Baconin Borzacchini
Encyclopedia
Baconin Borzacchini was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing
driver often referred to as Mario Umberto Borzacchini.
in the Umbria
region of Italy
, at age 14 he began working in a garage, training as a repairman. After service in the army during World War I
, he began racing motorcycles before turning to automobile competitions in 1926. During the next two years he won six Italian hillclimbing
events driving a Salmson
. He earned victories at three significant Italian races including the Etna Cup at Catania
and the 1100cc class at the 1926 and 1927 Targa Florio
where he beat fellow up-and-comer Luigi Fagioli
. Borzacchini's success ultimately led to an offer to join the Maserati
racing team and driving for them, he won the 1927 Terni-Passo della Somma and the Coppa della Collina Pistoiese." In 1928 he drove a Maserati to first place in the Coppa Gallenga hillclimb at Rocca di Papa
.
On 28 September 1929, Baconin Borzacchini set a new flying 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) land speed record
of 246.069 kilometre per hour in a Maserati V4. That same year, he finished second in the Circuito di Alessandria and in the Tripoli Grand Prix
. In 1930, under the repressive fascist regime of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
, Borzacchini was pressured into racing under the Italian name, Mario Umberto because at birth, his parents had given him the first name of a Russian social activist (Mikhail Bakunin
) whom they had admired.
Maserati entered the 1930 Indianapolis 500
. Designed with a swept-back aerodynamic front end, a radical innovation unheard of at the time but commonplace today, it was felt that Borzacchini had a good chance to capture the prestigious American event. Unfortunately, magneto problems forced him out of the race after just three laps. However, Borzacchini and his Maserati claimed victory at the 1930 Tripoli Grand Prix and won another hillclimbing event, the Pontedecimo-Giovi at Genoa
.
In 1931 he signed to drive Alfa Romeo
s for Scuderia Ferrari
where he became a great friend of team-mate Tazio Nuvolari
. Although he won the Circuito di Avellino, Baconin Borzacchini's season was dogged by both bad luck and the brilliance of Nuvolari. He finished second at the Targa Florio
, the Grand Prix of Monza, and the Italian
, Belgian
and French
Grands Prix.
At the 1932 French Grand Prix
and the Coppa Ciano
, driving the new Alfa Romeo P3
Borzacchini finished second behind team mate Nuvolari and third at Germany's Großer Preis von Deutschland. However, with co-driver Amadeo Bignami, he won the gruelling Mille Miglia
and wound up the 1932 season finishing second overall to Nuvolari for the European Drivers Championship. When Alfa Romeo decided to withdraw from racing after the 1932 season and sold its cars to Enzo Ferrari
, Borzacchini rejoined the Maserati team. United with Luigi Fagioli
and Giuseppe Campari
, in March 1933 he picked up where he had left off the previous year, finishing second to Nuvolari at the Grand Prix of Tunisia. In April he took another second at the Monaco Grand Prix
, this time to the Bugatti
of Achille Varzi
and then earned a third place finish at the Avusrennen in Germany, also won by Varzi. At the 1933 Targa Florio
, held at the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, Borzacchini set the pace with the fastest lap but an accident forced him out of the race.
The Italian Grand Prix
held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza
on 10 September 1933, was one of the blackest days in Grand Prix racing history. Baconin Borzacchini was vying with his team-mate Giuseppe Campari for the lead when Campari's vehicle skidded in a sharp turn on a patch of leaked engine oil and crashed, killing him instantly. Immediately behind, Borzacchini tried unsuccessfully to avoid the wreck and he too was killed when his car veered off the track. After race officials restarted the event the third tragedy of the day occurred when the vehicle of Polish
driver Count Stanislas Czaykowski crashed and caught on fire, burning him to death.
During his years of racing, Baconin Borzacchini participated in more than one hundred events. Although his number of victories is considerably less than some of the other Italian racing notables, he was much loved and respected by his countrymen. In his honor, the circuit in Magione
in the Province of Perugia
in Umbria
not far from where he was born, was named the "Autodromo Mario Umberto Borzacchini".
Baconin Borzacchini is interred in the local cemetery in his native Terni.
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
driver often referred to as Mario Umberto Borzacchini.
