1953 Mille Miglia

The 1953 Mille Miglia, was the second round of the 1953 F.I.A. World Sportscar Championship and was held on the open-road of Italy, on 26 April 1953. The route was based on a round trip between Brescia and Rome, with start/finish, in Brescia.[1]

Marzotto and Crosara in the winning Ferrari 340 MM

A total of 577 cars were entered 1953 running of the Mille Miglia, across eight classes based on engine sizes, ranging from up to 750cc to over 2.0 litre, for both Touring Cars and Sport Cars. Of these, 490 cars started the event. Although this not strictly a race against each other, this is race against the clock, as the cars are released at one-minute intervals with the larger professional class cars going before the slower cars, in the Mille Miglia, however the smaller displacement, slower cars started first. Each car number related to their allocated start time. For example Juan-Manuel Fangio’s car had the number 602, he left Brescia at 6:02am, while the first cars had started late in the evening on the previous day.[1]

Report

Entry

The works S. P. A. Alfa Romeo entered in force with three new cars, the Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Competizione Maggiorata to be driven by Fangio, Karl Kling, and Consalvo Sanesi. Scuderia Lancia had assembled a veteran team, consisting of Piero Taruffi, four-time winner Clemente Biondetti, Umberto Maglioli, Felice Bonetto and Franco Bornigia with the first four driving their D20 2900. Ferrari for their part arrived with four 300 bhp 4.1 litre, Ferrari 340 MM spider Vignale for Luigi Villoresi, Giuseppe Farina, Giannino Marzotto and the American racer Tom Cole. For 1953, the Mille Miglia was a round of the new World Sports Car Championship, the home teams faced strong challengers. From Great Britain, came Aston Martin and Jaguar, and France sent Gordini.[2][3]

Race

The race started at 22:01 on 25 April, when P.J. Darquier departed Brescia in his Renault 4CV/1063. The faster car would leave the following morning, when conditions were warm and dry. After nine and half hours, all the cars were on their way to Rome.[1][2]

The Alfas took the early lead, with Sanesi controlling the pace, averaging 113 mph, on the leg to Verona, but his drive ended with an accident on the road to Rome. The Ferrari of Farina had crashed out, and Kling assumed the lead, only to retire from an accident himself.[2]

Ferrari 340 MM spider Vignale which won in the hands of Giannino Marzotto, pictured in the Enzo Ferrari Museum

Just past Siena, Marzotto remembered that the Ferrari mechanics did not change his engine oil at the last control point, as they were unable to open the bonnet. After making a U-turn, he raced back to Siena, where his mechanics cut a hole in the bonnet, directly over the engines oil filler cap, and topped the oil up accordingly. Meanwhile, Fangio’s Alfa was now leading, but surrender to the chasing Marzotto when his steering started to play up along with fading brakes. Although Marzotto suffered two minor crashes, he took it all the way to Brescia, to win his second Mille Miglia, repeating his success of 1950. In second place with a remarkable drive was Fangio. For most of the return leg, his Alfa had effective steering on one front wheel.[2][3]

Marzotto, partner by his navigator, Marco Crosara, won in a time of 10hr 37:19mins., averaging a speed of 88.96 mph. 11:44mins adrift in second place was Alfa-Romeo 6C 3000CM of Fangio. The third different car on the podium was the Lancia of Bonetto. Another Ferrari came home in fourth, driven by Cole. The top Aston Martin was fifth in the hands of Reg Parnell. Apart from Aston Martin’s fifth place, the other foreign challenges faded away. Belgian journalist, Paul Frère won the unlimited touring class in an unlikely 5.3-litre Chrysler Saratoga saloon.[2][4][5][6][3]

The race had dramatic farce. Film director, Roberto Rossellini drove a Ferrari. Having recently married film star Ingrid Bergman, he raced against her wishes. At Rome, she flung herself across the car and refused to move until he agreed to withdraw.[3]

The event was marred by the fatal accident, which cost the French navigator, Pierre-Gilbert Ugnon his life when Luc Descollanges crashed his Jaguar C-Type.[5][6]

Classification

Mille Miglia

Of the 490 starters, 283 were classified as finishers. Therefore, only a selection of notably racers has been listed below.

