Piero Taruffi

Former F1 driver
Name = Piero Taruffi
Nationality = flagicon|Italy Italian
Years = F1|1950 - F1|1956
Team(s) = Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Vanwall
Races = 19 (18 starts)
Championships = 0
Wins = 1
Podiums = 5
Points = 41
Poles = 0
Fastest laps = 1
First race = 1950 Italian Grand Prix
First win =
Last win =
Last race = 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Pierino 'Piero' Taruffi (born in Rome, October 12, 1906 - died January 12, 1988), was a racing driver from Italy, and also the father of lady racer Prisca Taruffi.

ports car career

Taruffi began his motorsport career racing motorcycles. He won the 1932 500cc European Championship on a Norton and in 1937 set the motorcycle land speed record at 279.503 km/h (173.68 mph). He participated in numerous non-championship Formula One races. He won the 1957 Mille Miglia, the last competitive edition of the famous Italian race. Following this tragic race he pledged to his wife, Isabella, that he would never race again. He was 50 years of age. ["Raruffi Not to Race Again", New York Times, May 18, 1957, Page 13.] 14 peoplewere killed in the thousand mile auto race of May 12. Alfonso de Portago crashed into acrowd of spectators at Guidizzolo near Mantua. Portago died along with co-driver, Edmund Nelson, an amateur driver, and 11 race fans. ["14 Killed at Race in Italy; Marquis' Car Hits Crowd", New York Times, May 13, 1957, Page 1.]

Taruffi drove a newly introduced 2-liter, 4 cylinder Ferrari, which placed 3rd in the 360 kilometer race Grand Prix de Bari at Bari, Italy, in September 1951. He finished behind Juan Manuel Fangio and Froilán González with a time of 2 hours 58 minutes 40 3/5 seconds. ["Bari Auto Race To Fangio", New York Times, September 3, 1951, Page 17.] Taruffi and Alberto Ascari participated in the Carrera Panamericana in the mountains of Mexico in November 1951. They placed 1st and 3rd, respectively, over the course from Mexico City to Leon, Guanajuato, a 267 mile leg. Taruffi led second place Troy Ruttman by more than four minutes. Taruffi trimmed 15 minutes on the Mexico City-Leon leg and another 21 minutes between Leon and Durango. In the process he climbed from 12th to 3rd overall. ["Taruffi Takes Lead From Ruttman After 1,266 Miles Of Auto Grind", "New York Times", November 23, 1951, Page 37.] Taruffi won the race on November 25th, with a time of 21:57:52, over mountains and plains of the southeastern tip of Mexico. He had an average speed of 87.6 mph (140.97 km/h). ["Italian Autoists First and Second In 1,933-Mile Pan-American Race", "New York Times", November 26, 1951, Page 40.]

Taruffi set a world record for 50 mi (80 km) in an auto of 22Fact|date=August 2008 cubic centimeter (1.3 in³) displacement in January 1952. He attempted a 100 mile record but his motor burned out after 98 miles (158 kilometers). ["Italian Driver Claims Mark", "New York Times", January 16, 1952, Page 29.] Taruffi was in a two liter Ferrari for the running of the 3rdFact|date=August 2008 Grand Prix de France, in Paris, France, in May 1952. He captured 1st place with a time of 3 hours over a distance of 285 miles. His average speed was 95 m.p.h. ["Taruffi Wins Auto Race", New York Times, May 26, 1952, Page 27.] Taruffi placed 2nd to Fangio in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana, with a time of 18:18:51 in a Lancia. His time was better than the previous year when he was victorious. ["Fangio and Stevenson Set Marks As 1,912-Mile Auto Contest Ends", "New York Times", November 24, 1953, Page 37.] In March 1954, Taruffi lost the Florida International Grand Prix with an hour to go, after having led the first three hours, when his Lancia stopped. He pushed it to the pits and team mechanics began working on it with diligence. Taruffi was still out of the car when the Osca shared by Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd crossed the finish line. Taruffi had averaged 81.1 miles "per" hour (130.5 km/h) before he retired. ["Osca First In 12-Hour Contest; Rubirosa's Lancia Home Second", "New York Times", March 8, 1954, Page 33.] Taruffi won the 1080 kilometer (671 mile) Tour of Sicily in April 1954. His time of 10 hours 24 minutes 37 seconds established a record for an event which opened Italy's sports car racing season. It was 14 years old at the time. He averaged 64.4 miles "per" hour in a Lancia 3300. ["Taruffi Wins in Record Time With Lancia As Serious Accidents Mar Race In Sicily", "New York Times", April 5, 1954, Page 28.]

