Circuit of Mugello

[Buonfornello]

Has anyone come across any books, articles or web pages containing information about the Circuit of Mugello road races?I am not referring to the modern Mugello racetrack; rather the Targa Florio-type road races which were held on a public-road circuit of aprox. 70-80 kilometers per lap in the mountains north of Florence.I am not sure of the Championship that it was a part of or the years it was held, although the period that I'm most interested in learning about is when it was revived in about 1964 until its final abandonment after the Targa spectator tragedy in 1975, I think.I'm not sure whether Ferrari participated officially, but I believe that there were some exciting duels between the 908's and 33's there in the '68-70 period.The roads used are probably still in existence and it would interest me to see a map or at least a verbal description of route if anyone knows.

[fines]

There was a Circuito di Mugello for Formula Libre race cars in the twenties, of which I have results, but you are probably thinking of the fifties and sixties sports car races held there. I don't know off-hand if it was the same circuit, but possibly so. Not being an expert on sports car races, I can only provide the winners:

Targa Mugello, 1955: Umberto Maglioli, Ferrari
Circuito di Mugello, 1964: Gianni Bulgari, Porsche 904
Circuito di Mugello, 1965: Antonio Nicodemi/Mario Casoni, Ferrari 250LM
Circuito di Mugello, 1966: Gerhard Koch/Jochen Neerpasch, Porsche 906 Carrera 6
Circuito di Mugello, 1967: Gerhard Mitter/Udo Schütz, Porsche 910/8
Circuito di Mugello, 1968: Lucien Bianchi/Nino Vaccarella/Nanni Galli, Alfa Romeo T33
Circuito di Mugello, 1969: Arturo Merzario, Abarth 2000

A description of the track? Lots of corners...

[Buonfornello]

Was 1969 the last year it was held?It could be, my recollection is foggy, based on a book I read long ago called "Road Race", the author of which I can't remember.It was an interesting book which attempted to provide results and in many cases summaries of every edition of every genuine road race ever held."Genuine" road race meaning really long circuits (the author used the Piccolo Madonie as his yardstick), or in the case of the Carrera Panamericana, no circuit at all.It covered the South American road races as well as the European ones.The author's name is something else that someone might help me with.

[Milan Fistonic]

The book you mention is Road Race, written by a New Zealander Chris Jones. It was published in 1977 by David McKay Company Inc.
The last race on the Mugello road ciruit was held in 1970 and was won by Arturo Mezario in a 2-litre Abarth.

[Buonfornello]

Actually, I AM Arturo Merzario and asking about the later editions of the Circuito di Mugello was just my way of reminding people of what a great road racer I was without having to say it myself.Now I'm going to think up a clever way of raising the subject of the 1972 Targa Florio...(I hope that no one believes this!)

Really, any further information about the Mugello would be appreciated.

[Milan Fistonic]

This is from Road Race.

1964
In 1964 the lonely Targa Florio at last got a companion: the Mugello circuit near Florence was revived. A Mugello race had been held in 1955, but only over a shortish 12-mile (19.3 km) circuit - now the length was 41.5 miles (66.2 km). The race attracted sixty-seven entries: four more than in the Targa itslef that year, but not of the same quality. Winner was Gianni Bulgai (Porsche 904 GT).

1965
Mugello did not attract any works entries. It was dominated by privately entered Ferrari 250LM models, with the winning car driven by Mario Casoni, who did most of the driving, and Antonio Nicodemi.

1966
The 1966 Mugello race was unique in one respect: it was the only time in recent years that single-seater cars have been allowed to race on a really long road circuit. A Formula Three race was organised to run concurrently with the sports car race for the first two of the full eight laps. It was not a great success - spins and crashes were numerous - but the winner was the then current star of Italian Formula Three, the expatriate Englishman Jonathan Williams (De Santis-Ford) Many of the Formula Three drivers then co-drove in the main event.
For the first time Mugello attracted a strong foreign entry, and, despite the early lead by Giampiero Biscaldi (Abarth), it was a foreign entry that won: the Porsche 906 of Gerhard Koch and Jochen Neerpasch. Second and third were Alfa Romeo GTAs driven by Enrico Pinto/Rinaldo Parmigiani and Ignazio Giunti/Nanni Galli.

1967
At last, in the fourth year of the Mugello revival, there were works entries: Porsche entered six cars, Alfa Romeo three and Ferrari two. Ferrari withdrew before race day when, sadly, Gunther Klass was killed in a crash.
Within a few miles of the start of the race Mario Casoni harmlessly crashed the Filipinetti Ferrari that he was sharing with Herbert Muller, thus eliminating the biggest threat to the Porsche team. Andrea de Adaamich in the quickest Alfa Romeo got up to third early in the race, but eventually the whole team retired. Mitter/Schutz in a Porsche 910 won, from Stommelen/Neerpasch in a similar car, and Vic Elford/Gijs van Lennap were third in a lightweight Porsche 911R, a racing version of the standard Porsche road car. Fourth was a lumbering 7-litre Ford Mark Two entered by Ford France and driven by Jo Schlesser/Guy Ligier.

