another 24hr race there that year

Hello David!

Or grandpa lied to me or... I don't know!
I was not born at 1951, but grandpa gave me this trophy and he said that were first place!
Maybe some different class? What says your records?
I just have a hint: at that time, MARQUES and LANDI were partners and it's possible that both drove at this race.

Please, tell me what you have about this race.

Regards,

Marques

[David McKinney]

Landi drove with Sebastião Casini and finished second. Marques was partnered by Franciso Azevedo. All 32 cars in the race were Mercedes-Benz 170s, so I would have thought the only classes would have been Petrol and Diesel. The first Diesel-engined car finished sixth.
Most of my information comes from Paulo Scali's Interlagos book, which covers the race in some detail. There are of course many mentions of your grandfather competing in other races at Interlagos.

[alessandro silva]

Marques, a few questions for you, please.

1) do you have photographs of the MASERATI 4CL which Francisco Marques drove in the following races in 1948/1949?
He had bought this car from Benedicto Lopes.

1948
15/08 Circuito de Campinas 2nd
19/08 or 2/09 Premio Cronica Esportiva Paulista 2nd
1949
20/03 GP Sao Paolo 2nd
27/03 GP Rio 3rd
6/03 Circuito do Pacaembu 2nd
14/08 GP Cidade de Belo Hor. 2nd
4/09Premio Cronica Esportiva Carioca (Boa Vista) 2nd

2) Did Francisco Marques have Portoguese passport?

3) Do you have his dates of birth and death?

[Marques]

Originally posted by David McKinney
Landi drove with Sebastião Casini and finished second. Marques was partnered by Franciso Azevedo. All 32 cars in the race were Mercedes-Benz 170s, so I would have thought the only classes would have been Petrol and Diesel. The first Diesel-engined car finished sixth.
Most of my information comes from Paulo Scali's Interlagos book, which covers the race in some detail. There are of course many mentions of your grandfather competing in other races at Interlagos.

David,

Thanks a lot for the information. I didn't know that.

I think we are close about the hint in having two classes at that race. Now I'm shure about it. I went to get and see two medals (see links)... and one says at the back:
"1st Place Diesel Category" - http://parkpage.bizl...51_medalha1.jpg
(what confused me is the date of 1950 in front of this medal! I don't know why the years are different...)
And the other: http://parkpage.bizl...51_medalha2.jpg

NOW... ...you say that Marques arrived at 5th... and say that the first diesel car arrived at 6th... I don't know wich one is correct, but at least we confirmed that MARQUES arrived 1st, at the DIESEL category!

Thanks a lot!
Eduardo Marques

[Marques]

Originally posted by alessandro silva
Marques, a few questions for you, please.

1) do you have photographs of the MASERATI 4CL which Francisco Marques drove in the following races in 1948/1949?
He had bought this car from Benedicto Lopes.

1948
15/08 Circuito de Campinas 2nd
19/08 or 2/09 Premio Cronica Esportiva Paulista 2nd
1949
20/03 GP Sao Paolo 2nd
27/03 GP Rio 3rd
6/03 Circuito do Pacaembu 2nd
14/08 GP Cidade de Belo Hor. 2nd
4/09Premio Cronica Esportiva Carioca (Boa Vista) 2nd

2) Did Francisco Marques have Portoguese passport?

3) Do you have his dates of birth and death?

Alessandro,

Unfortunally, I don't have pictures of that Maserati, here with me!
In spite of being brazilian, I live at Lisbon, Portugal and all the family are still in Brazil. Francisco Marques had 4 grandsons and his stuff were distributed to us - as I came to Portugal, I kept only three small pieces - the restant are with my cousins and... yes, they have TONS of pictures. I'm planning a travel to Brazil next year and I'll try to bring with me something else.

About the Maserati:
I'm not sure, but I believe this car was destroyed around 1952(?), when MARQUES borrowed the car to a sergeant...
The sergeant (I don´t know his name) asked "Francisco Marques" to borrow (!) his Maserati so he could take a ride at Interlagos ... Marques did it (!) and at that curve, the sergeant went out of the track, died and destroyed the Maserati. Since then, the curve was named "Curva do Sargento" (Sergeant Curve).

About the portuguese passport:
YES! (http://parkpage.bizl.../passaporte.jpg)

About the dates you ask:
He was born at August, 03 / 1908 in Portugal.
He died at May, 19 / 1986 in Brazil. (http://parkpage.bizland.com/obito.jpg)
"Chico Marques" as he was known, married twice and had three sons (all dead) and four grandsons. With the second wife had no sons.

Best regards,
Eduardo Marques

[David McKinney]

I've done some more delving, and am prepared to believe my information about the diesel-class winner may not be correct. Three sources give differing results - two don't mention Marques at all, and only one (which has Marques finishing fifth) says the sixth-placed car was the first diesel. Perhaps I should regard that particular sources as unlreiable.

[alessandro silva]

Eduardo,
another question for you. Which was precisely Chico Marques' business ["comerciante"] in Brazil?

Do not forget the photos of the Maserati, please!

[Marques]

Originally posted by alessandro silva
Eduardo,
another question for you. Which was precisely Chico Marques' business ["comerciante"] in Brazil?

Do not forget the photos of the Maserati, please!

Alessandro,

Yes, "comerciante".
Grandpa went to Brazil as the brazilians usually says: "With one hand in front and the other behind" He went to the city of São Paulo and got a job as bus driver. Some time after, he bought his own bus... bought another... till the day he had a company of buses. He sold this company and started to buy gas stations. He were the first distributer of "Ypiranga" gasoline in Brazil. At the back of one of his gas stations, he and "Chico Landi" (his great friend) started to build and modify racing cars. The two "Chicos" (Marques and Landi) formed the "Landi Team".
Then Marques left the gas stations with his three sons and didn´t work anymore. He got "Parkinson" and died very sick, at home.

I'll not forget the photos!

Regards,
Eduardo Marques