Ettore Bugatti’s victory in the first Venetian race
120 years have passed since the last edition of one of the first motor races in Italy, the Prova Resistenza per Veicoli Automobili Province Venete, born in Padua in 1899 and closed in 1901. Among the reckless racers there was also Ettore Bugatti, the winner, and other illustrious names of the sector
In the last decade of 1800, new mechanical vehicles of locomotion also made their appearance in Italy and are presented in various declinations: from the light Voiturettes to the heavy ones with larger engine and more seats, from agile and fast tricycles to the motorized bicycle (motorcycle) for the more daring. They are all rare and expensive vehicles, the prerogative of nobles or great entrepreneurs who are increasingly passionate about them, often meeting in their homes to share the pleasure of these wonders. Frequent theater of these rendez-vous is the Villa d’Este of the Countess Elsa Albrizzi, where, in January 1899, the Veneti Motorists Club was founded, chaired by the owner of the house, a talented driver and passionate photographer. And here the first aim of the Club is immediately the organization of a car race in the Veneto area.
Under the aegis of Sant’Antonio. Once the Committee has been formed, the choice falls in the realization of a series of events within the Fiera del Santo in Padua (the fair dedicated to Padua’s patron Sant’Antonio). The program foresees the opening of an Automobile Exhibition on Sunday 18 June, followed by a speed and “driveability” competition. The Road Race will follow on Monday June 19th, while on Tuesday 20th the closing of the exhibition and the awards ceremony will take place. For the Resistance Race, a route is carefully studied through the best roads available, departing from Padua to return after 172 kilometers crossing Vicenza, Thiene, Bassano del Grappa, Cornuda, Treviso and Noale. All entries must also participate in the “Direction Competition” in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele (Prato della Valle) in Padua.
Password, “driveability”. Describes a reporter: “In Sunday’s race the track is marked by poles, easily overturned if bumped, forming a sinuous and not easy to travel track, with small climbs and relative descents. Cars must follow the route by overturning the least number of poles and taking the least possible time to complete the route”. Shame that bad weather prevented the performance of the airship competition on Sunday, as the rain transformed the floor of the square to an impracticable mush. As for the cars exhibition, the detailed report that appeared inthe newspaper La Provincia di Vicenza, with praise for certain types of cars and severe criticism of others, is something that today can arouse a laugh (cutout below).
Here come the “monsters”. Let us now return to the great car race scheduled for Monday. A great deal of preparatory work had been done to find roads in the best possible conditions. Warnings were also sent through the authorities to the entire population to avoid the dangers of accidents with these “mechanical monsters” capable of reaching the astonishing speed of 50 km/h in certain points. Here are the categories into which the vehicles have been divided and the list of entries:
Motorcycles and motor bicycles, tricycles up to 120 kg
Orio-Marchand 2 CV – Orio Attilio from Piacenza
De Dion Cormot 1, ¾ CV – Rigoni Pietro from Padoua
Prinetti & Stucchi 2 CV – Martinengo co. Leonardo from Brescia
Prinetti & Stucchi 2 CV – Culinelli co. Gianoberto from Ferrara
Prinetti & Stucchi 2 CV – Walker Robert from Milan
Prinetti & Stucchi 2 CV – Monti baron Camillo from Brescia
Prinetti & Stucchi 2 CV – Bonardi Gian Maria from Brescia
Prinetti & Stucchi 2 CV– Carpani avv. Francesco from Brescia
Figini 1, ¼ CV – Figini Luigi from Milan
Phenix Aster 2, ½ CV – Storero Luigi from Turin
Prinetti & Stucchi 2 CV – Tarlarini Enrico from Milan
Tandem e triplettes, tricicli con avantreno o rimorchio fino a 220 kg
Prinetti & Stucchi 3 CV – Benedetti Virginio from Brescia
Phebus 1, ¾ CV – Carbone Carlo from Turin
Prinetti & Stucchi 3 CV – Bugatti Ettore from Milan
Phenix 1, ¾ CV – Velox Billo from Turin
Two-seater voiturettes up to 400 kg
Bernardi 1, ½ CV – Corinaldi Edoardo from Padua