Class Winners are in Bold text.

Pos. No. Class Driver Navigator Entrant Car - Engine Time Reason Out
1st 547 S+2.0 Giannino Marzotto Marco Crosara Ferrari 340 MM Vignale 10hr 37:19
2nd 602 S+2.0 Juan Manuel Fangio Giulio Sala S. P. A. Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM 10hr 49:03
3rd 606 S+2.0 Felice Bonetto U Peruzzi Scuderia Lancia Lancia D20 Pininfarina 11hr 07:40
4th 608 S+2.0 Tom Cole Mario Vandelli Ferrari 340 MM Vignale 11hr 20:39
5th 611 S+2.0 Reg Parnell Louis Klemantaski Aston Martin Lagonda Aston Martin DB3 11hr 32:43
6th 525 S2.0 Emilio Giletti Guerino Bertocchi Maserati A6GCS/53 Fantuzzi 11hr 38:42
7th 546 S+2.0 Enrico Anselmi Luigi Maggio Scuderia Lancia Lancia Aurelia B20 11hr 41:07
8th 616 S+2.0 Clemente Biondetti E. Barovero Scuderia Lancia Lancia D20 Pininfarina 11hr 49:49
9th 633 S+2.0 Giulio Cabianca Gianfranco Roghi Ferrari 250 MM Vignale 11hr 51:39
10th 512 S2.0 Sergio Mantovani R Palazzi Maserati A6GCS/53 Fantuzzi 11hr 51:56
11th 541 S+2.0 Roberto Piodi B. Militello Lancia Aurelia B20 12hr 01:39
12th 340 S1.1 Bruno Venezian Achille Albarelli O.S.C.A. MT4 1100 12hr 04:50
13th 518 S2.0 Salvatore Casella Vinicio Puccini Franco Bordoni Gordini T15S 12hr 05:39
14th 504 S2.0 Franco Cortese P. Feroldi Fiat 8V 12hr 09:19
15th 446 S2.0 Enrico Sterzi O. Rossi Ferrari 166MM Vignale 12hr 15:49
16th 551 S+2.0 Peter Collins Mike Keen Aston Martin Lagonda Aston Martin DB3 12hr 22:20
17th 337 S1.1 Gaetano Sani Adone Bianchi O.S.C.A. MT4 1100 12hr 26:35
18th 506 S2.0 Franco Mosters G. Vitali Fiat 8V 12hr 29:18
19th 526 S2.0 Salvatore Leto di Prioli Massimo Leto di Prioli Fiat 8V Zagato 12hr 30:36
20th 444 S2.0 Ovidio Capelli Orlando Gerli Fiat 8V 12hr 30:49
21st 550 S+2.0 Umberto Marzotto Gino Bronzoni Scuderia Lancia Lancia Aurelia B20 12hr 32:16
22nd 255 T2.0 Luciano Pagliai Vasco Parducci Alfa Romeo 1900TI 12hr 34:05
23rd 457 S2.0 Sante Montanari A. Bombardini Fiat 8V 12hr 34:20
24th 447 S2.0 Luigi Piotti Bruno Franzoni Ferrari 166MM Vignale 12hr 36:21
25th 230 T2.0 Antonio Stagnoli Mario de Giuseppe Alfa Romeo 1900TI 12hr 37:33
26th 358 S1.1 Giuseppe Coriasco L. Gamerro O.S.C.A. MT4 1100 12hr 37:53
27th 249 T2.0 Ugo Bormioli O. Marchiori Alfa Romeo 1900TI 12hr 40:46
28th 252 T2.0 Mario Pareschi Paolo Milanese Alfa Romeo 1900TI 12hr 46:49
29th 237 T2.0 Elio Zagato Franco Martinego Alfa Romeo 1900 12hr 47:16
30th 438 S2.0 Hans Herrmann Erwin Bauer Porsche KG Porsche 356 1500 Super 12hr 47:37
31st 222 T2.0 Alberto Della Beffa Olga Della Beffa Alfa Romeo 1900TI 12hr 50:49
41st 428 S2.0 Heinz Schulthess Peter Kaiser Porsche 356 1500 Super 13hr 09:25
58th 407 T+2.0 Paul Frère André Milhoux Chrysler Saratoga 13hr 38:03
78th 2349 T1.3 Guido Mancini Carlo Mancini Fiat 1100/103 14hr 05:16
84th 2221 S750 R. Touzot A. Persillon DB HBR Panhard 14hr 15:36
100th 425 S2.0 J. Brons Melvin H. Stickney Porsche 356 14hr 35:54
141st 005 T1.3 Roberto Lippi P. Ungarelli Fiat 1100 15hr 04:35
151st 2229 S750 Jean Rédélé Louis Pons Renault 4CV/1063 15hr 14:51
170th 82 T750 Adriano Angelelli Mario Recchi Renault 4CV 15hr 46:12
