55 replies to this topic

[James L. Kalie]

Can anyone tell me what this phrase really means? I have now read three different articles about Luigi but none of them really explain this term. What does it mean? How did he get it? I know what a tough guy he was supposed to be but I thought a "Robber" was a thief. Also I don't think he was from Abruzzi was he?

[Geoff E]

He was apparently an accountant: http://www.grandprix...drv-faglui.html

[alessandro silva]

The sentence "Abruzzi robber" has very little meaning in Italian [Abruzzi is a region not particularly known for being a cradle of outllaws] and does not apply to Fagioli who first of all had nothing to do with Abruzzi and secondly was a cultured man of a rich personality. His family had a substantial interest in a pasta-making factory in Osimo near Ancona [Marche region]. This allowed him to run the typical life of a well-to-do bourgeois of bygone provincial Italy: shooting, hunting birds and boars and racing cars.
I have no personal recollection of having heard that and could remember no instance where he is called this way in Italian motoring literature. So I got curious last evening when I read your query. I confirm that I could not find this nickname in the Italian books and magazines that I have at hand. More and more curious, I went back in time. The earliest spot where I found the nickname has been TASO Mathieson's article about Fagioli in Georgano's Encyclopedia (circa 1970). There he is called the "Old Abruzzi robber". This makes a bit more sense, because in Italian you can tap somebody on a shoulder saying "old bandit" in the sense that "you did it again, son of a gun", but still leaves the Abruzzi part in the dark. Maybe TASO overheard something of that kind and misunderstood it. TASO's article is up to the point in every respect and very affectionate.
The point is that after reading it, I had an impression of deja vu. As a matter of fact I discovered that more recent products of the "Silver Arrows" industry owe a lot - euphemism - to this article, and thus probably the nickname has propagated.
Another pointer to look for the origin of this could be Neubauer's book, which is full enough already of preposterous things, but I do not have it, so I could not check. To him is acribed the credit of describing Fagioli as a rough, unkind even violent man, which is certainly very far from truth. [and do not keep telling me the hammer-throwing story: even the kindest man gen get fed up once in his life].

Geoff: Fagioli was no accountant. He went to a High School which gives a low-rank accountant degree, but the family business was large enough to hire their staff outside.

[Hans Etzrodt]

Originally posted by alessandro silva
...Another pointer to look for the origin of this could be Neubauer's book, which is full enough already of preposterous things, but I do not have it, so I could not check. To him is acribed the credit of describing Fagioli as a rough, unkind even violent man, which is certainly very far from truth...

Sandro – yes, it was Neubauer who coined that title onto Fagioli. It appears in his book. Thereafter others foolishly copied the term.

[uechtel]

Sheldon (Vol 3. p. 114) gives this version connected with Fagioli´s win at the Italian GP in 1933, from Nuvolari, who had been safely in the lead only to suffer from a tyre failure on the penultimate lap. I think, something similar had already happened before at Pescara, so it might have been some kind of "stealing" those victories from Nuvolari in the public opinion.

Sheldon: "This was probably the race which Faglioli supposedly stole from Nuvolari and gave him the affectionate nick-name "the Abruzzi robber", as he came from that wild but beautiful area of Italy".

This stroy always made sense to me, but reading Alessandro´s post it seems, as if Sheldon is wrong on this one.

[uechtel]

Originally posted by Hans Etzrodt
Sandro – yes, it was Neubauer who coined that title onto Fagioli. It appears in his book. Thereafter others foolishly copied the term.

So a Neubauer-faked story again? A pity, that a man of his merits feels necessary to polish up his own stories that way. And clearly only very few authors ever dares to doubt his words, while most others joined his train and spread his fairy tales all over the world again and again until they became the commongly accepted truth.

So everybody should be very careful to any facts given by Neubauer, as the list of his "deeds" is already impressive:

The "fixed" race at Tripoli 1933
The "Abruzzi Robber" 1933
The story of the creation of the silver arrows 1934

I have also heard, that there are doubts on his (= the commonly accepted) version of the Varzi / Pietsch affair.

So what is fact about that and are there other such stories?

[alessandro silva]

Originally posted by uechtel
Sheldon (Vol 3. p. 114) gives this version connected with Fagioli´s win at the Italian GP in 1933, from Nuvolari, who had been safely in the lead only to suffer from a tyre failure on the penultimate lap. I think, something similar had already happened before at Pescara, so it might have been some kind of "stealing" those victories from Nuvolari in the public opinion.

