3 replies to this topic

[GIGLEUX]

I read somewhere (at the moment I don't remember where) that Ferrari wanted to enter his second 4.5 litre car for Raymond Sommer at the 1950 Italian GP as Villoresi was still unfit after his Geneva crash; in fact things did'nt turn like that as Sommer was not very happy with Ferrari in 1950 and also the italian organizers prefered an italian driver in the second Ferrari. So Serafini obtained the wheel. After all may be was it better for the Scuderia as I can hardly imagine Sommer going into he pits to give his car to Ascari!!! The kind of thing you cannot ask to Sommer and this one being certainly not ready to accept! (imagine Farina stopping ang giving his car to Fangio and vice versa).
Second fact: in an "echo" in one of 1950 numbers of french monthly "L'Automobile" it was written that for 1951, Sommer wanted to put a 4 cylinder 4,5 liter Offenhauser engine in his Talbot-Lago.

Does somebody have more information about these two facts?

[Michael Müller]

Sommer's relation to Ferrari was always a strange one. He never agreed to a full works driver contract, because he felt he would loose his independance, which obviously counted more for him than a competitive car. Nevertheless he always was there when Ferrari needed him, Gioachino Colombo called him "our most loyal legionaire". From March to May 1950 he used a Ferrari 125/166 which still is an open question to me. It was a 1949 tipo 166 or 125 (both are nearly similar except the engine which was interchangeable), which he entered in various French F1 and F1 races. Most entries are show "Scuderia Ferrari", but the car most probably was light blue. I never found any signs that it was Sommer's property, and after Aix-les-Bains it disappeared. At Bremgarten 1 week later he had his last drive for the Scuderia, with the same car - tipo 166 F2/50 - he won the "Prix de Berne" F2 race, and participated also in the F1 Swiss GP.
Around this time I believe something happened in the relation between Sommer and Ferrari, however, I've no idea what. May be Sommer was disappointed that Ferrari took away "his" 125/166, or may be he had bad feelings because at Bern he had to enter the F2 for the GP, although the Scuderia still had some 125/49 GP cars available as reserve.
I'm convinced that there was a poisoning of relation, but no details are available. And surely this has also something to do with the situation at Monza in September.

[alessandro silva]

Originally posted by Michael Müller
Sommer's relation to Ferrari was always a strange one.
Around this time I believe something happened in the relation between Sommer and Ferrari, however, I've no idea what.
I'm convinced that there was a poisoning of relation, but no details are available. And surely this has also something to do with the situation at Monza in September.

At this time, Sommer called Ferrari "Al Capone" in an interview, I believe, but I do not know why. Curiously Ferrari invariantly calls Sommer "il caro Sommer" (the dear Sommer) in his book Gioie Terribili.
Also, Ascari and Villoresi preferred Serafini as a team mate . . In the winter 49/50 he was signed by Ferrari for the Temporada Argentina series. Taruffi says that "he had been promised the drive, but Ascari and Villoresi preferred having Serafini as a team mate. They thought that Serafini, who was at the beginning of his car racing career, would hand over his car to them more willingly".
As a matter of fact Serafini had a very good character, modest, simple, unassuming and was a well-natured always smiling man. He was retained by Ferrari for the 1950 season. The 1950 Italian GP was to be Serafini's only start in a F1 World Championship race. There were rumors about Sommer racing the second Ferrari, but it came to nothing and maybe for the reasons said above it was Serafini who deputized for Gigi Villoresi.

[ReWind]

Are there really only three threads about Raymond Sommer?
This one and those two?

I'd like to remind you that 100 years ago today "Cœur de lion" was born.