OldRacingCars.com

Gran Premio di San Remo

Autodromo di Ospedaletti, 3 Apr 1949

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Juan Manuel Fangio Maserati 4CLT-48 [1599] - s/c 4
#18 Automovil Club Argentino (see note 1)
90 3h 01'28.6
61.94 mph
2 "B Bira" Maserati 4CLT-48 [1598] - s/c 4
#28 Prince Birabongse (see note 2)
90 3h 02'27.8
3 Emmanuel de Graffenried Maserati 4CLT-48 [1601] - s/c 4
#30 Enrico Plate (see note 3)
89
4 Benedicto Campos Maserati 4CLT-48 [1600] - s/c 4
#34 Automovil Club Argentino (see note 4)
89
5 Felice Bonetto (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166C [06C] - V12
#42 Scuderia Ferrari
88
6 Giovanni Bracco (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166 SC [012M] - V12
#12 G Bracco
85
7 Piero Carini (F2) 2-litre Maserati A6GCS [2010] 6
#32 P Carini
84
8 Roberto Vallone (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166 SC [008I] - V12
#48 R Vallone

R Eugène Chaboud Maserati 4CL [1588] - s/c 4
#40 Écurie Dimiex
69
R Frankie Séchehaye Maserati 4CL [1587] - s/c 4
#26 Enrico Plate
63
R Pierre Bouillin ("Levegh") Talbot T26C [110 005] 6
#8 P "Levegh" (see note 5)
56
R Peter Whitehead Ferrari 125 [10C] - s/c V12
#14 P N Whitehead (see note 6)
50
R Bruno Sterzi (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166C [01F] - V12
#10 Gruppo Inter (see note 7)
43
R Raymond Sommer Ferrari 125 [12C] - s/c V12
#24 Scuderia Ferrari (see note 8)
37 engine
R Fred Ashmore Maserati 4CLT-48 [1593] - s/c 4
#36 R Parnell (see note 9)
34 gearbox
R Dioscoride Lanza Maserati 4CL [1571] - s/c 4
#16 Écurie Dimiex
31
R Louis Rosier Talbot T26C [110 001] 6
#6 Écurie Rosier (see note 10)
24 accident
R Emilio Romano (F2) 2-litre Maserati A6GCS [2009] 6
#52 E Romano
19 valves
R Nello Pagani Maserati 4CL [1585] - s/c 4
#20 Enrico Plate (see note 11)
15 valves
R Nando Righetti (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166 SC [010I] - V12
#44 F Righetti
10 head-gasket
R Rudi Fischer (F2) 1.4-litre Simca-Gordini T11 [0005-GC] 4
#4 R Fischer (see note 12)
10 piston
R Louis Chiron (F2) 1.4-litre Simca-Gordini T15 4
#22 Automovil Club Argentino
8 accident
DNA Jean Behra (4.5 F1) 3.7-litre Maserati 6C-34 [3022] 6
#2 Écurie Dimiex
Did not arrive
DNA Giovanni Bracco (F2) 2-litre Maserati A6GCS 6
#12 G Bracco
Did not arrive
DNA Henri Louveau Maserati 4CL [1580] - s/c 4
#38 H Louveau
Did not arrive
DNA Felice Bonetto (F2) 2-litre Maserati A6GCS 6
#42 F Bonetto
Did not arrive
DNA Nando Righetti (F2) 1.1-litre Stanguellini - Fiat
#44 F Righetti
Did not arrive
DNA Giuseppe Farina Ferrari 125 - s/c V12
#46 Scuderia Ferrari
Did not arrive
DNA Clemente Biondetti (F2) 2-litre Maserati A6GCS 6
#50 C Biondetti
Did not arrive
DNA Alberto Ascari (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166C - V12
#54 Scuderia Ferrari
Did not arrive

All cars are 1.5-litre s/c F1 or 4.5-litre F1 unless noted.