Sheldon: "This was probably the race which Faglioli supposedly stole from Nuvolari and gave him the affectionate nick-name "the Abruzzi robber", as he came from that wild but beautiful area of Italy".

The point is precisely that Fagioli did NOT come "from that wild but beautiful [depending on tastes, I would add] area of Italy".

Another fact which could point in the direction of authenticity, this time, is that Pescara is in the Abruzzi region. If a lucky win happened there, which I do not remember, "Abruzzi robber" could have originate from this, but it is very much an insider joke since "Abruzzi robber" has no particular meaning in Italian.

In any case I feel that this nickname for Fagioli is not well chosen at all and it does not deserve being used in such a widespread fashion. I suppose that a very small percentage of the many people who had copied it know that Pescara is in the Abruzzi AND that Fagioli had POSSIBLY a lucky win there in 1933.

As for the Monza 1933 victory, it came from a consistently amazingly fast drive which obliged Nuvolari to overstress his car. This one and his 1935 Monaco drive rate among the perfect ones in GP history.

[Roger Clark]

We can't blame this one on Neubauer. Fagioli's obituary in Autosport, June 27 1952 says:

...the burly Luigi, affectionately called "The old Abruzzi robber" for his air of carefree dissolution and frequently unshaven chin...

[Doug Nye]

When I served my apprenticeship with the great Cyril Posthumus - who had been Assistant Editor of 'Autosport' in 1952 and would almost certainly have written that obituary for Fagioli - he ALWAYS referred to him as 'The Abruzzi Robber'.

As far as I can recall, Cyril gave me the impression that it was a nickname which had drilled into his consciousness during the 1930s.

Therefore, I would be pretty confident that a trawl through the pre-war British weeklies and monthlies would reveal an earlier mention of that nickname.

Tags like this for the 'Continental cracks' were much loved by British racing writers of the period.

The one which always makes me smile - in a puzzled kind of manner - is Raymond Sommer - 'Wild Boar of the Ardennes', muddlingly Anglicised, I think, from the 'Sanglier des Ardennes' (???recollection???) which is different again. All very odd.

DCN

[oldtimer]

It is amazing how these old epithets stick. I am not well read about Fagioli, and the 'Abruzzi Robber' label, plus the stubbly face, left a totally aberrant impression with me.

Thank you Allessandro for putting us straight. Yet again, I might add.

[Hans Etzrodt]

Originally posted by Roger Clark
We can't blame this one on Neubauer. Fagioli's obituary in Autosport, June 27 1952 says:
...the burly Luigi, affectionately called "The old Abruzzi robber" for his air of carefree dissolution and frequently unshaven chin...

So, I was too hasty again. Neubauer is innocent. Please accept my apologies.

Interestingly, Hans Tanner knew about it in 1958, yet Rodney Walkerley did not mention this nickname in his 1966 5-page Fagioli driver profile, or maybe he knew better.

[Doug Nye]

I have never seen a Neubauer book in German. Does he use the nickname in German? If it appears only in the English-language edition I would suspect translator Charles Meisl - who was well known to WB, DSJ, CP etc - of 'pepping-up' the manuscript.... Just a thought.

DCN

[James L. Kalie]

Doug, there are definate differences in the two books. Check my recent thread on Annemarie Mersen. She is pictured twice in the 1958, Hans Dulk, German Book that I have (The wife only got one picture). Yet, no one knows who she is. I just saw her again in Karl Ludvigsen's excellent Alberto Ascari book from Haynes on page 176 (lower left). Me too suspects that a lot gets lost in translation. Too bad. But then isn't that why we are here? All the best! JKalie

[dmj]

Originally posted by uechtel


So a Neubauer-faked story again? A pity, that a man of his merits feels necessary to polish up his own stories that way. And clearly only very few authors ever dares to doubt his words, while most others joined his train and spread his fairy tales all over the world again and again until they became the commongly accepted truth.

So everybody should be very careful to any facts given by Neubauer, as the list of his "deeds" is already impressive:

The "fixed" race at Tripoli 1933
The "Abruzzi Robber" 1933
The story of the creation of the silver arrows 1934

I have also heard, that there are doubts on his (= the commonly accepted) version of the Varzi / Pietsch affair.

So what is fact about that and are there other such stories?

Don't forget the story about Seaman waiting behind MVB whilst his car caught fire, having been ordered not to pass him, is also proven wrong by historical footage of the accident. Another Neubauer myth...

[humphries]

Poor old Alf. There he was in post-war Germany, times were hard, when someone suggests he writes his autobiography.

