Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. While the first races consisted of a whole tour of the island, the track length in the race's last decades was limited to the 72 kilometres (45 mi) of the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, which was lapped 11 times.

Targa Florio

Category	Endurance
Country	Tour of Island of Sicily, Italy
Inaugural season	1906
Folded	1977
Last Drivers' champion	Raffaele Restivo,  Alfonso Merendino
Last Constructors' champion	Chevron B36 BMW
Official website	www.targa-florio.it

Alessandro Cagno (1883-1971), winner of first Targa Florio in 1906. Pictured at 1907 event.

After 1973, it was a national sports car event until it was discontinued in 1977 due to safety concerns. It has since been run as a rallying event, and is part of the Italian Rally Championship.

History

Vincenzo Trucco, winner of the 1908 Targa Florio driving an Isotta Fraschini

Vincenzo Lancia driving a Fiat 50 hp in 1908 Targa Florio, finished 2nd.

The race was created in 1906 by the wealthy pioneer race driver and automobile enthusiast, Vincenzo Florio, who had started the Coppa Florio race in Brescia, Lombardy in 1900. The Targa also claimed to be a worldly event not to be missed. Renowned artists, such as Alexandre Charpentier and Leonardo Bistolfi, were commissioned to design medals. A magazine was initiated, Rapiditas, which aimed to enhance, with graphic and photographic reproductions of the race, the myth of the car and the typical character of modern life, speed.[1]

One of the toughest competitions in Europe, the first Targa Florio covered 3 laps equalling 277 miles (446 km) through multiple hairpin curves on treacherous mountain roads, at heights where severe changes in climate frequently occurred. Alessandro Cagno won the inaugural 1906 race in nine hours, averaging 30 miles per hour (50 km/h).

By the mid-1920s, the Targa Florio had become one of Europe's most important races, as neither the 24 Hours of Le Mans nor the Mille Miglia had been established yet. Grand Prix races were still isolated events, not a series like today's F1.

The wins of Mercedes (not yet merged with Benz) in the 1920s made a big impression in Germany, especially that of German Christian Werner in 1924, as he was the first non-Italian winner since 1920. Rudolf Caracciola repeated a similar upset win at the Mille Miglia a couple of years later. In 1926, Eliska Junkova, one of the great female drivers in Grand Prix motor racing history, became the first woman to ever compete in the race.

In 1953, the FIA World Sportscar Championship was introduced. The Targa became part of it in 1955, when Mercedes had to win 1-2 with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR in order to beat Ferrari for the title. They had missed the first two of the 6 events, Buenos Aires and the 12 Hours of Sebring, where Ferrari, Jaguar, Maserati and Porsche scored. Mercedes appeared at and won in the Mille Miglia, then pulled out of Le Mans as a sign of respect for the victims of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, but won the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod. Stirling Moss/Peter Collins and Juan Manuel Fangio/Karl Kling finished minutes ahead of the best Ferrari and secured the title.

Course variants

Several versions of the track were used. It started with a single lap of a 146 km (91 mi) circuit from 1906-1911 and 1931. From 1912 to 1914 a tour around the perimeter of Sicily was used, with a single lap of 975 kilometres (606 mi), lengthened to 1,080 kilometres (670 mi) from 1948 to 1950. The 146 km "Grande" circuit was then shortened twice, the first time to 108 km (67 mi), the version used from 1919-1930, and then to the 72 km (45 mi) circuit used from 1932 to 1936 and 1951 to 1977. From 1951-1958, the long coastal island tour variant was used for a separate event called the Giro di Sicilia (Lap of Sicily).

The start and finish took place at Cerda. The counter-clockwise lap lead from Caltavuturo and Collesano from an altitude over 600 metres (1,970 ft) down to sea level, where the cars raced from Campofelice di Roccella on the Buonfornello straight along the coast, a straight over 6 km (3.7 mi) longer than the Mulsanne Straight at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans. The longest version of the circuit went south through Caltavuturo (whereas the shortest version of the open-road circuit went east just before entry into Caltavuturo, through a mountainous section directly to Collesano) through an extended route through elevation changes, and swept through the nearby towns of Castellana and Sottana, twisting around mountains up to the town of Castelbuono and rejoined the most recent version of the track at Collesano. The second version of the track also went south through Caltavuturo and took a shortcut starting right before Castellana to Collesano via the town of Polizzi Generosa. There was a closed circuit called Favorita Park in the Sicilian capital of Palermo used from 1937-1940.

