A large crowd awaits the start of the 1955 Valentino Grand Prix in Turin…
It’s a colourised shot, the better for it in this case I think, Front and Centre are the Ferrari 625s of Alfonso de Portago and Harry Schell.
The race was the first non-championship F1 event of 1955 and was run over 90 2.609-mile laps of a road circuit laid out around the Parco del Valentino, Turin, on March 27, 1955.
The race had a field of some depth, including three Scuderia Lancia D50As in their home race driven by Alberto Ascari (above), Gigi Villoresi and Eugenio Castellotti. Four Officine Maserati 250Fs were entered for Jean Behra, Luigi Musso, Roberto Mieres and Sergio Mantovani, while Ferrari arrived without Froilán Gonzalez, who stayed in Argentina to undergo a hospital operation. They entered three Tipo 625s for Giuseppe Farina, Maurice Trintignant and guest driver Harry Schell; a new Tipo 555 ‘Super Squalo’ car was also brought along.
The balance of the grid was made up of privateers: Maserati 250Fs of B. Bira and Louis Rosier, Alfonso de Portago in a Ferrari 625, Swiss privateer Ottorino Volonterio’s ex-Emmanuel de Graffenried Maserati A6GCM, while local Lorenzo Girard had a Ferrari 500 bought from Ecurie Espadon and Berardo Taraschi made up the field aboard an ancient 2-litre Ferrari 166.
Practice…
The meeting got off to an appalling start when Sergio Mantovani left the circuit and crashed his 250F heavily towards the end of Saturday morning’s unofficial session; his leg was so badly injured that it had to be amputated. In the best tradition of the show going on, his car was handed to Cesare Perdisa, a wealthy 22-year-old Italian who had impressed in Maserati sports cars.
Ascari was quickest in the afternoon from Behra and Musso. Farina tried the new Ferrari 555, but the machine developed an oil leak and was put back in the transporter. The Italian set the fourth fastest time in a 625.
Mieres, Villoresi, Trintignant, Castelotti, Schell, Perdisa, de Portago, Rosier, Bira (troubled by his car’s suspension on the bumpy circuit), Taraschi and Girard completed the grid.
Race…
The Maserati 250Fs of Behra and Musso put their power down beautifully at the start; the pair squeezed Ascari and his Lancia D50A to one side of the track and Farina, Ferrari 625, to the other, allowing Mieres’ other works-Maser to get past both. Musso led from Behra, Mieres, with Ascari all over him, Farina and the rest quickly dropping back.
It took Ascari six laps to pass Mieres, and he then faced a similar challenge from Behra as Musso. Farina’s old-world Ferrari was being harried by Castellotti’s D50A, then Trintignant and Villoresi, then Castellotti spun, boofed a kerb, then pitted to assess the damage. Schell and Perdisa were next up.
Maserati looked in command until Behra and Perdisa suffered suspension failures on lap 13, easing Ascari’s chase of Musso. He caught the young Italian in eight laps, piling on the pressure. A lap later, he spun on his own oil, leaving Ascari with a ten-second lead over Mieres. Ascari pressed on, increasing his margin to thirty seconds. Mieres had a comfortable margin from Villoresi’s third-placed Lancia, Farina having stopped with gearbox trouble.
Trintignant was then fourth, a recovering Castellotti fifth and the disappointing Schell sixth. Behind him, De Portago led fellow privateers Bira, Rosier, Girard and Taraschi until he stopped on the circuit with sump trouble.
When Ascari came up to lap Castellotti, he fell in behind his young team-mate, urging him on until the pair caught and then passed Trintignant. The two Lancias then continued until they caught up with Villoresi, and the full team circulated in a form-finish, clinching the Lancia D50’s first win in style. Trintignant had retired with engine trouble, leaving fifth to Schell ahead of Rosier and Taraschi, with Bira bringing up the rear after several stops for attention to the brakes of his 250F.
Etcetera…
Villoresi’s D50, Schell’s Ferrari 625 below.
Harry, Q9 and fifth, trying to get comfy in his Ferrari above, while Alberto looks quietly confident below.
Maurice Trintignant, Ferrari 625, Q7 and DNF rear axle, and Bira, 250F below. Q13 and eighth.
Credits…
Italfoto…simply superb shots
Tailpiece…
Roberto Mieres qualified his works, Maserati 250F, fifth and finished a terrific second behind Ascari and in front of Villoresi.
Finito…
primotipo... 