"Why not cash in on your name and earn yourself, and us, a few bob. Don't worry about the writing we have chappie who can do that for you. Just requires you to have a few chats with the "author". Any gaps and we can fill them. Needs an English edition to really cash in. No problem. We'll see to the translation and any rewriting that's required. O.K.?"

The book makes money despite being well wide of the truth on many counts; mission accomplished.

Why do I think this was the case? Would anybody, whose successes as a driver were very limited, fail to mention the time when they were leading an international race and it was stopped, denying them the victory. Alf did. The Armangue Trophy in Spain in 1922.

John

[David McKinney]

The Sheldon/Humphreys [sic] etc Black Book has Neubauer down as a 'dna' for this race. Accepting that this info is now out of date, I wonder if there is a more sinister reason for his appearance in that race being brushed under the carpet? Did he do a Bad Thing that both he and the BB source(s) wanted hushed up?

[Hans Etzrodt]

The cycle car race for the Armangué Trophy, organized by the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia, took place on May 21, 1922, near Barcelona over 12 laps on a 30.284 km circuit, a total of 364 km. At 11 the following 20 drivers left the starting line:
Sastruegui (Loryc)
Chassagne (Loryc)
Santigosa (David)
A. Battlé (David)
Moré (David)
Morune (David)
Orus (Hercules)
Andreu (David)
Lombard (Salmson)
Vidal (David)
Alzaga (David)
R. Bueno (Salmson)
J. Palazon (Sénéchal)
Neubauer (Austro-Daimler-Sascha)
Pöcher (Austro-Daimler-Sascha)
Salter (Loryc)
Roviralta (David)
J. Andeu (David)
Battlé (M.A.J.)
Franzo (David)
A few kilometers after the start, the French driver Lombard (Salmson) found the race track blocked by the crowd, unwilling to follow the controller’s orders. Despite all efforts, Lombard could not prevent a catastrophy. His cycle car crashed. Lombard got up without any serious injuries. However, his mechanic Pepino and several spectators lay unconsciously on the road. Both other French drivers, Bueno and Palazon, retired immediately and the other drivers followed their example. The race promoter decided then to nullify the race. Pepino succumbed to his injuries. Six of the spectators were killed and 16 injured.

Without any prior practice, Neubauer with his Austro-Daimler-Sascha had driven the fastest lap and beaten previous year's record, when the race was stopped due to the serious accident.

Source: AAZ (Wien) 1922, Nr. 23/24

[humphries]

David

Not quite sure if I understand your last post but a little further information might be of use to others.

The 1922 Trofeo Armangue was run on 21 May. Unfortunately a driver crashed and was killed on the 2nd lap. The race was stopped after two laps and at that time Neubauer was leading in his Austro-Daimler "Sascha". His time was 45' 25.8 with "Salter" ( Loryc ) on 47' 29.0 and Jose Maria More ( David ) 47' 33.0.

It was decided to re-run the race on 29 October. On this occasion the Austro-Daimlers did not appear and Benoist, who was not in the first race, won easily. Reference was made to the abandoning of the first race but when the Black Book was published we did not have the original entry list, or the full facts about the May race, but we do now.

The logistics of getting two racing cars from Austria, over the Alps to Genoa and by ship to Spain in 1922 is probably something Neubauer would remember. And then to lead the race only for it to be stopped is again something on which he would have pondered on the long trip back home. Not to mention this in his memoirs just seems odd to me.

Despite mentioning to Paul that my name is spelt differently he still spells it "reys".

With regard to Fagioli didn't the Italians call him "Fasolon" whatever that means. Of what some people were not aware was that Luigi had a bad accident racing a motor-cycle and he suffered thereafter from the injuries, which could explain his mood changes.

John

[David McKinney]

Forgive me, I hadn't realised (or remembered) there had been two attempts at the race.
My "sinister" reference was to the possibility of Big Alf running over the Clerk of Course, or taking oout several spectators, or something else he didn't wish to be reminded of, and therefore left out of his 'memoirs'

[Hans Etzrodt]

Originally posted by humphries
Poor old Alf. There he was in post-war Germany, times were hard, when someone suggests he writes his autobiography...
...Would anybody, whose successes as a driver were very limited, fail to mention the time when they were leading an international race and it was stopped, denying them the victory. Alf did. The Armangue Trophy in Spain in 1922...

You mean his trip to Spain was left out of the English version Speed was my Life?

[alessandro silva]

Originally posted by humphries
David



With regard to Fagioli didn't the Italians call him "Fasolon" whatever that means. Of what some people were not aware was that Luigi had a bad accident racing a motor-cycle and he suffered thereafter from the injuries, which could explain his mood changes.

