Ferdinando Minoia
Encyclopedia
Ferdinando "Nando" Minoia (June 2, 1884 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian racing driver with an exceptionally long, distinguished and varied career. In 1907, he won the Coppa Florio driving an Isotta-Fraschini. In 1923, he drove the world’s first mid-engine Grand Prix car, the Benz
Tropfenwagen. In 1927, he won the inaugural Mille Miglia
driving an OM. Finally, in 1931 he became the first ‘European Champion’, driving for Alfa Romeo
, but without winning a single event. Thus he capped over 25 years of competitive racing.
for 485.7 km (301.8 mi) in 4 hours 39 minutes.
In the 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans
he finished 25th driving a 2 litre Officine Meccaniche
(O.M.) Tipo 665 Superba with Vincenzo Coffani.
In the 1926 24 Hours of Le Mans
he finished 4th driving a 2 litre Officine Meccaniche (O.M.) Tipo 665 Superba with Giulio Foresti.
In the 1926 German Grand Prix
at the Avus
he set the fastest lap of 161 kilometre per hour in his 1.5 litre O.M., but failed to finish.
In 1927, Minoia won the inaugural Mille Miglia
with Giuseppe Morandi, leading an O.M. 123 at average of 48.27 mi/h for 21 hours 4 minutes 48seconds.
At the 1923 Italian Grand Prix
at Monza he finished fourth in the world’s first mid-engine Grand Prix car, the Benz
Tropfenwagen, trailing behind the superior supercharged Fiats. Edmund Rumpler
’s ground breaking design used a normally aspirated, 1991 cc, 6 cylinder, twin cam Benz engine delivering only 65 bhp which was mounted behind the driver in the ‘tear drop’ design. The car also featured swing axle independent rear suspension and inboard brakes.
In 1924, at the Targa Florio
he drove 4.9 litre Steyr
VI Kausen, but retired after 3 laps because the mechanic was exhausted. He also finished 4th in the Italian Grand Prix in the Alfa Romeo P2
.
In 1926, he finished 5th in a Bugatti 39A at the Grand Prix of Europe at Circuito Lasarte
In 1927, he raced a Bugatti 35C at the Targa Florio and finished 4th at the Italian Grand Prix in an O.M. 865.
In 1931, the A.I.A.C.R. introduced a European Championship for drivers, that was nominally contested over the four 10 hour Grands Prix, the Italian Grand Prix
, French Grand Prix
, and Belgian Grand Prix
. He accrued sufficient points to become champion without winning a race, narrowly beating his Alfa Romeo teammate Giuseppe Campari
, who had jointly won the Italian Grand Prix with Tazio Nuvolari
driving the Alfa Romeo Monza. Minoia shared second place in the Italian Grand Prix
and shared 6th place in the French Grand Prix
driving an Alfa-Romeo 8C-2300. He then finished joint 3rd in the Belgian Grand Prix
having changed to the Alfa-Romeo 6C-1750.
In the 1932 24 Hours of Le Mans
he failed to finish in a 2.3 litre supercharged Alfa Romeo
8C 2300 with Carlo Canavesi.
Karl Benz
Karl Friedrich Benz, was a German engine designer and car engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered car, and together with Bertha Benz pioneering founder of the automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz...
Tropfenwagen. In 1927, he won the inaugural Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
driving an OM. Finally, in 1931 he became the first ‘European Champion’, driving for Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
, but without winning a single event. Thus he capped over 25 years of competitive racing.
Career notes and milestones
In 1907, he won the Coppa Florio and the 50,000 Lira prize at the Corse di Brescia driving an Isotta-FraschiniIsotta-Fraschini
Isotta Fraschini represents two Italian manufacturing companies which produce, respectively, marine engines and luxury goods. In the early 20th century it was famous worldwide as a luxury car manufacturer.-History:...
for 485.7 km (301.8 mi) in 4 hours 39 minutes.
In the 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans
1925 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 3rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 20 and 21 1925.For this race, the start was actually held on the Mulsanne Straight, instead of in its traditional location following Maison Blanche....
he finished 25th driving a 2 litre Officine Meccaniche
Officine Meccaniche
Officine Meccaniche or OM was an Italian car and truck manufacturing company, founded in 1899 in Milan as Societa Anonima Officine Meccaniche...
