Among the racing pioneers of the Venetian region
The first Italian automobile race is considered to be the Arona-Stresa-Arona, held in 1897. Two years earlier it had been preceded by the Turin-Asti-Turin, an exhibition and a wide event in Piedmont dedicated to cars. While in the east the new industrial bourgeoisie kicked off the dances in 1899 with the Prova Resistenza Vicoli Automobili Province Venete (Resistance Test for Vehicles Automobili Provinces of Veneto), won by Ettore Bugatti and re-proposed for another two years. The second time the winner was Vincenzo Lancia…
After the success of the first 1899 Prova Resistenza Vicoli Automobili Province Venete, the first race in history held entirely in the region, the Unione Automobilistica Veneta, chaired by Commendator Alberto Rignano, re-proposes the second edition of the race the following year, with several Announcements. First of all, the route had been lengthened to 220 kilometers. And there were three tracks now with different competitions. The first, 105 km long, passed to Padua, Mirano, Mestre, Treviso and Castelfranco Veneto. The second, 220 km long, included the continuation after the first route of another 115 km: Padua-Cittadella-Rossano-Rosà-Bassano-Marostica-Mason-Breganze-Sarcedo-Thiene-Villaverla-Caltrano-Motta-Vicenza-Torri di Quartesolo-Grisignano di Zocco-Padua. The third, 55 km, was reserved for motorcycles only and went from Padua to Mirano, San Giorgio delle Pertiche and then back to Padua.
The Automobile Meeting of Padua. The anticipation was high, as he day of the race of the “monster cars”, as tricycles reaching the astonishing speed of 60 km per hour at the time were called, was approaching. Meanwhile, the Padua Automobile Meeting began. It was a complex event, which included various others. It started with the Motorists’ Congress, where practical issues of regulations and tariffs were discussed – such as asking the government to reduce taxes on fuel. The idea of an Italian national parade making tours around the country at a speed of 25-30 km per hour was also approved: it was supposed to demonstrates that cars could circulate freely. The route from Turin to Milan through Rome was another decision of the congress and that was in practice the seed of the famous Giro d’Italia of 1901. Before the race, an Automobile Fair was scheduled, with the display of the participating cars and other vehcles proposed by a few dealers: by that time in the North of Italy the car was starting to have a concrete diffusion, albeit a niche one. The reporter from La Provincia di Padova arrived at the exhibition on the Menon voiturette made in Roncade, in the province of Treviso (see photo below), about which, he writes, “we were able to appreciate the uncommon qualities along the way”. Great amazement was also aroused by the magnificent Panhard of Commendator Coltelletti, who left Genoa on Monday morning and arrived in Padua at 7 pm on the same day “looking fresh as a rose”.
A touch of color. Yesterday as today, apparently, the fake starters, the boastful of motorsport fortunes and the envious of the start existed. Or at least this is how it can be deduced by scrolling through the chronicler’s notes: “We observed some rare individuals of the pseudo chauffeur species, a species that has recently blossomed. The pseudo-chauffeur is easily distinguished: he wears a large Russian cap carefully lowered over his eyes and occasionally risks a complacent and courteous smiles at the original chauffeurs. Every now and then he lets strangers understand that his machine (perhaps the coffee machine!) has suffered a fault in the ignition and is therefore not present”. But let’s go back to the meeting program, with the Piazza del Prato in Padua which also became, for the occasion, the setting for some car games. In one of these, a door suddenly appeared with the drivers having to stop the cars between the door itself and a red line 10 meters away. There was also a carousel with eight rings to detach in a single turn, a pole with a bell to ring as you pass and another with a flag to take to the finish. At the end, there was a flower parade with the competing vehicles full of decorations.