John

"Fasolon" litterally means Big Bean in the Venitian dialect. It could mean a big lad, not so clever, a bit gullable but a good guy. In conclusion the contrary of an Abruzzi robber.

The string is the following:
Fagioli=Beans, Fagiolo=Bean, Fagiolone=Big bean, Fasolon.

I hope that "mood changes" does not mean a deranged person. I strongly object to this cliché popularized by what I call the "Silver Arrows industry".
He certainly was cocky, strongly believing that he was the fastest driver around, which was entirely true on the given day. He certainly was terrible at PR, much preferring to retire in the deepest Italian province than leading the cosmopolitan life of the drivers of the period. He was different, since by birth he should have belonged to this class neither he mingled with the other class, the drivers coming from the rank and file of racing mechanics and the garagistes. As it often happens to a person who looks different, he was thought of being crazy. His looks did not help either, he neglected himself, did not shave and dressed sloppily, at least. But this only at races. There are photos of his civilian life, where he looks impeccable, while pigeon-shooting or after a hunt for instance.
He had very bad problems with his back, so in 1936/37 he used to wear a large girdle on top of his dirty overalls. Journalist Canestrini says that he looked like "an old lady in deshabillé", which I find an excellent description.
Fasolon is a good description too, but not comprehensive of his fire and unusual talent when at the wheel of a racing car. To me he looks more of a seemingly groggy welter-weight , but deadly quick on the ring.

[Hans Etzrodt]

Extracts from Männer, Frauen und Motoren by Alfred Neubauer & Harvey T. Rowe

p36:
The Armangué Trophy is carried out on a circuit. It is 21 kilometer long and not asphalted. Because Count Kolowrat wanted to save travel costs for a riding mechanic, he hires here at location a man, who shall sit next to me in the car, as the racing regulations demand.

This riding mechanic’s civil job is chauffeur at the Spanish Postal Service. He speaks no word of German, I no word Spanish, and accordingly our conversation is limited to pulling faces and wild gestures with hands and feet...
...Count Kolowrat... has one of his "brilliant" ideas. "You will most surely be much faster than the others. Because we do not have a horn, I will buy a trill-whistle for your passenger. He can blow into it, so that the others give way when passing."

p38:
The race begins. As at the Targa Florio, there is a single start, with one minute gap between the cars. It is a race against the clock and again I am starting as one of the last.
I am determined: my second race must be my first victory. I race through corners that I almost land with one wheel in the ditch. I demand the last bit from the little engine.
My passenger trills on his trill-whistle like an angelic chubby-faced baby. One car after the other is being passed and left behind.
Already in the first lap the field thins out. Numerous Scilettas get stranded: with steaming radiators, with broken axles, with busted tires, or as a wild heap of rubble out of tin and steal, smashed against some tree...

p39:
The second lap I try to drive more regularly. And on the third lap I again open up. It will be my record lap. Later I will be told that I drove all three laps almost at the same speed. With exception of the first one, which was my worst...

p40/41:
At the beginning of the fourth lap, Count Kolowrat at the pits shows me a green flag. ‘Green’ means: slow down. It means: I am in the lead!
I roar along, in full consciousness of the coming victory.
There … what is that? A few hundred meters ahead, in the middle of the road, is a large crowd of people blocking the track. They see me coming. They do not move. They wave … no, they threaten!
Are these fellows crazy? Or do they only want to prevent that a foreigner, an Austrian, will win this race?
I brake. The car rolls to a stop. The crowd arrives. Scolding females, young lads, who threaten by shaking their fists. They surround us, infuriated they beat with the hands on the hood, against the car's body. They yell words that I do not understand but which surely cannot be pet names, judging by their grim, enraged expressions. I look inquiringly at my passenger. He shakes his head in distress and mutters only one word, again and again: “Morto, Señor … morto!”
Morto? What the devil does that mean?
The crowd does not hesitate or retreat. It is unthinkable to continue. The race is obviously over. I turn around to drive back to the Start and to alarm the organizers. Luckily the crowd let me go, unmolested. Carefully, always along the road edge, I putter the five kilometer back to the grand stands. At the pits Count Kolowrat met me. He chases away all the curious people, listens briefly to my report and has the car immediately roped off. Also I am not allowed to leave my seat for the time being.
I understand: as long as the race is not officially discontinued, nobody is allowed to touch a car still in the race. And my car is still "in the race"...
So I stand, surrounded by ropes like a museum’s piece, while around me begins an exciting fuzz and screaming.
Slowly I understand what had happened:
Already on the second lap a French car had crashed and sped right into the crowd. There were over 20 dead and numerous seriously injured.
The driver had escaped with a shock...
...and disappeared.
But the dead, the dying, the injured lay helplessly on the bare ground. There were no medical orderlies, no doctors, yes not even course marshals, who could have notified race control by phone.
And while the race carried on, men women and children died left and right of the road, injured yelled for water, screaming their cries of pain to the sky...
The crowd broke through the brarriers. They blocked the course. All their rage, their rebellion, they wanted to release on the first best driver, who now came their way.
And that was me...
...the race is being stopped after this accident.
In the regulations is the rule: "in case the race is stopped because of unforeseen circumstances the car that is in the lead at the time of the discontinuance will be declared the winner."
In the lead was Alfred Neubauer with "Sascha".
Immediately, Count Kolowrat marches to race control to receive the valuable prizes. One trophy, medals and especially – the considerable prize money. Enough, to cover the expensive travel costs of the expedition from Austria to Spain.

