The Montenero Circuit, official name: Circuito del Montenero or sometimes referred to simply as "the Livorno Circuit", was a Grand Prix motor racing road course located at the southern outskirts of Livorno, a city on the mediterranean coast of the Tuscany region in Italy. The venue was best known as the home for the annual Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano and the 1937 Italian Grand Prix.
History The circuit was created in 1921 at the initiative of Paolo Fabbrini, owner of the newspaper Corriere di Livorno to host local sports car races. On September 25 the same year, the first "Coppa Montenero" was held on an 18.5 km long public roads circuit with 164 corners, starting at the seafront "Rotonda" (Parco Bartolini) in the Ardenza district of Livorno, stretching up into the hills of Montenero, climbing to about 300 meters above sea level before returning down to the start/finish line. The circuit was long, with dangerous sections and extremely hard on both man and machine but considered a huge success, attracting interest from regional motoring clubs and the automobile industry alike.
In 1927, Livorno-born politician Costanzo Ciano donated the first "Coppa Ciano" trophy, starting one of the most prestigious Grand Prix racing series to endure for the next 12 years. Like many other circuits of the era, Montenero had to change its layout several times over the years to accommodate the growing demands of racing technology. The last major Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano Grand Prix in 1939 also marks the end of the great road course era. Safety concerns, increasingly unmanageable circuit demands, faster cars among other factors left shorter, purpose-built race tracks as the only viable alternative for future Grand Prix venues. One last "Coppa Montenero" was held in 1947 in an attempt to revive the circuit but proved to be financially unsuccessful. A minor sports car race in 1953 was the last event before the track was closed down for good.
List of events 1921: 1922–1924: 1925–1930: 1931–1932: 1933–1935: 1936: 1937: 1938: 1939: 1947: I Circuito Montenero (Coppa Montenero) Circuito Montenero Circuito Montenero (I Coppa Ciano 1937) Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano (*) XV Gran Premio d'Italia (XVII Coppa Ciano) Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano, (Voiturette) Circuito Montenero - Coppa Ciano Coppa Montenero 110 km 180 km 225 km 200 km 240 km 216.5 km 360 km 145.0 km 232.0 km 125.0 km (6 laps - 18.5 km road course) (8 laps - 22.5 km road course) (10 laps - 22.5 km road course) (10 laps - 20 km road course) (12 laps - 20 km road course) (30 laps - 7.218 km street circuit) (50 laps - 7.218 km street circuit) (25 laps - 5.8 km street circuit) (40 laps - 5.8 km street circuit) (25 laps - 5.01 km street circuit) (*) The mountain section of the circuit was dropped from 1936 to 1947
Circuito Montenero by year Year Race Name Dist. Circuit Formula Driver Manufacturer Time Report 1921 I Circuito del Montenero 109.2 km 18.5 km 2000cc Corrado Lotti Ansaldo 2000 2:44:26 Report 1922 II Circuito Montenero 180 km 22.5 km Formula Libre Carlo Masetti Bugatti 37 1500 2:52:42 Report 1923 III Circuito Montenero 180 km 22.5 km Formula Libre Mario Razzauti Ansaldo 2000 2:52:42 Report 1924 IV Circuito Montenero 180 km 22.5 km Formula Libre Renato Balestrero OM 665 2:34:58 Report 1925 V Circuito Montenero 225 km 22.5 km Formula Libre Emilio Materassi Itala Special 3:16:40 Report 1926 VI Circuito Montenero 225 km 22.5 km Formula Libre Emilio Materassi Itala Special 2:55:10 Report 1927 VII Circuito Montenero 225 km 22.5 km Formula Libre Emilio Materassi Bugatti T35C 2:45:18 Report I Coppa Ciano (Sport) 225 km 22.5 km Sports car Attilio Marinoni Alfa Romeo 6C-1500 2:52:42 Report 1928 VIII Circuito Montenero 225 km 22.5 km Grand Prix Emilio Materassi Talbot 700 2:38:57 Report II Coppa Ciano (Sport) 225 km 22.5 km Sports car Mario Razzauti Alfa Romeo 6C-1500 2:52:42 Report 1929 IX (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 225 km 22.5 km Grand Prix Achille Varzi Alfa Romeo P2 2:38:51 Report 1930 X (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 225 km 22.5 km Grand Prix Luigi Fagioli Maserati 26M 2:33:50 Report 1931 XI (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 200 km 20.0 km Grand Prix Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza 2:23:40 Report 1932 XII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 200 km 20.0 km Grand Prix Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3' 2:18:19 Report 1933 XIII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 240 km 20.0 km Grand Prix Tazio Nuvolari Maserati 8CM 2:45:08 Report 1934 XIV (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 240 km 20.0 km Grand Prix Achille Varzi Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3' 2:49:52 Report 1935 XV (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 240 km 20.0 km Grand Prix Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3' 2:42:08 Report 1936 XVI (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 216.5 km 7.218 km Grand Prix Nuvolari / Pintacuda Alfa Romeo 8C-35 1:44:54.4 Report 1937 XVII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano * 360.0 km 7.218 km Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W125 2:44:54.4 Report 1938 XVIII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 232.0 km 5.80 km Grand Prix Hermann Lang Mercedes-Benz W154 1:00:35.2 Report XVIII (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 145.0 km 5.80 km Voiturette Emilio Villoresi Maserati 6CM 1:05:21.6 Report 1939 XIX (Circuito Montenero) Coppa Ciano 348.0 km 5.80 km Grand Prix Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo 158 2:30:10.4 Report 1940–1946 (Not held) 1947 XX Coppa Montenero 125.0 km 5.01 km Voiturette Franco Venturi Cisitalia D46 - Fiat 1:13:51.2 Report * (AIACR European Driver Championship round) - Sources:
Montenero circuit maps
Notes Circuit data for 'Fast Lap' (if available) is inconsistent. Times given are for the completed race. Fastest drivers for the major circuit variants are determined by median speed average Race (event) numbering is adopted from "Circuito del Montenero Coppa Ciano" (Italian) Inconsistencies and discrepancies in Grand Prix era race numbering were often due to political conflicts between regional municipalities and national sanctioning bodies. (example: Grand Prix de la Marne vs Grand Prix de Reims vs Grand Prix de l'ACF
References
External links Circuito del Montenero - Coppa Ciano (Italian) The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing AIACR European Driver Championships 1931,1932, 1935-1939 Formula One WC and non-championship results The Formula One Archives A forgotten Championship when Nuvolari waved the steering wheel at the crowd...