Nuvolari, Tazio

[gfm]

I most humbly would like to join this post because I have always been moved by stories about Nuvolari. During a visit to Modena, I bought a sweet booklet about Ferrari and Modena and I've pinched a couple of shots from it which I presume breaks every copyright law, but nevertheless, it apparently comes from an archive of a photographer by the name of Guiseppe Panini. So all credit to him.
First image is of Nuvolari in some very dashing pantaloons indeed, outside of a restaurant called the Fini from 1932. I ate there too and can remember the 11 straight pasta alternatives. I would just love to know what they talked about. Oh, I should add that that's Mr. Ferrari with him on the left.
Second image is from 1938 at the circuit of Modena. I noticed his hand bandaged.

It's extremely difficult to argue one driver from one era against one from another era, but Nuvolari always struck me as a guy who drove with an almost devine passion, and the only guy who recently did that was Senna. IMHO.
Anyway, back to Nuvolari.

[gfm]

Intense little chap wasn't he?
As I said, 1938. What an adventure travelling was back then, let alone racing round Italy.

[NGS]

All Hail Taz!

[Yves]

Last week, I bought "When Nuvolari raced" by Moretti.

Expensive book (75 £ for a perfectly new copy) and a little bit disapointed : If all Tazio's races are reported, it is through newspaper report and citations... And most of pictures are very well known...

Anyway, I started my reading but at this point don't learn that much.

One note : When Tazio was 20, he bought a plane, a Blériot and start with the help of a meccanic to rebuild it at his father's farm.
After a few days, he was able to make a try in front of the whole village.
But the plane never take off ...
But it was not something that can stop Tazio. He thought the field doesn't allow him to have enough speed to take off. So, with the help of the meccanic and a few other, he installed the plane on the top of the roof of a building in the farm and make a try from there ...
His last test finished in a big noise 30 meters farther and the plane totally destroyed.
When his father visited him later at the hospital, he just said something like : "He need to fix a few bones but mostly to secure screw in his head"

Y.

[NGS]

"He need to fix a few bones but mostly to secure screw in his head"

[D-Type]

Possibly the greatest wheel to wheel duel in the history of Grand Prix racing took place in 1933 between Nuvolari and Achille Varzi when the lead changed at least 20 times in the course of the race. It ended on the last lap when one of Nuvolari's pistons failed. As Nuvolari was pushing hois car to the finish a mechanic helped him so he was disqualified and didn't even have the consolation of second place. The track was, believe it or not, Monaco.

I couldn't believe it the first time I read it. Overtaking 20 times at Monaco of all places! Somewhere Formula 1 has lost its way when people rave about Mansell chasing Senna for the last few laps and failing to get by.

Lee Janotta, read the Stirling Moss thread if you want to get some idea of why we reckon him one of the greats. When you look at the statistics remember that his 16 Grand Prix wins took place when there were 8 or 9 races in a championship season so would be equivalent to twice that number today.

[dretceterini]

It's really hard to rate drivers of one period against another, so:

old: Nuvolari
post-ww2: Fangio
modern: MS (even though he is an ass)

[eclectic]

What a wonderful thread! for me the best driver of all time was a young Scottish Farmer who went from racing his first banger to winning F1 in 18 months! Mind you if Moss, Fangio or Nuvolari had the technical advantage of a Lotus under them.......

However for skill and bravery it has to be Nuvolari. BUT, we must remember that, Cocaine and morphine were not banned drugs in Motor Sport in his day!

[TimD]

True, but I wouldn't call them "performance enhancing"! To be honest, it was the morphine which did for one of Tazio's principal opponents in the 1930s.

Where is Achille Varzi's reputation now?