p42:
But the Spaniard have deaf ears.
They deny us the prizes. They declare straight and simple: “Neubauer has to be disqualified. He drove against the traffic...
...It is a bitter pill for us. But we have to swallow it. Later, I will hear quite often the words "Disqualification – because he drove against traffic".

[Felix Muelas]

Originally posted by humphries
... The 1922 Trofeo Armangue was run on 21 May. ../... The race was stopped after two laps and at that time Neubauer was leading in his Austro-Daimler "Sascha"...

John is right. This is a picture of Neubauer at the start of the race :


Please follow this 8W link to read about the previous race in which Neubauer drove the car, the 1922 Targa Florio...

[Felix Muelas]

Originally posted by Hans Etzrodt
Extracts from Männer, Frauen und Motoren by Alfred Neubauer & Harvey T. Rowe

...There were over 20 dead and numerous seriously injured...

A total of four : 3 spectators and Lombard´s mechanic

Source : Javier del Arco : Historia de l´automobilisme a Catalunya, p 41

[humphries]

Alessandro

Thanks for the explanation. If Fagioli was around now the lads who run "Autosport" would undoubtedly call him Mr Bean. The pain from Fagioli's injuries no doubt played a part in how he coped with Mercedes-Benz politics. For me he was one of the great drivers and should have had more victories to his name.

David

The reason for Alf not mentioning the Armangue Trophy is , I believe, down to the ghost writer. Nonetheless he would surely have read the draught of his "autobiography" and "his" erroneous comments can only be accredited to him. My jury would find him guilty of gross misrepresentation, M'Lud.

Hans

Two things. Did Alf mention the Armangue Trophy in the German version? I cannot recollect it being mentioned in the English version but, to be honest, I do not have a copy and I read it years and years ago. What did he say in the German version?

The AAZ report is interesting. Some of the names are slightly different here and there compared to the AC de Catalunya's report. Lombard's accident was glossed over to some degree and the fatalities not mentioned in detail. But I don't think it was this accident that caused the race to be stopped. I think one of the David drivers, possibly Vidal-Topete or Miguel Boada, also crashed and may have been killed. Both these two completed just one lap. Joaquin Palazon, in the French Senechal, completed both laps, as did 14 of the 20 starters. A few days earlier Honel had been killed testing a Salmson and some reports had him as the driver killed in the Armangue Trophy. The race was obviously a nightmare for the organisers and sorting it all out now is not easy. Pity the poor historian. Does anybody from Spain know the complete facts?

John

[humphries]

Whilst I was plodding away the answers were pouring in! Great TNF!

[James L. Kalie]

Let's try this. In all the reading I have been doing on Fagioli I can't remember one reference to a family life. Did he have a wife? Children?

The current issue of "Vintage Racecar" magazine here in the states has posted a website for Luigi at: http://sport.superev...fagioli.freeweb but I haven't been able to bring it up so it might not be a correct address.

[alessandro silva]

Originally posted by James L. Kalie
Let's try this. In all the reading I have been doing on Fagioli I can't remember one reference to a family life. Did he have a wife? Children?

He had a wife back in the village and at least one son, Carlo. Carlo Fagioli was a racer of some promise who started in the late fifties with a Alfa romeo SZ or 1900, I forgot which one. In 1961 he raced a locally built FJ called Fiat-Lucangeli, then he drove sports cars made by the same artisan in national races for several years IIRC.

[vintagerpm]

Originally posted by James L. Kalie

The current issue of "Vintage Racecar" magazine here in the states has posted a website for Luigi at: http://sport.superev...fagioli.freeweb but I haven't been able to bring it up so it might not be a correct address.