The challenge of the Targa was unprecedented in its difficulty and the driving experience of any of the course variants was unlike any other circuit in the world other than perhaps that of the Nurburgring in Germany. The original Grande 146 km (91 mi) circuit had in the realm of 2,000 corners per lap, the 108 km (67 mi) Medio had about 1,300-1,400 corners per lap and the final iteration of the course, the 72 km (45 mi) Piccolo circuit had about 800-900 corners per lap. To put that in perspective, most purpose built circuits have between 12 and 18 corners, and the longest purpose built circuit in the world, the 13-mile Nurburgring, has about 180 corners. So learning any of the Targa Florio courses was extremely difficult and required, like most long circuits, at least 60 laps to learn the course- and unlike the purpose-built Nurburgring, the course had to be learned properly in public traffic, and one lap of even the Piccolo course would take about an hour to do in a road car- if there was little to no traffic.

Lap speeds

Like a rally event (and the Isle of Man TT), the race cars were started one by one every 15 seconds for a time trial, as a start from a full grid was not possible on the tight and twisty roads.

Although the public road circuit used for the Targa was extremely challenging- it was a very different kind of circuit and race from any other race on the sportscar calendar. All of the circuit variations of the Targa were made up of mountain roads, so they were all very slow and twisty, and each had so many corners that lap speeds at the Targa never went higher than 80 mph (128 km/h). Helmut Marko set the lap record in 1972 in an Alfa Romeo 33TT3 at 33 min 41 s at an average of 128.253 km/h (79.693 mph) during an epic charge where he made up 2 minutes on Arturo Merzario and his Ferrari 312PB.[2] The fastest ever was Leo Kinnunen in 1970, lapping in the Porsche 908/3 at 128.571 km/h (79.890 mph) or 33 min 36 seconds flat.[3]

Due to the track's length, drivers practised in the week before the race in public traffic, often with their race cars fitted with license plates. Porsche factory drivers even had to watch onboard videos, a sickening experience for some. The lap record for the 146 km "Grande" circuit was 2 hours 3 min 54.8 seconds set by Achille Varzi in a Bugatti Type 51 at the 1931 race at an average speed of 70.7 km/h (43.931 mph).[4] The lap record for the 108 km "Medio" circuit was 1 hour 21 min 21.6 seconds set by Varzi in an Alfa Romeo P2 at an average speed of 79.642 km/h (49.487 mph) at the 1930 race.[5] The fastest completion around the short version of the island tour was done by Giovanni "Ernesto" Ceirano in a SCAT at the 1914 race, completed in 16 hours, 51 minutes and 31.6 seconds from May 24–25, 1914.[6] The fastest completion of the long version of the island tour was by Mario and Franco Bornigia in an Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Competizione, completed in 12 hours, 26 minutes and 33 seconds flat at the 1950 race at an average speed of 86.794 km/h (53.931 mph).[7]

1970s, safety and demise

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, race cars with up to 600 hp (450 kW) such as Nino Vaccarella's Ferrari 512S raced through small mountain villages while spectators sat or stood right next to, or even on, the road. Porsche, on the other hand, did not race its big Porsche 917, but rather the nimble Porsche 908/03 Spyders.