Qualifying
1 "B Bira" (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CLT-48 [1598] - Maserati s/c 4 2'00.6
2 Juan Manuel Fangio (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CLT-48 [1599] - Maserati s/c 4 2'00.8
3 Raymond Sommer (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Ferrari 125 [12C] - Ferrari s/c V12 2'01.2
4 Emmanuel de Graffenried (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CLT-48 [1601] - Maserati s/c 4 2'02.2
5 Benedicto Campos (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CLT-48 [1600] - Maserati s/c 4 2'04.0
6 Rudi Fischer (F2) 1.4-litre Simca-Gordini T11 [0005-GC] - Simca-Gordini 4 2'06.0
7 Nando Righetti (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166 SC [010I] - Ferrari V12 2'06.2
8 Felice Bonetto (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166C [06C] - Ferrari V12 2'06.3
9 Nello Pagani (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CL [1585] - Maserati s/c 4 2'07.4
10 Peter Whitehead (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Ferrari 125 [10C] - Ferrari s/c V12 2'07.4
10 Emilio Romano (F2) 2-litre Maserati A6GCS [2009] - Maserati 6 2'09.2
11 Dioscoride Lanza (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CL [1571] - Maserati s/c 4 2'07.4
12 Roberto Vallone (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166 SC [008I] - Ferrari V12 2'07.4
13 Louis Rosier (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Talbot T26C [110 001] - Talbot 6 2'07.6
14 Fred Ashmore (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CLT-48 [1593] - Maserati s/c 4 2'08.0
15 Giovanni Bracco (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166 SC [012M] - Ferrari V12 2'08.0
16 Louis Chiron (F2) 1.4-litre Simca-Gordini T15 - Simca-Gordini 4 2'08.6
17 Eugène Chaboud (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CL [1588] - Maserati s/c 4 2'08.6
18 Piero Carini (F2) 2-litre Maserati A6GCS [2010] - Maserati 6 2'08.6
19 Bruno Sterzi (F2) 2-litre Ferrari 166C [01F] - Ferrari V12 2'09.2
21 Pierre Bouillin ("Levegh") (4.5 F1) 4.5-litre Talbot T26C [110 005] - Talbot 6 2'09.6
22 Frankie Séchehaye (4.5 F1) 1.5-litre Maserati 4CL [1587] - Maserati s/c 4 2'18.6

Notes on the cars:

  1. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1599] (Juan Manuel Fangio): Built in 1949 for Automovil Club Argentina and under the ACA's "Scuderia Achille Varzi" banner raced by Fangio and others. Raced occasionally in Europe 1950 by Fangio then to South America 1950-52 for various ACA drivers. A car with this number discovered in Argentina in 2002. Owned by Daniel Sielecki (Argentina) 2002.
  2. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1598] ("B Bira"): Maserati records show this car going to 'B. Bira' 23 Sep 1948. Bira raced 1948 British GP, 1949 Argentine Temporada and 1949 European season. Retained 1950 being used as Platé team car from Pescara. Raced by Harry Schell for Enrico Platé in 1951 then becoming one of two cars extensively rebuilt as Platé-Maseratis for 1952. Probably raced by Giovanni de Riu in F2 in 1953. Then sold via de Graffenried to 20th Century Fox for film work and then acquired by Tom Carstens (Tacoma, WA). Subsequent history unknown.
  3. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1601] (Emmanuel de Graffenried): To Enrico Platé for 1949 (dated 7 Mar 1949 in Maserati records) and driven by Emmanuel de Graffenried. Continued as de Graffenried's well-used car through 1950 and 1951. Probably one of two cars extensively rebuilt as Plate-Maseratis for 1952. Probably raced by Ottorino Volonterio in F2 in 1953. Sold with the sister car (probably 1598) by de Graffenried to 20th Century Fox for film work then sold again via Tom Carstens (Tacoma, WA). Subsequent history unknown.
  4. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1600] (Benedicto Campos): Built in 1949 for Automovil Club Argentina and raced by under the ACA's "Scuderia Achille Varzi" banner Malusardi and Benedicto Campos. Raced in 1950 by Jose Froilan Gonzalez and then 1950-52 by other ACA drivers in South America. Reportedly to Venezuela then via US, Japanese and further US owners to 1996. Owned by Jean-Louis Duret from 1996. Retained 2000.
  5. Talbot T26C [110 005] (Pierre Bouillin ("Levegh")): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 005' was raced by 'Levegh' from 1948 to 1951 and by Grignard once in 1951. Retained by the works until it was sold to Otto Zipper in the US in 1957. Then to the Briggs Cunningham museum via two other US owners to Tony Wang 1988.
  6. Ferrari 125 [10C] (Peter Whitehead): Peter Whitehead bought 10C new for 1949 and used it through 1949 and 1950 before buying a newer ex-works 125. This car was raced by Dobson in 1951 and later sold to David Murray. Whitehead later bought a 1949/50 LWB Tipo 125 renumbered 0114; it is this latter car that spent many years in the Donington Collection.
  7. Ferrari 166C [01F] (Bruno Sterzi): Bruno Sterzi had a customer tipo 166F2 for 1949, numbered 01F. This car may have been diverted to become Fangio's ACA car for the Monza GP in June and a replacement car may have been built for Sterzi to race at Garda where he crashed badly. The 166 engine '01F' from this car later to Peter Staechelin with his 125 now newly renumbered #0104.
  8. Ferrari 125 [12C] (Raymond Sommer): One of two works 125s built for the start of 1949, 12C was also used as a F2 car early in the season. It may be the car used by Sommer in 1950 but as it had been rebodied, it is not possibly to identify. It may be the car renumbered #0104 and sold to Peter Staechelin for 1951.
  9. Maserati 4CLT-48 [1593] (Fred Ashmore): Shown in Maserati records as Alberto Ascari's early 1948 car. To Reg Parnell 1949 for Fred Ashmore then raced in 1950 by David Hampshire and others as part of Scuderia Ambrosiana. Then David Murray's car for 1951. Crashed in practice at the Nürburgring for the 1951 German GP and not seen again.
  10. Talbot T26C [110 001] (Louis Rosier): Talbot-Lago T26C chassis '110 001' was raced by Louis Rosier from 1948 to 1950 and then under the Ecurie Rosier banner by Pozzi in 1950; by Henri Louveau and Louis Chiron in 1951; and by Giraud-Cabantous, Chaboud and Mairesse in 1952. It was acquired by the Musée Henri Malatre at Rochetaillé, France, in 1956 and was still on display in 1990.
  11. Maserati 4CL [1585] (Nello Pagani): Delivered on 30 Apr 1947 to Enrico Plate's team and driven by a variety of drivers from 1947 to 1949, including Emmanuel de Graffenried. Sold to Joe Fry for 1950, but passed after Fry's death in July 1950 to Duncan Hamilton and Philip Fotheringham-Parker who campaigned it in British races until then of the F1 formula in 1951. Campaigned widely in UK historic racing events by several British owners until passing to the current owner, Oliver Maierhofer (Germany) On display at Tubingen Motor Museum in 2007.
  12. Simca-Gordini T11 [0005-GC] (Rudi Fischer): Works car 1947 and possibly 1948, or "Emart" (Tornquist) 1948. "Emart" raced in Europe 1949 and 1950 and in his native Argentina 1953. Possibly the car later raced in Argentina by Kurt Delfosse in sportscar trim with Porsche engine. Subsequent history unknown.

Formula 1 events 1948-1953

The results published here were compiled by David McKinney and Adam Ferrington from a range of sources including Autocourse, Motor Sport and Autosport, as well as the F1 Register's A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 5 covering 1950 and 1951. Individual car identities were then meticulously checked against their enormous libraries of books and photographs, notably Talbot-Lago de Course by Pierre Abeillon, Les Gordini by Robert Jarraud, Gordini – Un Sorcier, Une Equipe by Christian Huet and The History of English Racing Automobiles by David Weguelin.

David has also contributed extensively from his notes on car identities compiled over 40 years of research, Michael Müller has contributed immaculately researched histories of all the 1948-1950 Ferrari 125s, and Doug Nye, both through his books and his personal assistance on HWM, has also been of great help.

Please note that since David's sad death in 2014, Adam and Allen have agreed that these pages will remain unaltered from now on, as a lasting testimony to David's expertise.