Worked for me but appears to be very Flash intensive.

[humphries]

Alessandro

Luigi Fagioli had a brother, Giuseppe, who raced a Bugatti. Is this correct and do you know what became of him?

Hans

Thanks for the translation of Alfred Neubauer's lurid account of the accident at the Armangue Trophy. The facts are confusing to say the least!

Lombard definitely crashed (or simply retired) on the opening lap. Lombard and Lambert Pocher, Neubauer's Austro-Daimler team-mate, were the only two cars not to complete a lap. The other 18 cars did. As Neubauer started at least 5 minutes behind Lombard he would have come across the Salmson's driver's accident in about that time. He would have again approached the scene approx. 22' 27" later ( His official first lap time ) and yet again another 23 minutes later ( Second lap 22' 58.8 ). But Alf claims the accident did not happen until a few laps had been run. It may have been that the full extent of the Lombard accident was only becoming apparent some time after it happened but Alf writes as if it had only just happened when he arrived on the scene.

On the other hand the two David drivers I mentioned in an earlier post on this subject had started just before Neubauer. They were both driving "Touring cars" and their first laps were 35'26.4 ( Vidal-Topete ) and 31' 21.8 ( Miguel Boada ). Alf therefore would have overtaken them very quickly and they would have still been on their second lap ( which neither completed ) when Alf started his third. If one of them was involved in the accident with the fatalities then yes Neubauer would have come across a scene of chaos and carnage about the time he said he did.

This is conjecture on my part but in the days when communications were poor the contemporary press sometimes got it wrong. I would suggest the press agencies reported the fatalities in a race in Spain, about the same time as the news of Honel's death testing a Salmson became known ( possibly some time after he was killed ) and that Lombard had retired his Salmson at the Spanish race. Certainly it was reported that Honel had been killed at the Tarragona race in some reports.

There was no love lost between the German/Austrian press ( AAZ ) and the French at this time and to attribute the blame for the accident to a French car and the stopping of the race to "French" drivers would be understandable especially as it robbed Austro-Daimler of a possible win ( There was still a long way to go! )

If the name of the mechanic who was killed was Pepino that sounds more Spanish than French to me. I would have thought the works Salmson team would have had one of their staff as the mechanic.

Of course, what is required, is a visit to the main library in Barcelona by a TNFer and a look at local newspapers. I went there a few years ago and acquired about 200 photocopies of stuff but not from local newspapers. Any volunteers?

John

[alessandro silva]

Originally posted by humphries
Alessandro

Luigi Fagioli had a brother, Giuseppe, who raced a Bugatti. Is this correct and do you know what became of him?



John

Yes I think it is correct. A Bugatti 4-cylinder around 1928. I seem to remember that Giuseppe was more involved in the family business.

[David McKinney]

...and Enrico
All three fratelli raced Salmsons in 1928

[Manel Bar�]

Originally posted by Hans Etzrodt
The cycle car race for the Armangué Trophy, organized by the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia, took place on May 21, 1922, near Barcelona over 12 laps on a 30.284 km circuit, a total of 364 km.
A few kilometers after the start, the French driver Lombard (Salmson) found the race track blocked by the crowd, unwilling to follow the controller’s orders. Despite all efforts, Lombard could not prevent a catastrophy. His cycle car crashed. Lombard got up without any serious injuries. However, his mechanic Pepino and several spectators lay unconsciously on the road. Both other French drivers, Bueno and Palazon, retired immediately and the other drivers followed their example. The race promoter decided then to nullify the race. Pepino succumbed to his injuries. Six of the spectators were killed and 16 injured.

Without any prior practice, Neubauer with his Austro-Daimler-Sascha had driven the fastest lap and beaten previous year's record

Source: AAZ (Wien) 1922, Nr. 23/24

According my notes, the name of Lombard mechanic was Paul Honel (32 y.o.) and the spectators sucumbed were three: a little girl 6 y.o., and two male adults, all of Constantí, a village nearby the road circuit close to Tarragona some 65 miles south of Barcelona.
As you may know, he race was resumed few months later on the October 29th; 17 drivers started and the winner was Benoist (Salmson nº 2) followed by Frick Armangué (EHP-Loryc, nº 16) who did the fastest lap at 93,248 kph chasing Benois during his eleventh and beforelast round.
By the way, as most of cycle cars races of the period, the event was organized by the Royal Motorcycle of Catalonia.

