Killed in the Italian GP. Named after a Russian social activist, Mikhail Bakunin, he worked as a garage repairman before serving in the Italian artillery unit in World War 1. After that he started racing, firstly in motorcycles, before going on to race cars successfully for many years, including winning the Catania GP of 1928, the Tripoli GP of 1930 and the Mille Miglia in 1932. Baconin was also adept at hillclimbing and road speed records. Borzacchini was a perfectly good driver but was probably most comfortable being the fast but supporting foil to the de facto team leader - which in Borzacchini's case was - the great Tazio Nuvolari.

Biography last updated 24 Sep 2015