The list of the lucky intrepid. The Prova Resistenza, saw “on track” the presence of pioneering Italian car manufacturers such as Marchand, Bernardi and Menon plus an official manufacturer such as Fiat. Here is the list of starters:
Motorcycles
Masseratti Carlo of Milan on a bicycle with Carcano engine
Iris of Milan on a Bicycle with Carcano engine
Mangiapan Giorgio from Milan on a Bicycle with Carcano engine
Polli E. di Milano on a Bicycle with Carcano engine
Prova Resistenza Veicoli Automobili Province Venete
Tricycles
Guggiari Giovita from Brescia on Prinetti Stucchi 4 HP tricycle
Gaste ‘Luigi of Paris on a 4½ HP Perfecta Soncin tricycle
De Lazzara Count Francesco of Padua on a Perfecta 2¼ HP tricycle
Giulio di Padova graduates on a De Dion – Bianchi 2¼ HP tricycle
Stracca Decio on Prinetti Stucchi 2¼ HP tricycle
Gulinelli Count Giacomo of Ferrara on a De Dion 2¼ HP tricycle
Quadricycles
Monti Baron Camillo of Brescia riding a Prinetti & Stucchi 4 ½ HP quadricycle
Bugatti Ettore from Milan on Prinetti & Stucchi 4 HP quadricycle
Saggiotti F. from Brescia on a Prinetti & Stucchi quadricycle
Merli E. of Venice on a 4 HP De Dion Bouton quadricycle
Voiturettes
Menon Carlo di Roncade on a Menon 2 ¼ HP car
Padovani Cesare of Milan on Prinetti & Stucchi 4 HP car
Castelfranco Ing. Emilio di Modena on a Marchand 3 ¾ HP car
Soc. Bernardi of Padua on a 1 ½ HP Bernardi car (Bernardi Lauro)
Soc. Bernardi of Padua on a 1 ½ HP Bernardi car (Bernardi)
Soc. Bernardi of Padua on a 1 ½ HP Bernardi car (Corinaldi Edoardo)
Cars up to 400 kg
Carnera Francesco of Milan in a Panhard 6 HP car
Ricordi Giuseppe from Milan in a Benz Ricordi 4 ½ HP car (Ricordi Giuseppe)
Memories of Giuseppe from Milan in an original 14 HP Benz car (Ricordi Massimo)
Soc. Bernardi of Padua in a Bernardi 3 ½ HP car (Malanotti Carlo)
Fiat in Turin on Fiat 6 HP (Lancia Vincenzo)
Fiat in Turin on Fiat 6 HP (Nazzaro Felice)
Adami Giulio of Florence in a Mors Ponsee 6 HP car
Cars over 400 kg
Knives cav. Garibaldi of Genoa in a Panhard Levassor 8 HP car
Conti Marco in a Mors 10 HP car (out of competition)
Marchand F.lli of Piacenza in a Marchand 10 HP car
The adventure begins. The prizes foreseen in the various categories of the Prova consisted of money and gold medals up to the fourth classified. While a special cup was offered by the newspaper L’Automobile for the Italian factory cars. The good weather, the good condition of the roads and the high commitment of the organization presaged an excellent success of the event. The cars left every minute and there were eight stopping points and stamp checks: in Mirano, Mestre, Treviso, Castelfranco, Padua, Bassano, Thiene and Vicenza. The motorcycles left first, all equipped with a Carcano engine. Only three of them saw the finish line in Padua, after 55 km. Masseratti won over all, followed three minutes later by Iris and Polli. It should also be noted in applause of the final result that Masseratti had also taken the wrong road, lengthening the route by several km. It followed immediately after the start of the Prova Resistenza. From the first checkpoints, a wild Gastè emerged on the Perfecta Soncin tricycle. Here is the description of the reporter, after a long wait for the first competitor to arrive: “Finally the first is coming. It is 10.51. An interrupted firecracker precedes it by 2-3 km. Finally here is a cloud of dust and here is the instrument: a tricycle armed with a certain engine that fires trumpet trumpets, audible we repeat, a few kilometers away “. In Treviso Gastè was the first to pass with a clear advantage over Ettore Bugatti with his Prinetti quadricycle and Stracca with another tricycle of the same brand.
Many future steering wheel axles at the wheel. In Bassano, Gastè was always first with a growing advantage over the second Stracca, who managed to overtake Bugatti. Meanwhile, the new Fiats were highlighted with Vincenzo Lancia and Felice Nazzaro respectively fourth and sixth in the standings. In Vicenza Gastè always went first but stops, because the vehicle broke down. Bugatti first took a wrong turn, then reached control with just three minutes behind Gastè. Meanwhile Stracca went back to third place. Despite the long journey, the damage to the cars appeared to be limited. These included the seizure of the engine of the mighty Panhard of Carnera at the gates of Vicenza and the sudden breakage of a wheel hub of the quadricycle De Dion of Merli in Mussolente. In total, only eight crews did not reach the finish line as proof of the good efficiency already achieved by these vehicles, which are still in their infancy. In Padua the competitors made a triumphal entrance, greeted by a crowd of spectators. Here is the general classification based on the times and the mileage averages achieved.