Taruffi and Harry Schell placed 5th overall in the 1955 Florida Grand Prix, driving a Ferrari. ["Jaguar Triumphs In 12-Hour Event", New York Times, March 14, 1955, Page 30.] Taruffi claimed first place in a Ferrari, at the 1955 Tour of Sicily, with an overall time of 10 hours 11 minutes 19.4 seconds, with an average speed of 105.998 kilometers "per" hour (65.867 mph). ["Taruffi's Auto First", "New York Times", April 4, 1955, Page 36.] Taruffi dropped out of the 1955 Mille Miglia, when he encountered a broken oil pump on the coursenorth of Rome. He and eventual winner, Stirling Moss, were vying for the lead in the early stages of the race. ["Moss In Mercedes Sets Auto Record", "New York Times", May 2, 1955, Page 25.] Casare Perdisa won by 22 seconds in the 1955 Grand Prix of Imola, driving a two-liter Maserati. Taruffi spun his car into a straw bale at the edge of the track on the first lap. He was uninjured, though his car was damaged, and he was forced to retire from the race. ["Perdisa Defeats Maglioli", "New York Times", June 20, 1955, Page 26.] Jean Behra and Taruffi teamed to secure a 5th place finish in a Maserati at the 1956 12 Hours of Sebring. ["Fangio's Ferrari Victor At Sebring", "New York Times", March 25, 1956, Page S1.] Taruffi established a world record for Class E cars in June 1956. He raced 100 miles in 46 minutes 27.2 seconds, an average of 129.9 miles "per" hour (209.04 km/h). ["Taruffi Claims Auto Mark", "New York Times", June 22, 1956, Page 26.] Also at Monza, Taruffi broke the one hour mark of 212.543 kilometers "per" hour (132.074 mph). A 3rd record he performed was for 200 kilometers. His time was 53 minutes 14.5 seconds. ["Taruffi Sets 3 Records", "New York Times", June 22, 1956, Page 49.] In the 17th running of the Tour of Sicily, in 1957, Taruffi had a small crash while in pursuit of leader Olivier Gendebien. He touched the wall in Gioiosa Marea but continued in his Maserati. Gendebien won in a Ferrari. The event was marred by the death of J. Olivari who was burned to death when his Maserati hit the a wall in one of the course's 11,000 curves. ["Belgian Driver Wins Sicily Race Driving Ferrari", "Los Angeles Times", April 15, 1957, Page C3.]

Author and patent holder

Taruffi was the author of the seminal book, "The Technique of Motor Racing". In November 1957the Saturday Evening Post published Taruffi's article, "Stop us before we kill again". The former racer discussed the 1955 Le Mans and 1957 Mille Miglia races in which drivers and numerous spectators died. ["In This Week's Post", Los Angeles Times, November 12, 1957, Page A12.]

In August 1952 Taruffi protected a racing car design under patent 2,608, 264. The patent had three torpedo-shaped parallel bodies joined together. Independent twin motors and wheels were in the two larger bodies, at left and right. The driver and the passengerssit in the car's central part. The central portion is both higher and smaller than the others. Taruffi commented on the low wind resistance and low center of gravity of his design. ["2 New Inventions Make It Tough For Rogues With Nefarious Intent", New York Times, August 30, 1952, Page 17.]

Formula One

He participated in 18 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 3 1950. He won 1 race and scored a total of 41 championship points.

Taruffi drove a Ferrari to victory in the May 1952 Swiss Grand Prix. He led from the start, with the Ferrari of Rudolf Fischer coming in 2nd. ["Swiss Auto Race To Taruffi", New York Times, May 19, 1952, Page 24.]

Museum

The Piero Taruffi museum is in Bagnoregio, a small town between Viterbo and Orvieto in Central Italy. It has vintage cars and motorbikes of his era.

tock cars

Taruffi drove a Ford stock car owned by Floyd Clymer of Los Angeles in the 2,000mile Pan-American race held in November 1954. ["Italian Auto Driver Arrives", New York Times, November 11, 1954, Page 48.]

Complete World Championship Grand Prix results

() (Races in "italics" indicate fastest lap)

:"* Indicates shared drive with Juan Manuel Fangio:"† Indicates shared drive with Paul Frère

References