1968
The Porsche team did not contest Mugello, but there were several fast private Porsches to challenge the works Alfa Romeos. One Porsche 910 was entered for Siffert/Rico Steinemann; another for Elford/van Lennap - but Elford wrecked this car in practice.
Siffertwas easily the fastest man in the race, building up a big lead, but co-driver Steinemann, a Swiss, could not maintain the pace, and made matters worse by spinning twice in trying. Siffert, in a fury, took over to try and regain the lead, but the Alfa Romeo 33 of Galli, Bianchi, and Vacarella was two minutes ahead at the finish.

1969
The only works team entered at Mugello was from the Abarth factory in Bologna, and, after the privately entered Alfa Romeo of Galli/Giunti crashed on the first lap, it was Arturo Mezario in a 2-litre Abarth who won, driving single-handed in very hot weather for four and a quarter hours. Second was another Abarth driven by Gijs van Lennap/Johannes Ortner, and third a British-entered Lola-Chevrolet T70 driven by Vaccarella and de Adamich. They found the big car, with its wide tyres, very unsuitable for the twisting, pebble-strewn roads - which makes Muller's first lap in the Targa Florio in an identical car all the more remarkable. (Muller had been delayed at the start of the Targa, getting away 2 minutes after the last car. He passed sixty cars on the first lap and was in third place on corrected time.)

1970
At Mugello Arturo Mezario (2-litre Abarth) won again, pushed this year by Leo Kinnunen in another works Abarth, the little Finn using his rally experience to master the long circuit very quickly. Third was van Lennap in yet another Abarth. The main challenge to the Italian cars came from local boy Nanni Galli (1.8-litre Lola T210), who set fastest lap before retiring with a broken throttle cable. Vic Elford drove a Spanish-entered Chevron B16 coupe, but an overfilled fuel tank soaked his overalls in petrol, causing irriating burns. A stop to change overalls lost him seven miniutes, and later, still squirming, he crashed. Vaccarella also wrecked his car, a works Abarth.
And that, sadly, was the last race on the Mugello circuit. The authorities were turning more than ever against road racing, and even the Targe was beginning to feel the pressure.

[Darren Galpin]

Track map.



A 41.135 mile road track which was active between 1920 and 1969, the Circuit of Mugello used some of the same roads as the Mille Miglia, including the Futa Pass. Although some parts were extremely fast, there was only one fatality when Günther Klass was killed in 1967.


Results


Year Formula Winner Car mph
1920 FL Giuseppe Campari Alfa Romeo 40/60 37.621
1921 FL Giuseppe Campari Alfa Romeo 40/60 38.696
1922 FL Alfieri Maserati Isotta-Fraschini 41.750
1923 FL Gastone Brilli-Peri Steyr VI Klausen 41.423
1924 FL Giuseppe Morandi OM 665 40.627
1925 FL Emilio Materassi Italia Special 4.7 43.259
1926 FL Emilio Materassi Italia Special 4.7 43.013
1928 GP Emilio Materassi Talbot T700 43.968
1929 GP Gastone Brilli-Peri Talbot T700 44.525
1955 SC Umberto Maglioli Ferrari 66.650
1964 GT Gianni Bulgari Porsche 904 65.650
1965 GT Antonio Nicodemi/Mario Casoni Ferrari 250LM 66.020
1966 SC Gerhard Koch/Jochen Neerpasch Porsche 906 Carrera6 66.717
1967 SC Gerhard Mitter/Udo Schutz Porsche 910/8 76.241
1968 SC Lucien Bianchi/Nino Vaccarella/
Nino Galli Alfa Romeo T33 75.154
1969 SC Arturo Merzario Abarth 2000 77.647




From http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/tracks/mugelloc.html .

[TimD]

I wish I could add to this topic, but all I can say is "Thank you", to Buonfornello for raising this one, and of course for the learned replies. The Circuit of Mugello is one of those ones, so little reported, that sit as intriguing asides in motor racing history. I've always meant to find out more about it.

And now I just have!

[Buonfornello]

It is amazing that when one examines even the more obscure corners of auto racing's history a great tale emerges, full of joy, passion, glory...and tragedy as well.

Thanks for the additional info, it was more than I expected.But I'll press my luck anyway and ask; If I wanted to try to find out further details, like entry lists, lap times and so forth, how might I proceed?Any suggestion?