As mentioned, this one has puzzled me for some time. After Rudi mentioned it, I started going back through my file folders earlier today. I had a question mark for this one that is still on the worksheet that Barrie sent me Way Back Then.
For starters, I was quite puzzled how a 250F could even been able to compete in a championship hillclimb event since the cars were initially limited to 2,000cc and then to 1,500cc -- which meant the championship round in 1959 for the Pikes Peak round went to an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce (1,300cc) -- about five minutes slower than the time set by Bobby Unser -- with an RSK in 6th place. Which brings me back to 12 July 1959 and the Bodone event. In some results I find Giovani list as second, wedged between Barth and Seidel, in others, Giovani is not listed at all. If Giovani was indeed in a 200SI -- as I have long suspected -- then unless it was carrying an engine of under1,500cc then it was not eligible for the championship event. That Giovani is listed in some places and not others is something that I had forgotten. In the results given in the Automobile Year No. 7 for instance, Giovani is not listed -- at all. I no longer have any email or notes of a fax exchange on this, the former longer given up to the Ether and no idea as to what may have happened to the former. Maybe brighter minds can resolve this since I am, as usual, somewhat flummoxed by it.
I think that it is clear that sufficient reason exists to excise the Giovani entry from the record -- which would have probably happened during the scrub, but full credit to Rudi and Doug for making the case to do so.
Speaking of Erwin Sommerhalder, at the Grand Prix Suisse de la Montague held at Lenzerheide on 25 August 1957, there were four classes for sports cars -- up to 1,000cc, 1,101cc-1,500cc, 1,501cc-2,000cc, and over 2,000cc; and four for racing cars -- up to 500cc, 501-1,100cc, 1,101cc-1,500cc, and over 1,500cc. Sommerhalder was the sole entry in the over 1,500cc class, making runs of 3 min 45.4 sec and 3 min 45.8 sec, while von Trips made runs of 3 min 28.6 sec and 3 min 28.8 sec in a Porsche RS. Both rate photographs, by the way in that year's Automobile Year (No. 5).
As usual, pity the poor historian...!