A Century of Records:
The Creation of the Monza Racetrack
Monza, 1922. This was the year of the first Gran Premio dell’Automobile Club, as the Monza Grand Prix was called. An authentic centre of Italian excellence. The debut race was dominated by Felice Nazzaro and Pietro Bordino, at the wheel of two Fiats fitted with Pirelli Superflex Cord tyres, with which the drivers declared they were “extremely satisfied”. In 1924 it was the turn of Alfa Romeo, which made its debut in the Grand Prix with the mighty P2: Antonio Ascari and Giuseppe Campari were out on the track, with their cars fitted with Pirelli Cord tyres. During the 1925 French Grand Prix, at the Montlhéry circuit, Antonio Ascari was leading the race when he was killed in a terrible accident. It was a hard blow for Alfa and Pirelli, who still had to prepare for an international race, for the first Automobile World Championship was to be held in Monza.
The victor here was the Florentine Count Gastone Brilli Peri, with Alfa and Pirelli. In 1933, Monza proved fatal for Giuseppe Campari, Ascari’s teammate, at the entrance to the famous banking that had become one of the wonders of modern motor racing. In the 1930s, the racetrack was the setting for what had become an unbeatable combination on the circuit: the Alfa Romeo single-seater, the racing-team manager Enzo Ferrari, the driver Tazio Nuvolari and, of course, Pirelli Stella Bianca tyres.
The history of Monza is also one of motorcycling records: the photograph of Gianni Leoni, stretched out on his “Guzzino” in November 1948, as he roars off towards the Pirelli hoarding to smash yet another record, remains in the annals. In 1950 the Monza circuit witnessed the victory of Nino Farina, the first Formula 1 World Champion with Alfa Romeo, and it heralded the success and destiny of Alberto Ascari. When Pirelli abandoned racing in 1956, the historical ties between the company and the Monza racetrack remained as strong as ever. The company’s experimental return to Formula 1 in the 1980s and the great seasons of the Touring Championships often brought the radials with the Long P back to the “world’s most famous asphalt”.
Monza, 1922. This was the year of the first Gran Premio dell’Automobile Club, as the Monza Grand Prix was called. An authentic centre of Italian excellence. The debut race was dominated by Felice Nazzaro and Pietro Bordino, at the wheel of two Fiats fitted with Pirelli Superflex Cord tyres, with which the drivers declared they were “extremely satisfied”. In 1924 it was the turn of Alfa Romeo, which made its debut in the Grand Prix with the mighty P2: Antonio Ascari and Giuseppe Campari were out on the track, with their cars fitted with Pirelli Cord tyres. During the 1925 French Grand Prix, at the Montlhéry circuit, Antonio Ascari was leading the race when he was killed in a terrible accident. It was a hard blow for Alfa and Pirelli, who still had to prepare for an international race, for the first Automobile World Championship was to be held in Monza.
The victor here was the Florentine Count Gastone Brilli Peri, with Alfa and Pirelli. In 1933, Monza proved fatal for Giuseppe Campari, Ascari’s teammate, at the entrance to the famous banking that had become one of the wonders of modern motor racing. In the 1930s, the racetrack was the setting for what had become an unbeatable combination on the circuit: the Alfa Romeo single-seater, the racing-team manager Enzo Ferrari, the driver Tazio Nuvolari and, of course, Pirelli Stella Bianca tyres.
The history of Monza is also one of motorcycling records: the photograph of Gianni Leoni, stretched out on his “Guzzino” in November 1948, as he roars off towards the Pirelli hoarding to smash yet another record, remains in the annals. In 1950 the Monza circuit witnessed the victory of Nino Farina, the first Formula 1 World Champion with Alfa Romeo, and it heralded the success and destiny of Alberto Ascari. When Pirelli abandoned racing in 1956, the historical ties between the company and the Monza racetrack remained as strong as ever. The company’s experimental return to Formula 1 in the 1980s and the great seasons of the Touring Championships often brought the radials with the Long P back to the “world’s most famous asphalt”.