Due to safety concerns, especially by Helmut Marko, who called the race "totally insane", the last Targa Florio as a World Sportscar Championship race was run in 1973; when it had become impossible to retain its international status after a number of horrendous and two fatal accidents; one which privateer Charles Blyth crashed his Lancia Fulvia HF into a trailer at the end of the Buonfornello straight and was killed; and another where an Italian driver crashed his Alpine-Renault into a group of spectators, killing one. There were several other accidents during practice for the 1973 event in which a total of seven spectators sustained injuries. The event was won by a Porsche 911 Carrera RSR as the prototypes such as Jacky Ickx's Ferrari suffered crashes or other troubles. The Targa's international demise was compounded because of widespread concern about the organizers' ability to properly maintain the race on such a massive circuit, and there were not enough marshals - most spectators sat too close the roads; and also the international automotive governing body, the FIA, mandated safety walls on all circuits that were going to hold FIA-mandated events from 1974 onwards, and the 44-mile (71 km) length of combined public roads made this simply impossible and totally impractical, especially from a financial standpoint. The Targa was continued as a national event for some years, before a crash in 1977 which killed 2 spectators and seriously injured 5 others (including the driver) sealed its fate. The 1977 race was forcibly taken over by local police and was stopped on the 4th lap, and it also saw 2 other drivers having serious accidents; one of them was critically injured, but survived.

Although the Targa Florio was a rally-type race that took place on closed-off Sicilian public mountain roads with (aside from straw bales and weak guardrails at some of the turns, the latter were installed by the island's government) practically no safety features, only 9 people – including spectators –died at the event over the 71 year and 61 race history using a total of 6 circuit configurations. This amount is relatively small compared to other open road races, like the Mille Miglia, where over a period of 30 years and 24 races, 56 people lost their lives and the Carrera Panamericana, where over a period of 5 years and 5 races, 25 people were killed. This is probably due to the fact that the mountain roads used were extremely slow and twisty, and average lap speeds never reached even 80 mph (130 km/h) even up to the final years of the race's history, even with the very long straight at the northernmost of the track, whereas most road circuits had average speeds anywhere between 110 mph (180 km/h) and even 160 mph (260 km/h).

Legacy

After winning the race several times, Porsche named the hardtop convertible version of the 911 after the Targa. The name targa means plaque or plate, see targa top.

The Australian-made Leyland P76 had a special version named Targa Florio to commemorate victory by journalist-rallyist Evan Green on a Special Stage of the 1974 London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally which was held on the Targa Florio course.[8]

Since 1992 the event has lent its name to a modern recreation, staged half-a-world away in the form of the famous road rally Targa Tasmania held on the island state of Tasmania, off the Southern coast of Australia. There are also the Targa New Zealand since 1995, the Targa Newfoundland since 2002 and Targa Great Barrier Reef since 2018 where it is held in the Far North section of Queensland.

2017 will celebrate the 101st Anniversary of the Targa Florio and the first time the event has left Italy. This is an amazing attraction for Victoria, Australia and all car enthusiasts. The event, tours Victoria’s coast and countryside from November 29 to December 3 and features over 150 of the world’s most admirable cars and is expected to attract fans, celebrities and media from across the globe.

The Targa Florio Australian Tribute (TFAT - https://www.targaflorioaustralia.com/) is a regularity event for classic cars produced in the years between 1906 and 1976. Cars competed over 4 days on Victoria’s open roads at regulated speed. As part of the event there were 56 trials across the 4 days. The inaugural event was a huge success and was repeated in 2018. The 3rd Targa Florio Australian Tribute 2019 will be held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 27 November to 1 December 2019.

Winners

[9]

• 
  Jean Porporato finishing fourth at the 1908 race with Berliet.
• 
  Alfa Romeo RL TF - winner in 1923.
• 
  Albert Divo at the 1929 Targa Florio with Bugatti Type 35C.
• 
  Alfa Romeo 8C winner in 1931, 1932 and 1933.
• 
  Maserati 6CM - winner in 1937-1939
• 
  166 S (#001S) by Allemano winning its first race, Targa Florio (April 3, 1948), by Igor Troubetzkoy and Clemente Biondetti
• 
  Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR similar to the 1955 winner driven by Stirling Moss and Peter Collins
• 
  Porsche 904 similar to 1964 winner of Colin Davis and Antonio Pucci
• 
  Targa Florio 1965, Collesano
• 
  Porsche 908/3 driven by winners Jo Siffert and Brian Redman in 1970
• 
  Porsche 911 Carrera RSR driven by Herbert Müller and Gijs van Lennep in 1973
• 
  Lancia Stratos HF Prototype winner of the 1974 edition

