7 replies to this topic

[Marc Ceulemans]

I would like to have informations about this event.

I know it happened in the first days of October 1954 and it was the first edition.

Here's the class winners

1- Standard touring car
Up to 1,300 cc: Bricarello / Vanucci (Fiat), 3h 05m 22s 2
Up to 2,000 cc: Martignoni / Favero (Alfa Romeo 1900 TI #42), 2h 44m 48s 3
Over 2,000 cc: Olivier Gendebien / Gilberte Thition (Plymouth #58), 3h 01m 43s 4

2- Modified touring car
Up to 1,300 cc: L & V. Gianni (Fiat 1100), 2h 54m 18s 2
Up to 2,000 cc: Carini / Gray (Alfa Romeo TI #90), 2h 45m 48s 1, disqualified later !
Over 2,000 cc: J & L. Santi (Oldsmobile), 3h 04m 02s 2

3- GT car
Up to 2,000 cc: Taramazzo / Gerino (Alfa Romeo Super Sport #114), 2h 38m 31s 1
Over 2,000 cc: Valenzano / Sposetti (Lancia 2500), 2h 39m 05s 2

Other known results:

Modified touring car, up to 1,300 cc:
2- Gorza / Cappelli (Fiat), 2h 59m 03s 3
3- Paul Guiraud / Henri Beau (F), Peugeot 203, 2h 59m 37s

Modified touring car, over 2,000 cc:
2- Morelli / Graziano (Citroën), 3h 08m 45s 1

GT car, up to 2,000 cc
2- Georges Houel / José Behra (F), Alfa Romeo.


Mrs Rezzonica and M Simontacchi (copilote) were killed in an crash near Bari. An other accident killed a spectator.

[Hugo Boecker]

It took place from 28.September - 6.October 1954
7 legs ( 21 special stages mostly hillclimbs and speedtests)
5763 Kilometers.
Miss Rezzonico crashed with a Lancia 2.5litre

[Roger Clark]

Series touring

1 Martigoni/Favero Alfa romeo 2hr 44' 48.6"
2 Musso/Martino Alfa romeo 2hr 45' 13.4"
3 Bertani.bigliardi Alfa Romeo 2: 46' 06.8"
4 Servadei.Duvia Alfa romeo 2: 57' 07.0"
5 Malavasi.Bardini Alfa romeo 3: 00' 14.8"
6 Ruggiero/Calce Alfa romeo 3: 01' 07.8"
(the above were 1-6 in the 1300cc- 2000cc class)
7 Gendebien/Mlle Thirion Plymouth 3: 01' 43.8"
8 Palanga/Ravina Alfa Romeo 3: 04' 18.8"
(the above were 1st and 2nd in the over 2000cc class)
9 Bricarello/Vannucci Fiat 3:05' 22.4" (1st in the under 1300cc class)
10 Priori/Celoni Alfa Romeo 3: 06' 57.4" (7th in the 1300-2000cc class)

[Roger Clark]

Special Series touring

1 Carini/Gay Alfa Romeo 2: 45' 48.2" (1st in 1300-2000cc class)
2 Gianni, L/Gianni V Fiat 2: 54 18.4"
3 Gorza.Capelli Fiat 2: 59' 03.6"
4 Guiraud/Beau Peugeot 2: 59' 57.0"
5 Crotti/Sassi Lancia 3:02' 01.6"
6 Celi/Abba Fiat 3: 02' 23.2"
(the above were 1-5 in the under 1300cc class)
7 Santi J/ Santi A Oldsmobile 3:04' 02.4"
8 morolli/Graziano Citroen 3:08' 45.2"
(the above were 1-2 in the over 2000cc class)
9 Fontanella/Botto Fiat 3:09' 05.0"
10 di Selvo/Pappalardo Lancia 3:09' 34.0"
(the above were 6-7 in the uinder 1300cc class)

[Roger Clark]

Gran Turismo

1 Taramazzo/Gerino Alfa romeo 2: 38' 31.2" (1st in the under 2000cc class)
2 Valenzano/sposetti Lancia 2: 39' 05.4"
3 Serafini/ribaldi Lancia 2: 42' 09.4"
4 Biondetti/Ricci Lancia 2: 43' 03.2"
5 Begozzi/collonna Lancia 2: 45' 28.2"
(the lancias were 1-4 in the over 2000cc class)
6 Houel/Behra Alfa romeo 2: 49' 02.6" (2nd in the under 2000cc class)
7 Croce/Castello Lancia 2: 51' 31.4" (5th in the over 2000cc class)
8 Galluzzi/Mazzantini 2: 53' 18.6" (3rd in the under 2000cc class)
9 Baretta/Riva Lancia 2: 57' 52.4"
10 moroni/Gaboardi Lanci 2: 59' 48.2"
(these Lancias were 6-7 in the over 2000cc class)

[Marc Ceulemans]

Thanks Roger and Hugo.

I seems that my source used 1/5".

What about the disqualification of Carini / Gray ? It was announced in the "Les Sports" in December 1954 (but they could be reinstated later ...)

[Roger Clark]

Originally posted by Marc Ceulemans
Thanks Roger and Hugo.

I seems that my source used 1/5".

What about the disqualification of Carini / Gray ? It was announced in the "Les Sports" in December 1954 (but they could be reinstated later ...)

I couldn't find a mention of it in Autocourse or Autosport. Incidentally they both said the start date was 27th Sept, not 28th as posted by Hugo.

[Nanni Dietrich]

I would like to have informations about this event.

I know it happened in the first days of October 1954 and it was the first edition.

...

Mrs Rezzonica and M Simontacchi (copilote) were killed in an crash near Bari. An other accident killed a spectator.

Possibly another competitor lost his life as a consequence of an accident which happened during the 3rd stage of the race, near Catanzaro, southern Italy.

The 1954 Giro Automobilistico d'Italia was a tough GT and touring-car road race, with reliabiliy runs, hillclimbs and circuit races, alternating displacement and timed sections. With the start and finish in the Autodromo Nazionale of Monza, the event was scheduled to begin at 00:00 on Monday, 27 September and to end on Wednesday, 06 October 1954. The ten-day competition over a circuit of 5,763 kilometers (about 3,581 miles) long, was divided into seven stages:
1st stage, Milan - Sanremo, 823 kms;
2nd stage, Sanremo - Naples, 1190.6 kms;
3rd stage, Naples - Bari, 955.2 kms;
4th stage Bari - Rimini, 966.2 kms;
5th stage Rimini - Merano, 886 kms;
6th stage, Merano - Turin, 477.1 kms;
7th stage, Turin - Milan, 464.9 kms.

According to Newspaper "Stampasera" (Turin, Italy) issue of Friday, 01 October 1954, page 4, article "Due piloti all'ospedale per il ribaltamento della macchina", and Newspaper "Stampasera" (Turin, Italy) issue of Saturday, 02 October 1954, page 7, article "Due piloti morti nell'Autogiro d'Italia" (retrieved by website http://www.archiviolastampa.it/ ) in an accident which occurred on Friday, 01 October 1954, during the third stage Naples - Bari, were gravely injured two competitors, Lombardi and Merli who took part in the race in a Fiat 1100.
It is believed that Lombardi was later transferred to Milan and passed away nine days later. The book "Albo della Gloria: Al Piloti Caduti in Tutto il Mondo al Loro Posto di Combattimento", by Emanuele Carli, Italy 1972, indicated that one Alberto Lombardi died at Monza on Sunday, 10 October 1954.

Nothing more is available on newspapers about this fatality.