Antonio Ascari
Italian Racing Driver Killed at 1925 French Grand Prix
Antonio Ascari was one of Italy’s greatest racing drivers in the years following the Great War. The son of a Mantuan corn dealer he started competing in a 1914 Grand Prix FIAT after returning from a Brazilian adventure, where he helped to build a railway.
First Race Win in a FIAT
Ascari was born on September 15th, 1888, but it was not until 1919 that he competed in his first motor race. He scored his first victory at the Parma-Poggio di Berceto hillclimb. The October 5th, 1919 edition of the Italian newspaper Gazetto dello Sport had this to say about Ascari;
“On first acquaintance he does not look like the champion he is and does not behave like one either. He is slightly ironic. When he gets behind the wheel he is a man transformed.”
That same year saw Ascari compete in his first Targa Florio, only to crash out of the event. He never did win the Italian classic, although he did finish second in 1923 behind his team-mate Ugo Sivocci. Ascari had seemed destined for victory, only for his engine to fail yards from the finish line.
Grand Prix Racing with Alfa Romeo
After learning the principles of racing in the FIAT Ascari was signed to drive for Alfa Romeo, the marque with which he became most associated. Ascari was already closely involved with Alfa, running a large dealership in Milan.
Ascari’s early races with Alfa were disappointing, bringing accidents and no race victories. He finally won at Cremona on May 6th, 1923. Enzo Ferrari, a decade younger than Ascari, was a team-mate at Alfa during this time. Although less gifted than the top-line drivers of the era Ferrari would go on to head Alfa’s racing programme and, many years later, Ascari’s son Alberto would win two Formula 1 World Championships in Ferrari cars.
Ascari missed out on the opportunity to compete in his home Grand Prix in 1923. The Alfa team withdrew following the death of Ascari’s team-mate Ugo Sivocci in practice. Alfa had been testing their new GPR model, which became known as the P1. It was a promising car but Ferrari thought that, with FIAT’s design guru Vittorio Jano on board, Alfa could dominate the opposition. Showing great initiative Ferrari persuaded Jano and several other FIAT engineers to join Alfa. The result was the fantastic P2, fitted with a two-litre DOHC straight-eight.
The P2 scored its first victory on the car’s maiden outing at Cremona in May, 1924, with Ascari driving. In the ACF Grand Prix Ascari suffered a breakdown, handing victory to Alfa team-mate Giuseppe Campari, but he won again at Monza in Septemeber against admittedly lightweight opposition.
The entry list for the 1925 Belgian Grand Prix posed even less threat to the dominant Alfa team. The regulations had changed, eliminating the requirement for a riding mechanic. At Spa Ascari and Campari led by such a distance that they had time to pit, enjoy lunch, rejoin the race and still win.
Ascari’s final Grand Prix was the ACF event, held at Montlhéry near Paris. He was leading on lap 23 when the red P2 left the road, trapping Ascari underneath. The great Italian driver did not survive long, dying in an ambulance. Grand Prix racing had lost a true great and seven-year old Alberto had lost his father, but it was not enough to deter him from embarking on his own brilliant racing career.
Lost Talents of Pre-war Motor Racing
Alfa Romeo P2 Grand Prix car
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