250th 2201 S750 P. J. Darquier “Bargary” Renault 4CV/1063 18hr 04:29
DNF 603 S+2.0 Karl Kling Hans Klenk S. P. A. Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM 5hr 38:38 Accident
DNF 609 S+2.0 Giovanni Bracco Alfonso Rolfo Ferrari Spa Ferrari 250 MM Pinin Farina 5hr 50:20 Differential
DNF 619 S+2.0 Umberto Maglioli “Carnio” Scuderia Lancia Lancia D20 Pininfarina 5hr 58:30 DNF
DNF 511 S2.0 Luigi Musso O. Donatelli Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati A6GCS/53 Fantuzzi 6hr 08:45 Accident
DNF 617 S+2.0 Gerino Gerini Luciano Donazzolo Ferrari 212 Export 6hr 15:23 DNF
DNF 612 S+2.0 George Abecassis Pat Griffith Aston Martin Lagonda Aston Martin DB3 6hr 18:28 Steering, Accident
DNF 322 T2.0 Piero Palmieri Giorgio Pianta Alfa Romeo 1900 TI 6hr 27:50 DNF
DNF 544 S+2.0 Roberto Rossellini Aldo Tonti Roberto Rossellini Ferrari 250 MM Vignale 7hr 28:26 Differential
DNF 532 S2.0 Goffredo Zehender A. de Giuseppe Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 7hr 53:25 DNF
DNF 552 S+2.0 John Lockett Mike Read Austin-Healey 100 8hr 19:54 DNF
DNF 2241 S750 Rinaldo Pravettoni Dioscoride Lanza Moretti 750 9hr 21:54 DNF
DNF 2249 S750 Ilario Bandini Giovanni Sintoni Bandini-Crosley DNF
DNF 2334 T1.3 Alfonso Thiele Aldo Storzini Fiat 1100/103 DNF
DNF 101 T1.3 Nello Pagani “Albis” Fiat 1100 DNF
DNF 141 T2.0 Lamberto Dalla Costa “Velardi” Fiat 1400 DNF
DNF 220 T2.0 Piero Carini A. Artesiani Alfa Romeo 1900TI DNF
DNF 318 T2.0 Bruno Ruffo E. Mantegazza Alfa Romeo 1900TI DNF
DNF 320 T2.0 Onofre Marimón Gianfranco Maroni Alfa Romeo 1900TI DNF
DNF 527 S2.0 Michelangelo Leonardi Roberto Vallone Ferrari 166MM/53 DNF
DNF 540 S+2.0 John Fitch Raymond Willday Nash Motors Nash-Healey Brakes
DNF 542 S+2.0 Stirling Moss Mortimer Morris-Goodall Jaguars Cars Ltd. Jaguar C-Type Rear Axle
DNF 555 S+2.0 Leslie Johnson W. A. McKenzie L. H. Johnson Jaguar C-Type Split fuel tank
DNF 556 S+2.0 Jacques Swaters Charles de Tornaco Ecurie Francorchamps Ferrari 255S Vignale DNF
DNF 559 S+2.0 Gino Valenzano “Margutti” Lancia Aurelia B20 Ignition
DNF 601 S+2.0 Luc Descollanges Pierre-Gilbert Ugnon Jaguar C-Type Fatal accident
DNF 607 S+2.0 Franco Bordoni Cetti Serbelloni Franco Bordoni Gordini T15S Engine
DNF 613 S+2.0 Luigi Villoresi Piero Cassani Ferrari Spa Ferrari 340 MM Touring Differential
DNF 615 S+2.0 Giuseppe Farina Luigi Parenti Ferrari Spa Ferrari 340 MM Touring Accident
DNF 618 S+2.0 Tommy Wisdom Dave Halliwell Aston Martin Lagonda Aston Martin DB2 Rear Axle
DNF 624 S+2.0 Olivier Gendebien Charles Fraikin Jaguar XK120 DNF
DNF 625 S+2.0 Mike Hawthorn Azelio Cappi Ferrari Spa Ferrari 250 MM Vignale Brakes
DNF 631 S+2.0 Consalvo Sanesi Giuseppe Cagna S. P. A. Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Competizione Maggiorata Accident
DNF 635 S+2.0 Piero Taruffi “Gobbetti” Scuderia Lancia Lancia D20 Pininfarina Engine
DNF 636 S+2.0 Piero Scotti Giulio Contini Piero Scotti Ferrari 250 MM Vignale DNF
DNF 637 S+2.0 Eugenio Castellotti Ivo Regosa Ferrari 340 Mexico Vignale Clutch
DNF 638 S+2.0 Tony Rolt Len Hayden Bill Cannell / Jaguar Cars Ltd. Jaguar C-Type Engine

[1][6][7]

Class Winners
Class Winners
Sport oltre 2000 547 Ferrari 340 MM Vignale Marzotto / Crosara
Sports 2000 525 Maserati A6GCS/53 Fantuzzi Giletti /Bertocchi
Sports 1100 340 Osca MT4 1100 Venezian / Albarelli
Sports 750 2221 DB HBR Panhard Touzot / Persillon
Turismo internazionale +2000 407 Chrysler Saratoga Frère / Milhoux
Turismo internazionale 2000 255 Alfa Romeo 1900 TI Pagliai / Parducci
Turismo internazionale 1300 2349 Fiat 1100/103 Mancini / Mancini
Turismo internazionale 750 82 Renault 4CV Angelelli / Recchi

[1]

Standings after the race
Pos Championship Points
1 Ferrari 9
2= Aston Martin 8
Cunningham 8
4 Alfa Romeo 6
5= Jaguar 4
Lancia 4
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.

Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 4 results out of the 7 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.

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References
  1. "Mille Miglia 1953". Racing Sports Cars. 1953-04-26. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  2. "History of Formula 1 - Mille Miglia - 1953". Grandprixhistory.org. 1948-07-04. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  3. David Venables, “The Classic Motor Racing Circuits of Europe" (Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7110-3481-5, 2010)
  4. http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Mille_Milglia-1953-04-26.html
  5. "1953 Mille Miglia". Teamdan.com. 1953-04-26. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  6. "SPAM protection / Ochrana proti SPAMu". Wsrp.ic.cz. Archived from the original on 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  7. http://www.teamdan.com/wsc/1953/53millem.html%5B%5D

Further reading
  • Anthony Pritchard. The Mille Miglia: The World’s Greatest Road Race. J H Haynes & Co Ltd. ISBN 978-1844251391
  • Leonardo Acerbi. Mille Miglia Story 1927-1957. Giorgio Nada Editore. ISBN 978-8879115490
World Sportscar Championship
Previous race:
12 Hours of Sebring		 1953 season Next race:
24 Hours of Le Mans
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