Biography
Born Baconino Francesco Domenico Borzacchini in TerniTerni
Terni is a city in southern Umbria, central Italy, capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It is 104 km N of Rome, 36 km NW of Rieti, and 29 km S of Spoleto.-History:...
in the Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, at age 14 he began working in a garage, training as a repairman. After service in the army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he began racing motorcycles before turning to automobile competitions in 1926. During the next two years he won six Italian hillclimbing
Hillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
events driving a Salmson
Salmson
Salmson was a French engineering company, initially in the automobile and aeroplane manufacturing area,turning to pump manufacturing in the 1960s.-History:...
. He earned victories at three significant Italian races including the Etna Cup at Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
and the 1100cc class at the 1926 and 1927 Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
where he beat fellow up-and-comer Luigi Fagioli
Luigi Fagioli
Luigi Fagioli , nicknamed "the Abruzzi robber", was an Italian motor racing driver.-Career:Born in the small city of Osimo, Ancona Province in the Marche region of central Italy, as a boy Luigi Fagioli was fascinated by the relatively new invention of the automobile and the ensuing racing...
. Borzacchini's success ultimately led to an offer to join the Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
racing team and driving for them, he won the 1927 Terni-Passo della Somma and the Coppa della Collina Pistoiese." In 1928 he drove a Maserati to first place in the Coppa Gallenga hillclimb at Rocca di Papa
Rocca di Papa
Rocca di Papa is a small town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani about 25 km south east of Rome on the Alban Hills. It is bounded by the other communes of Velletri, Rocca Priora, Monte Compatri, Grottaferrata, Albano and Marino...
.
On 28 September 1929, Baconin Borzacchini set a new flying 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) land speed record
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
of 246.069 kilometre per hour in a Maserati V4. That same year, he finished second in the Circuito di Alessandria and in the Tripoli Grand Prix
Tripoli Grand Prix
The Tripoli Grand Prix was a motor racing event first held in 1925 on a racing circuit outside Tripoli, the capital of what was then Italian Tripolitania...
. In 1930, under the repressive fascist regime of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, Borzacchini was pressured into racing under the Italian name, Mario Umberto because at birth, his parents had given him the first name of a Russian social activist (Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Bakunin
Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin was a well-known Russian revolutionary and theorist of collectivist anarchism. He has also often been called the father of anarchist theory in general. Bakunin grew up near Moscow, where he moved to study philosophy and began to read the French Encyclopedists,...
) whom they had admired.
Maserati entered the 1930 Indianapolis 500
1930 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1930 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1930.Note: Cars not finishing were awarded positions in the order in which they left the track, regardless of lap count...
. Designed with a swept-back aerodynamic front end, a radical innovation unheard of at the time but commonplace today, it was felt that Borzacchini had a good chance to capture the prestigious American event. Unfortunately, magneto problems forced him out of the race after just three laps. However, Borzacchini and his Maserati claimed victory at the 1930 Tripoli Grand Prix and won another hillclimbing event, the Pontedecimo-Giovi at Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
In 1931 he signed to drive Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo in motorsport
During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private...
s for Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
where he became a great friend of team-mate Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari was an Italian motorcycle and racecar driver, known as Il Mantovano Volante or Nivola. He was the 1932 European Champion in Grand Prix motor racing...
. Although he won the Circuito di Avellino, Baconin Borzacchini's season was dogged by both bad luck and the brilliance of Nuvolari. He finished second at the Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
, the Grand Prix of Monza, and the Italian
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
, Belgian
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship....
and French
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
Grands Prix.
At the 1932 French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
and the Coppa Ciano
Coppa Ciano
The Coppa Ciano was an automobile race held in Italy. Originally referred to as Coppa Montenero or Circuito Montenero, the Coppa Ciano name being used between 1927 and 1939....
, driving the new Alfa Romeo P3
Alfa Romeo P3
The Alfa Romeo P3, P3 monoposto or Tipo B was a classic Grand Prix car designed by Vittorio Jano, one of the Alfa Romeo 8C models. The P3 was first genuine single-seat Grand Prix racing car and Alfa Romeo's second monoposto after Tipo A monoposto . It was based on the earlier successful Alfa Romeo P2...
Borzacchini finished second behind team mate Nuvolari and third at Germany's Großer Preis von Deutschland. However, with co-driver Amadeo Bignami, he won the gruelling Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
and wound up the 1932 season finishing second overall to Nuvolari for the European Drivers Championship. When Alfa Romeo decided to withdraw from racing after the 1932 season and sold its cars to Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian race car driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari car manufacturer...