1° Vincenzo Lancia with Fiat (47,272 km/h av. speed)
2° Coltelletti with Panhard (46,320 km/h av. speed)
3° Gastè with Perfecta media 45,804
4° Felice Nazzaro with Fiat
5° Ettore Bugatti with Prinetti
6° Stracca with Prinetti
7° Gulinelli with De Dion
8° Lazzara with Perfecta
9° Maseratti with Moto Carcano
10° Laureati with De Dion
11° Ricordi with Benz
12° Carcano with moto Carcano
13° Ricordi with Benz
14° Adami with Mors
15° Monti with Prinetti
16° Padovani with Prinetti
17° Bernardi with Bernardi
18° Menon with Menon
19° Bernardi with Bernardi
Excellent but disqualified. In reality, a strict interpretation of the Regulations completely distorted the ranking, leading to the disqualification of ten competitors who occupied the first places. The problem arose with the overcoming of the Mason ramp in the direction of Breganze. Many drivers had not managed to overcome the climb and had gotten off the cars, reducing the weight load: this is the reason for disqualification according to the Regulations and many have run into it, namely Lancia, Gastè, Nazzaro, Bugatti, Stracca, Gulinelli, Lazzara, Laureati, Monti and Menon. With great criticism, the organization after long discussions awarded the prizes to the remaining competitors. The press, however, highlighted the moral victory of the disqualified competitors. A Corsa Lumaca (Snail Race) was then held, which rewarded the slowest competitors to cover a 40-meter stretch. While the following day, on the straight 10 km Padova-Bovolenta course, an international speed race took place. The road was defined in part excellent and in part good, therefore ideal for this type of competition in which about twenty participants took part.
1900 Prova Resistenza Veicoli Automobili Province Venete, last act. Once again it is worth following the words of the local journalist: “The other day 21 competitors were ate the start for the 10 km speed race on the Bovolenta road, another event included in the Padua Meeting. The record was won by Gastè, who covered the course in 8 minutes and 2 seconds. The speed of the record winner was very impressive, frightening: more than a race it was an astounding vertigo. The Perfecta tricycle, propelled by the enormous power of the Soncin engine (4.5 HP), was spinning stiff, straight, confident, driven by an intelligent hand. The audience, more than enthusiastic, was astonished. No one recognized in yesterday’s winner the snail-competitor whistled in the tests of the competition in Prato della Valle. In this test the world record of 10 km was beaten by Gastè by 28 seconds (Beconnais record: 8 ’30 ”). Gastè had had two accidents: first a fault which was soon repaired; then, shortly before departure, the tricycle left alone in the middle of the road, due to the horse-back curve, set off by itself, plunging straight into the deep lateral moat, within more than half a meter of water. In two minutes, Mr. Gastè, assisted by a few good people, had lifted the rebel tricycle from the ditch without any damage”.
The final classification, after several twists, of the 10 km race on the Strada di Bovolenta:
1st Gastè on a 4½ HP Perfecta Soncin tricycle
2nd Bugatti with Prinetti Stucchi 4 HP quadricycle
3rd Lancia in a 6 HP Fiat car
4th Monti with a Phenix Soncin 4 HP tricycle
5th Gulinelli with a tricycle Prinetti Stucchi 3 HP
6th Masseratti with a Carcano 1¼ HP motorcycle
7th Memories M. in an original 14 HP Benz car
8th Adami in a Mors Ponsee 6 HP car
9th Ricordi G. in a Benz Ricordi 4½ HP car
10th Knives with a 8 HP Panhard car
11th Bonardi in a De Dion Bianchi 3¼ HP quadricycle
12th Graduates in De Dion Bianchi 2¼ HP tricycle
13th Carcano in a Carcano ¾ HP motorcycle
14th Isotta in a 3 HP Renault car
15th Monti with a quadricycle Prinetti Stucchi 4½ HP
16th Menon in a Menon Rebus 3½ HP car
17 ° Nemo in a Phenix 3 HP car
18th Ginori in a De Dion Bouton 3½ HP car
19th Laporte in a 10 HP Marchand car
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