Year	Winner	Car	Time	Distance (km)	Speed (km/h)	Laps	Course Variant
1906	Alessandro Cagno	Itala 35/40 HP	9:32:22.0[10]	446.469	46.80	3	Grande Circuit (146 km)
1907	Felice Nazzaro	Fiat 28/40 HP	8:17:36.4[11]	446.469	53.83	3
1908	Vincenzo Trucco	Isotta Fraschini 50 HP	7:49:26.0[11]	446.469	57.06	3
1909	Francesco Ciuppa	S.P.A. 28/40 HP	2:43:19.2[11]	148.823	54.67	1
1910	Franco Tullio Cariolato	Franco Automobili 35/50 HP	6:20:47.4[11]	297.646	46.90	2
1911	Giovanni "Ernesto" Ceirano	SCAT 22/32 HP	9:32:22.4[11]	446.469	46.80	3
1912	Cyril Snipe	SCAT 25/35 HP	24:37:19.8[11]	979.000	41.44	1	Island Tour (short) (979 km)
1913	Felice Nazzaro	Nazzaro Tipo 2	19:18:40.6[11]	979.000	50.70	1
1914	Giovanni "Ernesto" Ceirano	SCAT 22/32	16:51:31.6[11]	979.000	58.07	1
1919	André Boillot	Peugeot EXS	7:51:01.8	432	55	4	Media Circuit (108 km)
1920	Guido Meregalli	Nazzaro GP	8:27:23.8	432	50.924	4
1921	Giulio Masetti	Fiat 451	7:25:05.2	432	58.236	4
1922	Giulio Masetti	Mercedes GP/14	6:50:50.2	432	63.091	4
1923	Ugo Sivocci	Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio	7:18:00.2	432	59.177	4
1924	Christian Werner	Mercedes Tipo Indy 2,0	6:32:37.4	432	66.010	4
1925	Bartolomeo Costantini	Bugatti T35	7:32:27.2	540	71.609	5
1926	Bartolomeo Costantini	Bugatti T35T	7:20:45.0	540	73.507	5
1927	Emilio Materassi	Bugatti T35C	7:35:55.4	540	71.065	5
1928	Albert Divo	Bugatti T35B	7:20:56.6	540	73.478	5
1929	Albert Divo	Bugatti T35C	7:15:41.7	540	74.366	5
1930	Achille Varzi	Alfa Romeo P2	6:55:16.6	540	78.010	5
1931	Tazio Nuvolari	Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Monza	9:00:27.0	584	64.834	4	Grande Circuit (146 km)
1932	Tazio Nuvolari	Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Monza	7:15:50.6	574	79.296	8	Piccolo Circuit (72 km)
1933	Antonio Brivio	Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Monza	6:35:03.0	504	76.729	7
1934	Achille Varzi	Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3	6:14:26.8	432	69.222	6
1935	Antonio Brivio	Alfa Romeo Tipo-B P3	5:27:29.0	432	80.010	6
1936	Constantino Magistri	Lancia Augusta	2:08:47.2	144	67.088	2
1937	Giulio Severi	Maserati 6CM	2:55'49.0	315.6	107.704	60	Favorita Park (5.26 km)
1938	Giovanni Rocco	Maserati 6CM	1:30'04.6	171.6	114.303	30
1939	Luigi Villoresi	Maserati 6CM	1:40.15.4	228	136.445	40
1940	Luigi Villoresi	Maserati 4CL	1:36.08.6	228	142.288	40
