10 Mario Razzauti
M. Razzauti
Ansaldo 4AS or 4CS
8 Corrado Lotti
C. Lotti
Ansaldo 4AS
5 Alete Marconcini
A. Marconcini
Chiribiri Monza
COPPA MONTENERO
Circuito Montenero - Livorno (I), 26 August 1923
8 laps x 22.5 km (13.98 mi) = 180 km (111.85 mi).
Razzauti wins the Coppa Montenero with Ansaldo
by Hans Etzrodt
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The 16 cars at the start were divided into three categories for the 8-lap race on the Coppa Montenero circuit along 180 km twisting mountain roads. Brilli Peri (3.0-L Diatto),
Materassi (3.0-L Itala) and Carlo Masetti (2.0-L Bugatti) were the favorites. Brilli Peri held the lead for the first two laps, Masetti led the third round, Marconcini
(1.5-L Chiribiri) was in first place from lap four to six and Razzauti (2.0-L Ansaldo) led lap seven and eight. The absolute victory went to Razzauti from Livorno, who
benefited from the forced delay of Brilli Peri and the retirement of Masetti and Materassi. Razzauti's victory confirmed the Ansaldo's qualities of speed and endurance.
Brilli Peri had to be satisfied with winning his category. Marconcini (Chiribiri Monza) won the 1500 category and was third overall, ahead of larger cars. Razzauti won the
race followed by Lotti (2.0-L Ansaldo) winner of the first event, Marconcini in third place, ahead of Brilli Peri, Cercignani (2.0-L Diatto), Balestrero (1.5-L OM), Pagani
(3.0-L Ceirano), Fossati (2.0-L CMN), Cecchi (1.5-L Fiat) and Novi (2.0-L CMN) tenth.
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The races on the Montenero Circuit near Livorno (Leghorn in English) had been held since September 25, 1921 when the sportsman Paolo Fabbrini launched an event to show that
Livorno could organize an automobile race of some importance. Corrado Lotti with an Ansaldo was the first winner. The course was also called Circuito del Romito from 1922
onwards. The start was in Ardenza di mare at the Principe di Napoli bridge - then along Via della Torre - Via del Pastore - Via del Littorale (Ardenza) - under the railway
- Via di Montenero - Via del Castellaccio - Savolano - climbing up to Castellaccio - Via di Quercianella and then the descent to the sea at Romito - Via Littorale -
Antigua Barrier (Marroccone) - Via Amerigo Vespucci - Via Duca Cosinio - Via dei Bagni - Viale Vittorio Emanuele II - to the finish at Ardenza di mare. The course was
full of natural beauty and remained unchanged over the years. It was considered difficult without being dangerous. The narrow road twisted through 164 turns with steep
gradients through the mountains and was a small replica of the Madonie in Sicily, but considerably shorter and did not allow high speeds. Eight laps had to be driven
round the 22.500 km circuit, a total of 180 km.
The Auto-Moto Club Livorno held the 1923 Coppa Montenero for its third running. The cars were divided into three categories, from 1350 to 1500 cc, 1501 to 2000 cc, and
2001 to 3000 cc. The overall winner was presented with the Coppa Montenero, a challenge trophy gifted by the Livorno Mayor and would also receive 5,000 lire, second
2,500 and third 1,500. In addition, prizes were given for the individual categories.
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Entries:
Many of the better-known Italian drivers appeared for the Coppa Montenero. From 21 entries the favorites included Count Carlo Masetti in a Bugatti, winner of the second
Coppa Montenero. He was expected to challenge Materassi with an Itala and Brilli Peri with a 3000 Diatto. Mancini's Fiat was some sort of a modified touring car. Baroncini
was disqualified because his Nesseldorf was over 3-Liter but had been declared as a 2,8-L.
Mario Razzauti, a native of Livorno, started with a 2-liter Ansaldo type 4AS or 4CS, a sports car with single-ohc 4-cylinder engine of 1980cc 72.5 x 120 mm giving 48 hp at
3500 rpm. The car had front wheel brakes and a 2769 mm wheelbase. Cerignani, who drove a Type 20 Diatto, had in the past repeatedly managed to lead the 1350 Wanderer to
victory and was capable of great achievements. CMN (Construzioni Meccaniche Nazionali SA) was an Italian aviation factory in Milan Pontedera. After WWI in 1920, they
switched to car production with a conventional, rather dated, high built design with a 4-cylinder sv engine in 2.2 and 3-L forms. They had entered the 1919 Targa Florio
and several hill climbs. Two 2-L cars were entered for Enrico Fossati and Dante Novi.
The 1500 category comprised seven cars, five of which started. About the Silvani & Botta it is known that in 1920 engineer Silvani together with shareholder Botta founded
an Italian automotive company based in Milan, producing cars under the brand name SB (Silvani & Botta) until 1924, or were entered also just as a Silvani. Eugenio Silvani
developed a cylinder head and built up the engine of a Fiat 501 and increased the performance significantly. According to Alessandro Silva, the 1923 Silvani car at Montenero
was a 1500 Bugatti-Silvani for Guindani, who in 1924 would have the SB.
Local drivers from Livorno included Bargagni (1500 Fiat), Corte (1500 Bugatti), Cecchi (1500 Fiat), Razzauti (2000 Ansaldo), Parrini (3000 Spa) and Mancini (3000 Fiat).
Corte, Severi, de Sterlich, Baroncini and Cantarini did not start or did not appear. A complete list of entries is at the beginning of this report.
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Race:
The 22.5 km circuit was closed at seven in the morning and all traffic was stopped and removed when a car with the race commissioner on board started from the finish line
with a red flag and a white center. Long before the start, a large crowd had lined up along the circuit and had occupied the stands placed at the start and finish at Ardenza.
The cars had lined up behind the starting line. Because of the dusty dirt-roads, they were started individually in order of their race number at intervals of one minute and
two minutes to the next category. 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. #4), then the car #5 was held to its predetermined time of departure. The start began at 8:00 in the morning and
the last car left at 8:20.
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| 8:00 | 1 | Bargagni | Fiat | 1500 cc |
| 8:01 | 2 | Guindani | Silvani & Botta | --"-- |
| 8:02 | 3 | Balestrero | OM | --"-- |
| 8:03 | 4 | Corte | Bugatti Silvani | --"-- | Did not start |
| 8:04 | 5 | Marconcini | Chiribiri | --"-- |
| 8:05 | 6 | Severi | Fiat | --"-- | Did not start |
| 8:06 | 7 | Cecchi | Fiat | --"-- |
| 8:08 | 8 | Lotti | Fiat | 2000 cc |
| 8:09 | 9 | Cercignani | Diatto | --"-- |
| 8:10 | 10 | Razzauti | Ansaldo | --"-- |
| 8:11 | 11 | Fossati | CMN | --"-- |
| 8:12 | 12 | Masetti | Bugatti | --"-- |
| 8:13 | 13 | Novi | CMN | --"-- |
| 8:15 | 14 | Baroncini | Nesseldorf | 3000 cc | Did not start |
| 8:16 | 15 | Parrini | Spa | --"-- |
| 8:17 | 16 | Brilli Peri | Diatto | --"-- |
| 8:18 | 17 | Materassi | Itala | --"-- |
| 8:19 | 18 | Mancini | Fiat | --"-- |
| 8:20 | 19 | Pagani | Ceirano | --"-- |
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Exactly at 8:00 AM the starter Teoli of the Auto Moto Club in Rome gave the starting signal to Bargagni in the Fiat to be followed by the remaining 15 cars.
During the first lap Brilli Peri was the fastest, leading Masetti by 22 seconds. None of the cars retired. Brilli Peri's average race speed was 71.290 km/h with the field in the
following order after the first lap:
| 1. | Brilli Peri (Diatto) | 18m56.2s | 3000 cc category |
| 2. | Masetti (Bugatti) | 19m18.0s | 2000 cc |
| 3. | Marconcini (Chiribiri) | 19m30.6s | 1500 cc |
| 4. | Materassi (Itala) | 19m42.0s | 3000 cc |
| 5. | Balestrero (OM) | 19m53.8s | 1500 cc |
| 6. | Razzauti (Ansaldo) | 20m17.4s | 2000 cc |
| 7. | Guindani (Silvani Botta) | 21m01.0s | 1500 cc |
| 8. | Pagani (Ceirano) | 21m10.8s | 3000 cc |
| 9. | Lotti (Ansaldo) | 21m24.4s | 2000 cc |
| 10. | Bargagni (Fiat) | 21m35.8s | 1500 cc |
| 11. | Cerignani (Diatto) | 21m55.8s | 2000 cc |
| 12. | Cecchi (Fiat) | 22m18.2s | 1500 cc |
| 13. | Fossati (CMN) | 23m10.2s | 1500 cc [time adjusted] |
| 14. | Parini (Spa) | 23m21.3s | 3000 cc |
| 15. | Novi (CMN) | 23m49.6s | 2000 cc [time adjusted] |
| 16. | Mancini (Fiat) | 24m09.8s | 2000 cc [time adjusted] |
After the 2nd lap, Brilli Peri, Masetti and Marconcini were in the front positions, while Materassi in fourth place suffered a problem and fell to the very end. Balestrero
advanced to fourth place and Lotti climbed from ninth to fifth. Razzauti remained sixth but Guindani (Silvani Botta) retired near Castellaccio with broken differential.
Pagani was now seventh and Bargagni (Fiat) retired after the first lap near Ardenza. When approaching a turn, he hit the corner of a house resulting with serious damage to
one of his Fiat's wheels and engine but fortunately without harm to people. Cerignani moved from eleventh to eighth place. Brilli Peri's race speed was 71.090 km/h with
the 14-car field in the following order after the 2nd lap:
| 1. | Brilli Peri (Diatto) | 37m45.6s | 3000 cc category |
| 2. | Masetti (Bugatti) | 38m45.2s | 2000 cc |
| 3. | Marconcini (Chiribiri) | 38m58.0s | 1500 cc |
| 4. | Balestrero (OM) | 39m55.0s | 1500 cc [time adjusted] |
| 5. | Lotti (Ansaldo) | 40m45.2s | 2000 cc |
| 6. | Razzauti (Ansaldo) | 41m27.4s | 2000 cc |
| 7. | Pagani (Ceirano) | 43m09.2s | 3000 cc |
| 8. | Cerignani (Diatto) | 43m11.6s | 2000 cc |
| 9. | Fossati (CMN) | 44m03.8s | 1500 cc |
| 10. | Cecchi (Fiat) | 44m11.8s | 1500 cc |
| 11. | Mancini (Fiat) | 45m57.4s | 2000 cc |
| 12. | Parini (Spa) | 47m12.2s | 3000 cc |
| 13. | Novi (CMN) | 47m44.2s | 2000 cc |
| 14. | Materassi (Itala) | 53m17.4s | 3000 cc |
During the third lap, Brilli Peri lost the lead when he stopped at the pits and dropped to fifth place, four minutes behind Masetti who was the new leader ahead of Marconcini and
Razzauti who had advanced from sixth to third place. Masetti and Lotti also stopped at the pits. Masetti resumed, complaining of engine problems. Balestrero and Lotti remained
in their positions, while the back of the field showed only minor changes where Materassi had now been lapped. He had stopped in front of his pit and despite suggestions of his
mechanic to abandon, Materassi went about to repair his car with noticeable delay. Masetti's race speed average was 68.748 km/h and his 3rd lap time was 18m56.2s, with the order
as follows after three laps:
| 1. | Masetti (Bugatti) | 58m11.8s | 2000 cc | category |
| 2. | Marconcini (Chiribiri) | 58m23.4s | 1500 cc |
| 3. | Razzauti (Ansaldo) | 1h01m26.6s | 2000 cc |
| 4. | Balestrero (OM) | 1h01m33.2s | 1500 cc |
| 5. | Lotti (Ansaldo) | 1h01m49.2s | 2000 cc |
| 6. | Brilli Peri (Diatto) | 1h02m23.8s | 3000 cc |
| 7. | Cerignani (Diatto) | 1h04m09.8s | 2000 cc |
| 8. | Pagani (Ceirano) | 1h05m03.8s | 3000 cc |
| 9. | Fossati (CMN) | 1h06m06.4s | 1500 cc |
| 10. | Cecchi (Fiat) | 1h06m28.8s | 1500 cc |
| 11. | Mancini (Fiat) | 1h08m36.0s | 2000 cc |
| 12. | Novi (CMN) | 1h09m51.6s | 2000 cc |
| 13. | Parini (Spa) | 1h11m14.2s | 3000 cc |
| 14. | Materassi (Itala) | 1h29m14.2s | 3000 cc | 1 lap behind |
During the fourth lap Masetti stopped to refuel and change tires. He dropped to fourth place, five minutes behind Marconcini, who was now the new leader ahead of Razzauti in
second place. Brilli Peri had a problem at the descent of Romito, when the left front spring separated. He was forced to a long repair of over 15 minutes in the pits and
fell from sixth to 12th place. Materassi was driving again. Marconcini's race average speed was 69.581 km/h and his 4th lap time was 19m13s, with the order as follows after four laps:
| 1. | Marconcini (Chiribiri) | 1h17m36.4s | 1500 cc | category |
| 2. | Razzauti (Ansaldo) | 1h21m25.0s | 2000 cc |
| 3. | Lotti (Ansaldo) | 1h22m29.0s | 2000 cc |
| 4. | Masetti (Bugatti) | 1h22m56.6s | 2000 cc |
| 5. | Balestrero (OM) | 1h23m45.8s | 1500 cc |
| 6. | Cerignani (Diatto) | 1h26m07.0s | 2000 cc |
| 7. | Pagani (Ceirano) | 1h26m53.8s | 3000 cc |
| 8. | Fossati (CMN) | 1h28m26.0s | 1500 cc |
| 9. | Cecchi (Fiat) | 1h28m50.0s | 1500 cc | [time estimated, it was not listed] |
| 10. | Mancini (Fiat) | 1h31m36.0s | 2000 cc |
| 11. | Novi (CMN) | 1h31m56.2s | 2000 cc |
| 12. | Brilli Peri (Diatto) | 1h34m12.2s | 3000 cc |
| 13. | Parini (Spa) | 1h35m52.4s | 3000 cc |
| 14. | Materassi (Itala) | 1h40m20.8s | 3000 cc | 1 lap behind |
During the 5th lap, Marconcini kept the lead, four minutes ahead of Razzauti in second place. Masetti dropped from fourth to very last place. After his repair, Brilli Peri advanced from
11th position to 9th place. Materassi probably stopped again as he was now two laps behind. Marconcini's average race speed was 69.477 km/h and his 5th lap time was 19m32.8s, with the
field in the following order after the 5th lap:
| 1. | Marconcini (Chiribiri) | 1h37m09.2s | 1500 cc | category |
| 2. | Razzauti (Ansaldo) | 1h41m25.4s | 2000 cc |
| 3. | Lotti (Ansaldo) | 1h41m48.0s | 2000 cc |
| 4. | Balestrer (OM) | 1h45m31.0s | 1500 cc |
| 5. | Cerignani (Diatto) | 1h46m07.4s | 2000 cc |
| 6. | Pagani (Ceirano) | 1h50m32.8s | 3000 cc |
| 7. | Fossati (CMN) | 1h50m47.4s | 1500 cc |
| 8. | Cecchi (Fiat) | 1h51m04.2s | 1500 cc |
| 9. | Brilli Peri (Diatto) | 1h54m12.8s | 3000 cc |
| 10. | Mancini (Fiat) | 1h55m42.4s | 2000 cc |
| 11. | Novi (CMN) | 1h57m36.6s | 2000 cc | 1 lap behind |
| 12. | Parini (Spa) | 2h01m09.8s | 3000 cc | 1 lap behind |
| 13. | Materassi (Itala) | 2h10m23.4s | 3000 cc | 1 lap behind |
| 14. | Masetti (Bugati) | 2h22m11.6s | 2000 cc | 2 laps behind |
During the 6th lap, Marconcini stopped to add to his oil supply but kept the lead four minutes ahead of Razzauti in second place. Balestrero lost time with a puncture and dropped one
position as Cerignani moved to fourth place. Masetti stopped at the pits and retired either due to the gearbox or engine broken. Brilli Peri advanced from 9th to 7th place, while Materassi
remained last. Marconcini's race speed average was 69.207 km/h and his 6th lap time was 19m43.2s with the 13-car field in the following order after the six laps:
| 1. | Marconcini (Chiribiri) | 1h57m02.4s | 1500 cc | category |
| 2. | Razzauti (Ansaldo) | 2h01m25.6s | 2000 cc |
| 3. | Lotti (Ansaldo) | 2h01m46.8s | 2000 cc |
| 4. | Cerignani (Diatto) | 2h07m27.4s | 2000 cc |
| 5. | Balestrero (OM) | 2h09m11.8s | 1500 cc |
| 6. | Pagani (Ceirano) | 2h09m55.6s | 3000 cc |
| 7. | Brilli Peri (Diatto) | 2h11m35.0s | 3000 cc |
| 8. | Cecchi (Fiat) | 2h13m24.4s | 1500 cc |
| 9. | Fossati (CMN) | 2h13m39.4s | 1500 cc |
| 10. | Novi (CMN) | 2h19m24.4s | 2000 cc | 1 lap behind |
| 11. | Mancini (Fiat) | 2h19m58.4s | 2000 cc | 1 lap behind |
| 12. | Parini (Spa) | 2h32m08.2s | 3000 cc | 1 lap behind |
| 13. | Materassi (Itala) | 2h38m37.4s | 3000 cc | 2 laps behind |
During the 7th lap, Razzauti took the lead and was two minutes ahead of Marconcini in second place. Brilli Peri climbed from 7th to 5th place as he made the fastest lap of the race in 18m13s
at 74.108 km/h average speed, having beaten the existing record set by Carlo Masetti the year before in19m56s at 68.227 km/h average. Balestrero suffered another puncture and dropped from
fifth to seventh place. The field was reduced to ten cars after Mancini (Fiat) retired with a broken gearbox, Parini (Spa) ended his race with a broken brass bushing and Materassi definitively
disappeared. Razzauti's race speed average was 67.227 km/h and his 7th lap time was 20m08.4s, with the field in the following order after the 7th lap:
| 1. | Razzauti (Ansaldo) | 2h21m34.0s | 2000 cc category |
| 2. | Marconcini (Chiribiri) | 2h23m29.4s | 1500 cc |
| 3. | Lotti (Ansaldo) | 2h24m10.2s | 2000 cc |
| 4. | Cerignani (Diatto) | 2h29m13.4s | 2000 cc |
| 5. | Brilli Peri (Diatto) | 2h29m48.0s | 3000 cc |
| 6. | Pagani (Ceirano) | 2h31m17.6s | 3000 cc [time adjusted] |
| 7. | Balestrero (OM) | 2h31m26.4s | 1500 cc |
| 8. | Fossati (CMN) | 2h31m27.6s | 1500 cc |
| 9. | Cecchi (Fiat) | 2h36m15.0s | 1500 cc |
| 10. | Novi (CMN) | 2h40m56.4s | 2000 cc |
Brilli Peri made up time, minute after minute. His Diatto responded magnificently to its driver but the "Montenero Cup" was now out of reach because he had not enough time to bridge the gap.
The crowd eagerly applauded Brilli Peri's passage in the fast Diatto; but he, who had just finished the race, did not stop, and launched his car again, like a fury. The crowd was leaving
slowly, but full of applause to all finishers, and gave a great ovation to Razzauti who was a popular local winner.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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| 1. | 10 | Mario Razzauti | M. Razzauti | Ansaldo | 4AS or 4CS | 2.0 | S-4 | 8 | 2h41m59.4s | |
| 2. | 8 | Corrado Lotti | C. Lotti | Ansaldo | 4AS | 2.0 | S-4 | 8 | 2h43m34.0s | + 1m34.6s |
| 3. | 5 | Alete Marconcini | A. Marconcini | Chiribiri | Monza | 1.5 | S-4 | 8 | 2h45m34.8s | + 3m35.4s |
| 4. | 16 | Gastone Brilli Peri | G. Brilli Peri | Diatto | 3000 | 3.0 | S-4 | 8 | 2h48m01.8s | + 6m02.4s |
| 5. | 9 | Ferruccio Cercignani | F. Cercignani | Diatto | 20 | 2.0 | S-4 | 8 | 2h50m28.0s | + 8m28.6s |
| 6. | 3 | Renato Balestrero | R. Balestrero | OM | 465 | 1.5 | S-4 | 8 | 2h52m51.4s | + 10m52.0s |
| 7. | 19 | Luigi Pagani | L. Pagani | Ceirano | CS2H | 3.0 | S-4 | 8 | 2h53m16.6s | + 11m17.2s |
| 8. | 11 | Enrico Fossati | E. Fossati | CMN | Sport Tipo 7 | 2.0 | S-4 | 8 | 2h57m53.6s | + 15m54.2s |
| 9. | 7 | Guido Cesare Cecchi | G. Cecchi | Fiat | 501 S | 1.5 | S-4 | 8 | 2h58m53.0s | + 16m53.6s |
| 10. | 13 | Dante Novi | D. Novi | CMN | Sport Tipo 7 | 2.0 | S-4 | 8 | 3h02m39.2s | + 20m39.8s |
| DNF | 18 | Mario Mancini | M Mancini | Fiat | | 2.3 | S-4 | 6 | gearbox |
| DNF | 15 | Carlo Parrini | C. Parrini | Spa | 23S | 3.0 | S-6 | 6 | brass bushing |
| DNF | 17 | Emilio Materassi | E. Materassi | Itala | 51S | 2.8 | S-4 | 6 | mechanical |
| DNF | 12 | Carlo Masetti | Count C. Masetti | Bugatti | T22 | 2.0 | S-8 | 5 | engine or gearbox |
| DNF | 1 | Luigi Bargagni | L. Bargagni | Fiat | 501 S | 1.5 | S-4 | 1 | crash | |
| DNF | 2 | Carlo Guindani | C. Guindani | Bugatti Silvani | | 1.5 | S-4 | 1 | differential | |
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Fastest lap: Gastone Brilli Peri (Diatto) on lap 7 in 18m13s = 74.1 km/h (46.0 mph).
Winner's average speed 3000cc (Brilli Peri): 64.3 km/h (40.0 mph).
Winner's average speed 2000cc (Razzauti): 66.7 km/h (41.4 mph).
Winner's average speed 1500cc (Marconcini): 65.2 km/h (40.5 mph).
Weather: sunny and warm.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
Auto-Moto-Ciclo, Milano
Auto-Sport, Milano
La Gazetta dello Sport, Milano
La Gazzetta Livornese, Livorno
La Stampa, Torino
Special thanks to:
Alessandro Silva
Giuseppe Prisco
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