[sundance76]

A recent book on Luigi Fagioli, but the review of AISA (Associazione Italiana Storia dell'Automobile) is rather negative:



La terza Effe: Luigi Fagioli. Storia di un campione della velocità
di Gianluca Sannipoli

Editore: Media Video, Gubbio, 2008
Formato: 23x22, pagine 180
Lingua italiana, prezzo € 30,00

La biografia di Luigi Fagioli (1898-1952) mancava nel panorama librario: nessuno aveva messo in ordine la carriera di questo solido pilota con trent’anni di corse sulle spalle e, soprattutto, nessuno aveva ancora provato a descrivere, se non a interpretare, la personalità dell’uomo.

Gli inglesi, per il suo comportamento in corsa e nei box lo avevano bollato quale “Il bandito degli Abruzzi”, dimostrando anche una chiara ignoranza della geografia italiana. In Mercedes e Auto Union era sopportato, mai agevolato.

In Alfa Romeo, Fagioli era, appunto, la terza Effe del team (Farina e Fangio le altre due ) : preso per la sua grande esperienza, ma anche perché, alla fine degli anni Quaranta, l’offerta di piloti di vaglia era ai minimi. E, come nei team tedeschi, Fagioli era condannato ad essere il pilota-gregario, pur se avrebbe meritato di più.

Dopo questo lavoro di Gianluca Sannipoli bisognerà continuare ad aspettare un libro che racconti Fagioli e il suo tempo.

Le corse ci sono: quelle più importanti e già note, raccontate in poche parole senza nulla di nuovo o inedito, citando a mani basse da altri libri, talvolta con strafalcioni nelle citazioni in lingue straniere ed errori di contenuto.

La bibliografia limitata a 6 Websites e 11 titoli, tutti e soli italiani, fa ipotizzare che la ricerca alla base di questa opera non sia stata particolarmente approfondita, come appare evidente dalle pagine.

La forma tipografica è modesta. Le foto sono piccole ed è un peccato perché parecchie sono inedite e interessanti. Altra occasione persa, le riproduzioni di articoli dell’epoca: troppo piccole per essere leggibili.

La lettura delle prefazioni faceva sperare in un’opera che, oltre alla solita litania di corse, ritiri, piazzamenti, vittorie, sapesse inquadrare l’uomo e il pilota Fagioli nel tempo e nel mondo che ha attraversato. Nel libro, non c’è nulla di tutto questo.

[Arjan de Roos]

A biography of Luigi Fagioli (1898-1952) was still missing in the librarian landscape: no one had yet put order in the solid career of this racing driver with thirty years of racing on his shoulders and, above all, no one had yet tried to describe, if not interpret, the personality of this man.

The British, for his conduct in races and pits branded him as "The Abruzzi Robber", showing a clear ignorance of the geography of Italy. In Mercedes and Auto Union he suffered, never an easy life.

At Alfa Romeo, Fagioli was just the third F in the team (Farina and Fangio the first two) hired for his great experience, but also because, in the late forties, the supply of pilots was at a low. And, as in the German team, Fagioli was sentenced to be the pilot-gregarious, although he deserved more.

After this work of Gianluca Sannipoli we must continue to wait for a book that tells the tale of Fagioli and his time.

The races described are the most important and well known. Told in only a few words without anything new or novel. Citing easily from other books, sometimes with blunders in quotations from foreign languages and errors of content.

The bibliography is limited to 6 Websites and 11 books, and only Italian. We hypotize from this that the research behind this work has not been particularly thorough, as became evident after reading all the pages.

The presentation is also a low. The photos are small. Which is a pity because many are new and interesting. Another opportunity lost are included reproductions of articles of the time: too small to be legible.

After reading the preface we hoped that in addition to the usual litany of trips, retreats, places, victories, we get to know the man and see this pilot in his time frame and Fagioli in the world he has gone through. In the book, there's nothing like this.

[fines]

Thanks, Arjan, for the translation. I was getting the gist of the original, and it's a real shame the book is that bad, but I probably wouldn't have bought it anyway with that title - "The third 'F'"!

[Stephen W]

It is a great shame that we don't have an autobiography on one of the most successful drivers to have ever competed in the World Championship F1 Grand Prix. Purely on statistics he ranks in the Top 10 despite only taking part in 7 races. I would love to read more about his early career.