, Borzacchini rejoined the Maserati team. United with Luigi Fagioli
Luigi Fagioli
Luigi Fagioli , nicknamed "the Abruzzi robber", was an Italian motor racing driver.-Career:Born in the small city of Osimo, Ancona Province in the Marche region of central Italy, as a boy Luigi Fagioli was fascinated by the relatively new invention of the automobile and the ensuing racing...
and Giuseppe Campari
Giuseppe Campari
Giuseppe Campari was an Italian opera singer and Grand Prix motor racing driver.-Racing career:Born Giuseppe Campari near the city of Lodi southwest of Milan, as a teenager he went to work for the Alfa Romeo automobile company...
, in March 1933 he picked up where he had left off the previous year, finishing second to Nuvolari at the Grand Prix of Tunisia. In April he took another second at the Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, alongside the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
, this time to the Bugatti
Bugatti
Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....
of Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi
Achille Varzi , was an Italian Grand Prix driver.-Career:Born in Galliate, province of Novara , Achille Varzi was the son of a prosperous textile manufacturer...
and then earned a third place finish at the Avusrennen in Germany, also won by Varzi. At the 1933 Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
, held at the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, Borzacchini set the pace with the fastest lap but an accident forced him out of the race.
The Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
on 10 September 1933, was one of the blackest days in Grand Prix racing history. Baconin Borzacchini was vying with his team-mate Giuseppe Campari for the lead when Campari's vehicle skidded in a sharp turn on a patch of leaked engine oil and crashed, killing him instantly. Immediately behind, Borzacchini tried unsuccessfully to avoid the wreck and he too was killed when his car veered off the track. After race officials restarted the event the third tragedy of the day occurred when the vehicle of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
driver Count Stanislas Czaykowski crashed and caught on fire, burning him to death.
During his years of racing, Baconin Borzacchini participated in more than one hundred events. Although his number of victories is considerably less than some of the other Italian racing notables, he was much loved and respected by his countrymen. In his honor, the circuit in Magione
Magione
Magione is a comune in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 15 km west of Perugia.Magione borders the following municipalities: Castiglione del Lago, Corciano, Panicale, Passignano sul Trasimeno, Perugia, Tuoro sul Trasimeno, and Umbertide...
in the Province of Perugia
Province of Perugia
The Province of Perugia is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia...
in Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
not far from where he was born, was named the "Autodromo Mario Umberto Borzacchini".
Baconin Borzacchini is interred in the local cemetery in his native Terni.
Major career victories
- Camaiore Circuit 1926
- Targa FlorioTarga FlorioThe Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
(Junior class, 1100cc) 1926, 1927 - Etna Cup 1928
- Tripoli Grand PrixTripoli Grand PrixThe Tripoli Grand Prix was a motor racing event first held in 1925 on a racing circuit outside Tripoli, the capital of what was then Italian Tripolitania...
1930 - Coppa Principe di Piemonte 1931
- Mille MigliaMille MigliaThe Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
1932
Indy 500 results
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Complete European Championship results
(Races in bold indicate pole position)| Year | Entrant | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | EDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 1931 Grand Prix season The 1931 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Ferdinando Minoia, driving for the Alfa Corse team. Minoia won the championship despite not winning a single race during the championship season... |
Alfa Corse Alfa Corse Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo's factory racing team. Throughout the years, Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport, from Grand Prix motor racing to touring car racing.... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
ITA 1931 Italian Grand Prix The 1931 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on May 24, 1931.- Classification :... Ret |
FRA 1931 French Grand Prix The 1931 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry on June 21, 1931.- Classification :... 2 |
BEL 1931 Belgian Grand Prix The 1931 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 12, 1931.- Classification :-Race:- Starting grid positions :... 2 |
3 | 11 |
| 1932 1932 Grand Prix season The 1932 Grand Prix season was the second AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Tazio Nuvolari, driving for the Alfa Corse team. Nuvolari won two of the three events that counted towards the championship... |
Alfa Corse Alfa Corse Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo's factory racing team. Throughout the years, Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport, from Grand Prix motor racing to touring car racing.... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
ITA 1932 Italian Grand Prix The 1932 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on June 5, 1932.-Race:- Starting grid positions :... 3 |
FRA 1932 French Grand Prix The 1932 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 3, 1932.- Classification :- Race :- Starting grid positions :... 2 |
GER 1932 German Grand Prix The 1932 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 17, 1932.- Classification :... 3 |
2 | 8 |