32 Gastone Brilli-Peri Österreichische Waffenfabriks Ges. Steyr VI Sport 15/90 HP
25 Giulio Masetti SA Italiana Ing. Nicola Romeo Alfa Romeo RLTF23
26 Antonio Ascari SA Italiana Ing. Nicola Romeo Alfa Romeo RLTF23
CIRCUITO DEL MUGELLO
Circuito del Mugello (I), 10 June 1923.
6 laps x 64.9 km (40.3 mi) = 389.4 km (242.0 mi)
Brilli-Peri wins the Mugello Circuit
by Hans Etzrodt
The 23 starters at the 1923 Mugello Circuit race were split into two groups of Production Cars and Racing Cars, resulting in six categories. The favorites included Brilli-Peri (Steyr),
Maserati (Diatto Special) and the Alfa Romeos of Giulio Masetti and Ascari. The battle for the lead was between Brilli-Peri and Masetti with Ascari once in second place. After more than
five hours, Brilli Peri dominated as the overall victor winning the Production Car group while Masetti won the Racing Car group. Ascari was third, followed by nine other finishers, one car
was flagged off and nine cars retired.
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The races on Circuito del Mugello north of Florence in the Toscana region of central Italy, were also called the "Little Targa Florio" because of its many up and downs and its 1691 turns
per lap. Mugello was one of the most important race circuits in Italy and dates back to 1914 when it was called Primo Circuito Toscano.
After WW I, the race was held annually since 1920 and in 1923 it took place for the 5th time on its 64.900 km route. The start was at San Piero a Sieve, 205 meters above sea level,
leading with a relatively slight slope to Scarperia, 292 meters. From here the road climbed in just over 10 kilometers to Giogo Pass at the considerable height of 879 meters. From Giogo
Pass it descended to Fiorenzuola at 422 meters above sea level and then it climbed again to reach Futa Pass at 903 meters, which was the highest point of the circuit. From Futa the circuit
led through Montecarelli to Bivio di Novoli and returned to San Piero a Sieve. Six laps had to be completed, a total of 389.400 km. The Automobile Club di Firenze organized this event
under the supervision of the Commissione Sportiva del R.A.C.I. (Reale Automobile Club d'Italia). Besides cash prizes, for the first time a very rich Trophy of Marquis Ginori-Lisci, the
magnificent Ginori Trophy, and other artistic gifts were at stake.
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Entries:
A list of the 33 entries is at the beginning of this report of which 23 cars appeared at the start. Alfieri Maserati raced one of his Diatto Specials with a 5.8-Liter Hispano-Suiza Aero
engine. The 3.0-Liter Alfa Romeo RLTF23 was considered a production car and started in the Production Car group, while Masetti's Alfa Romeo RLTF23 was re-bored to 3.154-Liter and therefore
not a production car and started in the Racing Car group. The Steyr production car of Brilli-Peri was the same type he had raced at the Targa Florio.
According to Alessandro Silva, Albiono Marinoni was Ansaldo's test driver and entered for this race, while Attilio Marinoni was Masetti's riding mechanic.
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Race:
A large crowd was assembled along the entire route of the classic Mugello Circuit. The organization of the Firence Automobile Club appeared exemplary. At six o'clock the Circuit was cleared and
whoever was on it had to leave without being able to continue to their destination. At any point of the circuit, both in the open countryside and inside the inhabited areas, during the race it was
absolutely forbidden to drive at all, including officials assigned to keep order. The start was at San Piero a Sieve. The cars started individually in order of their race numbers at intervals of
one minute and three minutes to the 1500 category and five minutes between the other categories. However, the cars were not necessarily released at one-minute intervals. The starting times were
determined beforehand according to the race numbers and if cars did not appear at the start (e.g. #14), then the car #15 was held to its predetermined time of departure. The start began at 7:00 in
the morning and the last car left at 7:50.