1948	Clemente Biondetti Igor Troubetzkoy	Ferrari 166 S	12:12'00.0	1080	88.866	1	Island Tour (long) (1080 km)
1949	Clemente Biondetti Aldo Benedetti	Ferrari 166 SC	13:15.09.4	1080	81.494	1
1950	Mario Bornigia Giancarlo Bornigia	Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Competizione	12:26.33.0	1080	86.794	1
1951	Franco Cortese	Frazer Nash	7:31.04.8	576	76.631	8	Piccolo Circuit (72 km)
1952	Felice Bonetto	Lancia Aurelia B20	7:11.58.0	576	76.631	8
1953	Umberto Maglioli	Lancia D20 3000	7:08.35.8	576	80.635	8
1954	Piero Taruffi	Lancia D24	6:24.18.0	576	89.930	8
1955	Stirling Moss Peter Collins	Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR	9:43.14.0	936	96.290	13
1956	Umberto Maglioli Huschke von Hanstein	Porsche 550	7:54.52.6	720	90.770	10
1957	Fabio Colona	Fiat 600	-	359	-	5
1958	Luigi Musso Olivier Gendebien	Ferrari 250 TR 58	10:37.58.1	1008	94.801	14
1959	Edgar Barth Wolfgang Seidel	Porsche 718 RSK	11:02.21.8	1008	91.309	14
1960	Jo Bonnier Hans Herrmann	Porsche 718 RS 60	7:33.08.2	720	95.320	10
1961	Wolfgang von Trips Olivier Gendebien	Ferrari 246 SP	6:57.39.4	720	103.433	10
1962	Willy Mairesse Ricardo Rodriguez Olivier Gendebien	Ferrari 246 SP	7:02'56.3	720	102.143	10
1963	Jo Bonnier Carlo Maria Abate	Porsche 718 GTR	6:55.45.1	720	109.908	10
1964	Colin Davis Antonio Pucci	Porsche 904 GTS	7:10.53.3	720	100.258	10
1965	Nino Vaccarella Lorenzo Bandini	Ferrari 275 P2	7:01:12.4	720	102.563	10
1966	Willy Mairesse Herbert Müller	Porsche Carrera 6[12]	7:16:32.6	720	98.910	10
1967	Paul Hawkins Rolf Stommelen	Porsche 910[13]	6:37.01.0	720	108.812	10
1968	Vic Elford Umberto Maglioli	Porsche 907	6:28:47.9	720	111.112	10
1969	Gerhard Mitter Udo Schütz	Porsche 908/2	6:07:45.3	720	117.469	10
1970	Jo Siffert Brian Redman	Porsche 908/3[14]	6:35.30.0	792	120.152	11
1971	Nino Vaccarella Toine Hezemans	Alfa Romeo 33/3	6:35:46.2	792	120.070	11
1972	Arturo Merzario Sandro Munari	Ferrari 312PB	6:27:48.0	792	122.537	11
1973	Herbert Müller Gijs van Lennep	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR[15]	6:54:20.1	792	114.691	11
1974	Gérard Larrousse Amilcare Ballestrieri	Lancia Stratos[16]	4:35:02.6	576	114.883	8
1975	Nino Vaccarella Arturo Merzario	Alfa Romeo 33TT12[17]	4:59:16.7	576	120.895	8
1976	"Amphicar"* Armando Floridia	Osella PA4-BMW[18]	5:43:46.0	576	99.090	8
1977	Raffaele Restivo Alfonso Merendino	Chevron B36-BMW[18]	2:41:17.0	288	107.140	4