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Arjan de Roos
The British, for his conduct in races and pits branded him as "The Abruzzi Robber", showing a clear ignorance of the geography of Italy

What British? I may be wrong, but I thought that was a Hans Tanner invention. And he wasn't British

To me, Fagioli was a great Maserati, Alfa and Mercedes driver. To suggest his greatest achievement was being the third member of a team with Fangio and Farina, at the end of his career, does him no justice at all

[Arjan de Roos]

Originally posted by David McKinney

What British? I may be wrong, but I thought that was a Hans Tanner invention. And he wasn't British

To me, Fagioli was a great Maserati, Alfa and Mercedes driver. To suggest his greatest achievement was being the third member of a team with Fangio and Farina, at the end of his career, does him no justice at all

Don't shoot the messenger. David, I suppose you sum up the complaint of the reviewer (who obviously took some misconceptions from the book himself). I admit that I should have translated Inglese into English. Scuza!

[David McKinney]

I'm certainly not shooting the messenger, Arjan, or the AISA reviewer

[Bauble]

Without any good reason or evidence, I have always assumed that the 'Abruzzi Robber' tag emanated from the Mille Miglia somehow. Perhaps some particularly good drive through the region sometime?

I do not suppose that the name carried any derogatory connotations, Fangio was 'El Cheuco' (bandy legs), Maurice Trintignant 'Petoulet' (rat droppings), Hawthorn 'Le Papillon' (the butterfly) just a few of the many nicknames ascribed to drivers, and who could forget 'Wadda' Hunt?

I am sure we will now be flooded with other such appelations.

B

[Barry Boor]

I am only just discovering that Fagioli left the Alfa Romeo team early in 1951. With no evidence to support my impression, I always thought he saw the whole season out with them.

It comes as rather a surprise to find Toulo de Graffenried in an Alfa for a couple of the 1951 races and Sanesi in four. I thought he was the test driver.

Is it true to say that Luigi got the right hump when he was forced to hand his car over to JMF in France? If so, where was he when the Swiss and Belgian races were taking place?

Please excuse the ignorance of this fool.

[David McKinney]

Fagioli did only one postwar season with Alfa Romeo, 1950

The team had a policy of giving people one-off drives in this period - Ascari, Parnell and Pietsch come to mind, as well as de Graffenried. And Fagioli in 1951

Sanesi seems to have been given more and more drives as time went on and of course, being on the staff, continued with Alfa in sportscar events

[Arjan de Roos]

What British? I may be wrong,

I was wrong. I should have translated 'Gli Inglesi' by 'The English'. Mi perdonna?

[David McKinney]

It still doesn't change my earlier point

I think it was Hans Tanner, not an English or British writer, who first called him the Abruzzi Robber

[Roger Clark]

It still doesn't change my earlier point

I think it was Hans Tanner, not an English or British writer, who first called him the Abruzzi Robber

I pointed out a long time ago that Cyril Posthumus used the phrase in his Autosport obituary of Fagioli. Doug Nye replied saying that he thought it went back to the 1930s. I don't think either could have come from Tanner.

Something strange has happened to TNF. A lot of posts on this and other threads have disappeared even though the first posting date on the index page is the same.

[Vitesse2]

Something strange has happened to TNF. A lot of posts on this and other threads have disappeared even though the first posting date on the index page is the same.

There's a temporary database problem, Roger. See Hack's announcement here:

http://forums.autosp...howtopic=149215

[Arjan de Roos]

It still doesn't change my earlier point

David, I fully follow you!

[David McKinney]

...even though Roger Clark says I'm wrong

I believe him...

Edited by David McKinney, 06 June 2011 - 16:44.

[Eric Dunsdon]

Fagioli did only one postwar season with Alfa Romeo, 1950

The team had a policy of giving people one-off drives in this period - Ascari, Parnell and Pietsch come to mind, as well as de Graffenried. And Fagioli in 1951

Sanesi seems to have been given more and more drives as time went on and of course, being on the staff, continued with Alfa in sportscar events

As an employee of Alfa Romeo, Sanesi also had strong backing from the powerful trade unions. Being a pretty handy driver helped.

I have always been intrigued by Alberto Ascari's one-off drive for Alfa Romeo in the 1948 French Grand Prix at Rheims following the teams loss of Varzi at Berne and Trossi's continued ilness. After leading the race twice, Ascari dutifully followed team orders and finished third behind team mates Wimille and Sanesi. Considering the strong family connection linking Ascari with Alfa and with him being an obvious star of the future, I am surprised that he wasnt offered a permanent place with the team. I have never read
of there having been such an offer. Of course, at that time Alberto would have had some sort of agreement with Maserati to continue with their new 4CLT San Remo but how binding would that have been?. Or might it have been that Alberto was reluctant to join a team with a strict team orders policy?.