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| 7:00 | 1 | Cercignani | Wanderer | 1350 cc |
| 7:01 | 2 | Vagnetti | Wanderer | ----"---- | Did not start |
| 7:04 | 3 | Giannotti | Fiat | 1500 cc | Did not start |
| 7:05 | 4 | Cecchi | Fiat | ----"---- | Did not start |
| 7:06 | 5 | Bonfiglioli | OM | ----"---- | Did not start |
| 7:07 | 6 | Sbraci | Fiat | ----"---- | |
| 7:08 | 7 | Guardiani | OM | ----"---- | |
| 7:09 | 8 | Weber | Fiat | ----"---- | Did not start |
| 7:14 | 10 | Baccini | Diatto | 2000 cc |
| 7:15 | 11 | Marconcini | Ansaldo | ----"---- |
| 7:16 | 12 | Marinoni | Ansaldo | ----"---- |
| 7:17 | 13 | Novi | C. M. N. | ----"---- |
| 7:18 | 14 | X | De Dion | ----"---- | Did not start |
| 7:19 | 15 | Lotti | Ansaldo | ----"---- |
| 7:20 | 16 | Zaniratti | Bianchi | ----"---- |
| 7:21 | 17 | Cagli | Diatto | ----"---- | Did not start |
| 7:22 | 18 | Rubbietti | Bianchi | ----"---- |
| 7:23 | 19 | Vesprini | Diatto | ----"---- |
| 7:24 | 20 | Meregalli | Diatto | ----"---- |
| 7:29 | 22 | Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | 3000 cc |
| 7:30 | 23 | X | Itala | ----"---- | Did not start |
| 7:31 | 24 | Materassi | Itala | ----"---- |
| 7:32 | 26 | Ascari | Alfa Romeo | ----"---- |
| 7:37 | 28 | X | Steyr | over 3000 cc | Did not start |
| 7:38 | 29 | Tarabusi | Nazzaro | ----"---- |
| 7:39 | 31 | Nazzaro | Nazzaro | ----"---- | Did not start |
| 7:40 | 32 | Brilli-Peri | Steyr | ----"---- |
| 7:41 | 33 | Caprione | Nazzaro | ----"---- |
| | | --- RACING CARS --- |
| 7:46 | 9 | Lancellotti | Diatto Spl | 2000 cc |
| 7:47 | 21 | Maserati | Diatto Spl | 6000 cc |
| 7:48 | 25 | G. Masetti | Alfa Romeo | over 3000 cc |
| 7:49 | 27 | Turner | Diatto | 3000 cc |
| 7:50 | 30 | Foroni | Itala Spl | 6000 cc |
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The first start took place in near tropical heat at 7:00 AM; the others followed one after another from minute to minute.
After the first lap Brilli-Peri (Steyr) led Masetti (Alfa Romeo); both were separated by a few seconds. They were followed by Ascari (Alfa Romeo) and Maserati (Diatto) in fourth place.
Materassi (Itala) retired on the first lap.
After the second lap Brilli-Peri had made a record lap in 54m47.6s at 71.067 km/h average speed to stay ahead of Masetti. Ferrari (Alfa Romeo) and Lotti (Ansaldo ) retired on the second lap.
After the third lap Masetti had taken the lead because Brilli-Peri lost four valuable minutes with tire defects. The Diattos of Maserati and Vesprini retired on this lap.
On the fourth lap Brilli-Peri regained the lead, which he held for the last three laps until the finish, ahead of Masetti and Ascari. Baccini (Diatto) and Rubbietti (Bianchi) retired on lap four.
On the fifth lap Brilli-Peri remained in the lead while Ascari was able to pass Masetti for second place. Tire failures had often taken away a minimal advantage and Masetti certainly was not
immune to this dilemma. Marconcini (Ansaldo) retired on this lap.
On the sixth lap Ascari approached a turn where a large dust cloud limited visibility. In order not to go off the road, he abruptly braked, which spun the car around and came to a stop with
the two rear wheels suspended over the edge of a ravine. After a 16 minutes effort to extract the car, Ascari and his mechanic were back on the road and finished in third place. Meregalli
(Diatto) and Zaniratti (Bianchi) retired on this last lap.
At the end of the sixth lap, Brilli-Peri crossed the finish line in first place, two minutes ahead of Masetti and received great applause from the spectators. Ascari finished in third place,
over 11 minutes behind the winning Steyr. Caprione (Nazzaro) was fourth ahead of Foroni (Itala Spl), Turner (Diatto) and Tarabusi (Nazzaro) in seventh place, the last of the large cars.
In eighth place finished the small 1350 cc Wanderer of Cerignani, followed by Marinoni (Ansaldo), Lancellotti (Diatto), Sbraci (Fiat), Novi (C.M.N.) and Guardiani (OM) thirteenth, did not
classify as he completed only five laps. The remaining ten drivers retired.
The dusty course conditions had eliminated many of the cars and left the drivers behind. Both Brilli-Peri and Masetti stated that the race had been very tiring and at times it seemed to
have been unsustainable due to the dust that obstructed visibility at some sections. Brilli-Peri's victory was neither easy nor did he have luck, as he had to stop several times for tire
punctures and towards the end of the race a failure of the gear lever made it more difficult for him to maneuver. When one realized that Ascari's accident, which was almost fatal to him,
lost him over 16 minutes, one can assert that he was removed from the fight for the overall first place. But Alfa Romeo's greatest success was the victory of Gulio Masetti among the racecars.
Only Cerignani (Wanderer), Ascari (Alfa Romeo) and Brilli-Peri (Steyr), had lowered the times in their categories. The results were official only for the first overall for the Ginori Cup.
The assignment of the other prizes were to be announced as soon as the Sports Commission answered a few complaints against Alfa Romeo, Steyr and the driver Ascari. Of these complaints the
most important was the one filed against Steyr. According to this claim, the Austrian car was not a production but a racing type. In this case, the overall winner would remain Brilli-Peri;
while the victory in the category of production cars would be awarded to the Nazzaro of Caprione. In retrospect, the protest was evidently dismissed.