• "Amphicar"'s actual name was Eugenio Renna.

Races between 1955 and 1973 were part of the World Championship, with the 1957 race not a race but a regularity test, following the Mille Miglia accident.

Wins by make

Porsche 910 2.0 coupé driven by Umberto Maglioli and Udo Schütz in 1967.

Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio

Ferrari 275 P2

1927-Bugatti T35c driven by Materassi

Maserati 26MM driven by Luigi Fagioli in 1928

The list below includes all car manufacturers who have attained a podium. The table does not include the results of the 1957 edition, which was held as a regularity race.

Pos.	Brand	1st place	2nd place	3rd place	Fastest laps
1	Porsche	11	9	12	8
2	Alfa Romeo	10	13	7	10
3	Ferrari	7	6	4	7
4	Lancia	5	7	5	4
5	Bugatti	5	4	5	6
6	Maserati	4	6	9	4
7	Mercedes-Benz	3	2	1	4
8	SCAT	3	0	0	0
9	Fiat	2	3	3	2
10	Nazzaro	2	0	0	0
11	Itala	1	2	1	1
12	Osella	1	1	1	2
13	Peugeot	1	1	1	1
14	Chevron	1	1	0	0
15	Società Piemontese Automobili S.P.A.	1	0	1	1
16	Franco	1	0	0	1
17	Isotta Fraschini	1	0	0	0
17	Frazer-Nash	1	0	0	0
19	Ballot	0	1	1	0
19	Cisitalia	0	1	1	0
19	De Vecchi	0	1	1	0
22	Osca	0	1	0	1
23	Aquila Italiana	0	1	0	0
23	Sigma	0	1	0	0
25	Lola	0	0	1	1
26	Abarth	0	0	1	0
26	Alfa-Maserati-Prete	0	0	1	0
26	Berliet	0	0	1	0
26	Darracq	0	0	1	0
26	Diatto	0	0	1	0
26	Steyr	0	0	1	0
32	Aston Martin	0	0	0	1

See also

• List of automobile races in Italy
• Targa Florio Rally

Further reading

• Clarke, R M, ed. (1999). Targa Florio: The Ferrari & Lancia Years, 1948-1954. Cobham, Surrey, UK: Brooklands Books. ISBN 1855204983.
• Clarke, R M, ed. (1999). Targa Florio: The Porsche & Ferrari Years, 1955-1964. Cobham, Surrey, UK: Brooklands Books. ISBN 1855204878.
• Clarke, R M, ed. (1999). Targa Florio: The Porsche Years, 1965-1973. Cobham, Surrey, UK: Brooklands Books. ISBN 1855204886.
• Valenza, Giuseppe (2007). Targa Florio Il Mito: Legenda Editore (Italy). ISBN 9788888165172.

• Giuseppe Valenza (2018), "Targa Florio The Myth Anatomy of an Epic Race 1906-1973". G.Valenza. (Italy). ISBN 978-88-908854-3-3.
• Giuseppe Valenza (2009) "Targa Florio Il Mito", Nigensha Publishing. Tokyo. ISBN 978-4-544-04418-8.

References

1. (in Italian) Florio, Vincenzo, by Simone Candela - Treccani Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 48 (1997)
2. "56th Targa Florio 1972". formula2.net. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
3. "Leo Kinnunen". forix.autosport.com. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
4. "Targa Florio 1931". Formula2.net. 2001-08-26. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
5. "Targa Florio 1930". Formula2.net. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
6. "1914 Targa Florio - The AUTOSPORT Bulletin Board". Forums.autosport.com. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
7. "Targa Florio 1950". Formula2.net. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
8. "The Leyland P76 a brief history". Themotorreport.com.au. 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
9. "F2 Register - Index". Formula2.net. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
10. "1906 Targa Florio". Motor Sport Magazine Database. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
11. Autocourse: A Review of International Motorsport in 1959. 1960. p. 118.
12. "Race report". Imca-slotracing.com. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
13. "Race report". Imca-slotracing.com. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
14. Race report 54th TARGA FLORIO
15. Race report TARGA FLORIO (ROUND #6)
16. "World Sports Racing Prototypes - Non Championship Races 1974". Wsrp.ic.cz. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
17. "World Sports Racing Prototypes - Non Championship Races 1975". Wsrp.ic.cz. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
18. "World Sports Racing Prototypes - Non Championship Races 1976". Wsrp.ic.cz. Retrieved 2013-01-05.

External links

• Targa Florio photos
• Targa Florio official website
• Museo Targa Florio Collesano
• Targa Florio History
• Targappassionati
  • Results, reports, photos etc.
  • Track maps
  • Fast laps
• Porsche at Targa Florio
• Targa Florio memorabilia
• Museo Biblioteca Vincenzo Florio a Campofelice di Roccella - www.targaflorio-1906-1977.it
• http://www.targapedia.com
• The full Targa Florio for GrandPrix Legends
• http://www.amicidellatargaflorio.com
• Le Auto. Targa Florio, 1906 1977, Gallery of winners.
• Sport-auto. Gallery of competitors 1906-1977
• a sicilian dream
• History of the Targa Florio