Bernardi 1, ½ CV (Bernardi Lauro) – Soc. It. Bernardi from Padua
Bernardi 1, ½ CV – Soc. It. Bernardi from Padua
Orio-Marchand 3, ½ CV – Ruini from Milan
Two-seater cars over 400 kg
Glisenti-Bernardi 3 CV – Glisenti from Brescia
Benz 4 CV – Albrizzi countess Elsa from Venezia
Bernardi 3 CV (Miari Giacomo) – Soc. It. Bernardi from Padua
Bernardi 3 CV – Soc. It. Bernardi from Padua
Benz 4 CV – Spada Nicola from Venice
Vetture a quattro o più posti oltre 600 kg
Mors 6 CV – Rossati cav. Ernesto from Bologna
Accidents along the road. The race kicks off at 6.20 in the morning with Orio from Piacenza first at the start and all the competitors following every minute. Despite the clear night, the rain of the day before left its mark on the roads, which are still muddy. Already in the initial stretch, before arriving in Vicenza, the first withdraws begin to be recorded: Orio, Martinengo, Walker and Figini left. After Vicenza, the number 14, Storero, takes the lead. “He was traveling like lightning”, reports a journalist of the time. Despite the sudden warning of the closed bars, near the railway line he has time to brake and stop, while an unleashed Bugatti with the number 22 swoops straight onto the obstacle, first hitting Storero’s tricycle and ending up with his shoulder against the bar. After changing a tire and an inner tube, thus wasting 16 precious minutes, Bugatti starts again very fast. In the meantime, Storero had already resumed the race but the collision damaged the frame, so he abandoned shortly taking back the road to Padua.
Coffee break at the Florian. At the passage of Bassano del Grappa, Bugatti is again second behind the other Prinetti tricycle of Tarlarini. The program includes a fifteen-minute stop in the town to allow for refueling. The entire service is coordinated by the Touring Club consul, Mr. Pietro Bortignoni, and by the representative of the committee ing. Indri, who deploy over one hundred people (including cyclists, members of the Italian Touring Club, guards and firefighters) to carry out an accurate signaling and control service from Breganze to Casella d’Asolo. In addition to refueling, refreshments were offered to motorists at the café Florian alle Fosse by the local section of the Touring Club and the daring chauffeurs were admired by a very large audience among which a multitude of elegant ladies stood out, as highlighted by a reporter. The sun in the meantime, having risen well, begins to dry the streets, which after Bassano got more practicable. As he passes Treviso, Bugatti takes the lead very quickly and so does in the control of Noale.
With a double engine like a rocket. The arrival in Padua is a real spectacle with a multitude of spectators awaiting the competitors. Among them there are many ladies, authorities and a bevy of cyclists, in good measure kindly hosted by Mr. Giacomelli in the park of his villa. At 11.9′.30” Ettore Bugatti crosses the finish line with his Prinetti & Stucchi tricycle – prepared by himself with a double engine – at an average of over 27.34 miles per hour. It is an amazing speed considering the rudimental vehicle, the condition of the roads and, last but not least, the accident that made him waste some time.
The final ranking
1 Bugatti – Prinetti & Stucchi tricycle – N. 22
2 Tarlarini – Prinetti & Stucchi tricycle – N. 15
3 Benedetti – Prinetti & Stucchi tricycle – N. 18
4 Carpani – De Dion Bouton tricycle – N. 12
5 Carbone Phebus (tandem da viaggio) tricycle – N. 20
6 Rossati – Mors car – N. 38
7 Bonardi – Prinetti & Stucchi tricycle – N. 11
8 Rigoni – De Dion Cormot tricycle – N. 17
9 Società It. Bernardi – Bernardi car – N. 27 (Bernardi Lauro)
10 Ruini – Orio-Marchand voiturette – N. 28
11 Società It. Bernardi – Bernardi voiturette – N. 36 (ing. Miari)
12 Elsa Albrizzi – Benz car – N. 34
More crews are following with severe delays.
Excellent performance by Countess Albrizzi, who with her Benz manages to cover the entire route in just over eight hours. She comes second in her category behind Count Miari on Bernardi and in front of Glisenti on another modified Bernardi, thus making her the first female driver in Italy and perhaps in the world (below the recognition of “Indefatigable Motorist” which they assigned her).
© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA