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Results
Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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1. | 32 | Gastone Brilli-Peri | Österreichische Waffenfabriks Ges. | Steyr VI Sport | 15/90 HP | 4.5 | S-6 | 6 | 5h48m51.0s | |
2. | 25 | Giulio Masetti | SA Italiana Ing. Nicola Romeo & C | Alfa Romeo | RLTF23 | 3.2 | S-6 | 6 | 5h50m44.6s | + 1m53.6s |
3. | 26 | Antonio Ascari | SA Italiana Ing. Nicola Romeo & C | Alfa Romeo | RLTF23 | 3.0 | S-6 | 6 | 6h00m17.0s | + 11m26.0s |
4. | 33 | Giovanni Caprione | Fabbrica Automobili Nazzaro | Nazzaro | Tipo 5 Sport | 4.4 | S-4 | 6 | 6h12m32.6s | + 23m41.6s |
5. | 30 | Vittorio Foroni | V. Foroni | Itala Spl | Hispano-Suiza | 5.8 | S-4 | 6 | 6h18m17.4s | + 29m26.4s |
6. | 27 | Gulielmo Turner | G. Turner | Diatto | CS2H | 2.6 | S-4 | 6 | 6h19m59.6s | + 31m08.6s |
7. | 29 | Abele Augusto Tarabusi | Fabbrica Automobili Nazzaro | Nazzaro | Tipo 5 Sport | 4.4 | S-4 | 6 | 6h21m36.0s | + 32m45.0s |
8. | 1 | Ferruccio Cercignani | F. Cercignani | Wanderer | 5/15 W4 | 1.3 | S-4 | 6 | 6h51m49.6s | + 1h02m58.6s |
9. | 12 | Albino Marinoni | Automobili Ansaldo | Ansaldo | 4CS | 2.0 | S-4 | 6 | 6h57m20.0s | + 1h08.29.0s |
10. | 9 | Massimiliano Lancellotti | SA Autocostruzioni Diatto | Diatto | 20S | 2.0 | S-4 | 6 | 7h05m06.0s | + 1h16m15.0s |
11. | 6 | Vasco Sbraci | V. Sbraci | Fiat | 501 S | 1.5 | S-4 | 6 | 7h06m48.0s | + 1h17m57.0s |
12. | 13 | Dante Novi | D. Novi | C.M.N. | | 2.0 | S-4 | 6 | 7h08m44.6s | + 1h19m53.6s |
DNC | 7 | Romeo Guardiani | R. Guardiani | OM | Touring | 1.5 | S-4 | 5 | 7h24m58.4s | |
DNF | 16 | Ferruccio Zaniratti | F. Zaniratti | Bianchi | 18 | 2.0 | S-4 | 5 | | |
DNF | 20 | Guido Meregalli | SA Autocostruzioni Diatto | Diatto | 20S | 2.0 | S-4 | 5 | | |
DNF | 11 | Alete Marconcini | Automobili Ansaldo | Ansaldo | 4CS | 2.0 | S-4 | 4 | | |
DNF | 18 | Giorgio Rubbietti | SA Automobile e Velocipd. E. Banchi | Bianchi | 18 | 2.0 | S-4 | 3 | | |
DNF | 10 | Giulio Baccini | G. Baccini | Diatto | 20 S | 2.0 | S-4 | 3 | | |
DNF | 21 | Alfieri Maserati | SA Autocostruzioni Diatto | Diatto Spl | Hispano-Suiza | 5.8 | S-4 | 2 | | |
DNF | 19 | Tulio Vesprini | SA Autocostruzioni Diatto | Diatto | 20S | 2.0 | S-4 | 2 | | |
DNF | 22 | Enzo Ferrari | E. Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | RLTF23 | 3.0 | S-6 | 1 | | |
DNF | 15 | Corrado Lotti | C. Lotti | Ansaldo | 4CS | 2.0 | S-4 | 1 | | |
DNF | 24 | Emilio Materassi | E. Materassi | Itala | 51S | 2.8 | S-4 | 0 | | |
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Fastest lap over 2000 cc: Brilli Peri (Steyr) on lap 2 in 54m47.6s = 71.1 km/h (44.2 mph).
Winner's average speed Racecar (Masetti): 66.6 km/h (41.4 mph).
Winner's average speed > 3000 cc (Brilli-Peri): 67.0 km/h (41.6 mph).
Winner's average speed 3000 cc (Ascari): 64.8 km/h (40.3 mph).
Winner's average speed 2000 cc (Marinoni): 56.0 km/h (34.8 mph).
Winner's average speed 1500 cc (Sbraci): 54.7 km/h (34.0 mph).
Winner's average speed 1350 cc: (Cercignani): 56.732 km/h (35.253 mph).
Weather: very hot
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In retrospect:
The available reports contained primarily general information and failed to mention any intermediate times or driver progress during the six laps of the race, including reasons for the many retirements.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
Automobil-Welt, Berlin
La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milano
La Nazione, Firenze
La Stampa, Torino
L'AUTO, Paris
L'Auto-Sport, Milano
L'IMPERO, Roma
MOTOR der Flug, Wien
Stadium, Barcelona
Special thanks to:
Alessandro Silva
Giuseppe Prisco
Michael Müller
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