Montenero Circuit

The Montenero Circuit was a motor racing road course at Livorno, Italy. Sometimes referred to simply as "the Livorno Circuit", it was the scene of several Grand Prix races from 1921 until 1939, mainly the annual Coppa Montenero/Coppa Ciano.^[1] In 1937 it also hosted the Italian Grand Prix.^[2]

The circuit was created in 1921 at the initiative of Paolo Fabbrini, owner of the newspaper Corriere di Livorno.^[3] It ran on the public roads in and around Livorno, starting at the Livorno seafront, stretching up into the hills of Montenero, climbing to about 300 meters above sea level before returning back down again. The circuit was very long and extremely hard on both man and machine.

The layout was modified several times. In 1922, building on the experience from the first race, a 22.5 km layout was adopted.^[3] The mountain part of the track was dropped in 1936, leaving 7.2 km of road.^[4] Two years later it was shortened again, this time to 5.8 km.

The last Coppa Ciano before the Second World War was held in July of 1939, after which racing ceased for many years.

In 1947 an attempt was made to resurrect the Montenero Circuit. Chicanes were put in to slow down the pace. But the race was not a financial success. A low-key sportscar race in 1953 was the last event before the track was closed down for good.^[5]

References

1. ^ La Coppa Montenero (1921-1939)^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "XV° Gran Premio d'Italia, The golden era of Grand Prix racing". Kolumbus.fi. http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp375.htm#41. Retrieved 2010-12-11. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Circuito del Montenero^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "X° Coppa Ciano, The golden era of Grand Prix racing". Kolumbus.fi. http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp365.htm#25. Retrieved 2010-12-11. 
5. ^ "Italy 1947, Forix". Forix.autosport.com. http://forix.autosport.com/8w/italy47.html. Retrieved 2010-12-11.