(O.M.) Tipo 665 Superba with Vincenzo Coffani.
In the 1926 24 Hours of Le Mans
1926 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1926 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 4th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13 1926.-Official results:-Not Classified:-Did Not Finish:-Statistics:* Fastest Lap - #5 Gérard de Courcelles/Marcel Mongin - 9:03...
he finished 4th driving a 2 litre Officine Meccaniche (O.M.) Tipo 665 Superba with Giulio Foresti.
In the 1926 German Grand Prix
1926 German Grand Prix
The first auto race 1926 German Grand Prix, held at the AVUS track on July 11, 1926, in heavy rain, was won by native son, Rudolf Caracciola.After the 1936 win of Bernd Rosemeyer and two more wins by "Carratsch", no other German driver would accomplish a German GP win until Michael Schumacher in...
at the Avus
AVUS
The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, is a public road that was also used as a motor racing circuit. It is located in the south-western districts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee, and is nowadays an important part of the public highway system, as...
he set the fastest lap of 161 kilometre per hour in his 1.5 litre O.M., but failed to finish.
In 1927, Minoia won the inaugural Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
with Giuseppe Morandi, leading an O.M. 123 at average of 48.27 mi/h for 21 hours 4 minutes 48seconds.
At the 1923 Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
at Monza he finished fourth in the world’s first mid-engine Grand Prix car, the Benz
Karl Benz
Karl Friedrich Benz, was a German engine designer and car engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered car, and together with Bertha Benz pioneering founder of the automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz...
Tropfenwagen, trailing behind the superior supercharged Fiats. Edmund Rumpler
Edmund Rumpler
Edmund Rumpler was an Austrian automobile and aircraft designer.Born in Vienna, then Austro-Hungarian Empire , he worked mainly in Germany.Lyons 1988, p.73 An automotive engineer by training, he collaborated with Hans Ledwinka on the first Nesseldorf , the Präsident, in 1897.By age 30, in 1902, he...
’s ground breaking design used a normally aspirated, 1991 cc, 6 cylinder, twin cam Benz engine delivering only 65 bhp which was mounted behind the driver in the ‘tear drop’ design. The car also featured swing axle independent rear suspension and inboard brakes.
In 1924, at the Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
he drove 4.9 litre Steyr
Steyr automobile
Steyr was an Austrian automotive company from 1915 until 1990.Formed as a branch of Steyr Osterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft in 1915, to diversify manufacturing, the founders hired 38-year-old designer Hans Ledwinka after he resigned from Nesselsdorfer-Wagenbau...
VI Kausen, but retired after 3 laps because the mechanic was exhausted. He also finished 4th in the Italian Grand Prix in the Alfa Romeo P2
Alfa Romeo P2
The Alfa Romeo P2 won the inaugural Automobile World Championship in 1925, taking victory in two of the four championship rounds when Antonio Ascari drove it in the European Grand Prix at Spa and Gastone Brilli-Peri won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza after Ascari died while leading the intervening...
.
In 1926, he finished 5th in a Bugatti 39A at the Grand Prix of Europe at Circuito Lasarte
Circuito Lasarte
The Circuito Lasarte was an 11.029-mile Grand Prix motor racing road course at Lasarte-Oria, Guipúzcoa, Spain in the Basque Country near the resort town of San Sebastián on the Bay of Biscay at...
In 1927, he raced a Bugatti 35C at the Targa Florio and finished 4th at the Italian Grand Prix in an O.M. 865.
In 1931, the A.I.A.C.R. introduced a European Championship for drivers, that was nominally contested over the four 10 hour Grands Prix, the Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
, French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
, and Belgian Grand Prix
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship....
. He accrued sufficient points to become champion without winning a race, narrowly beating his Alfa Romeo teammate Giuseppe Campari
Giuseppe Campari
Giuseppe Campari was an Italian opera singer and Grand Prix motor racing driver.-Racing career:Born Giuseppe Campari near the city of Lodi southwest of Milan, as a teenager he went to work for the Alfa Romeo automobile company...
, who had jointly won the Italian Grand Prix with Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari was an Italian motorcycle and racecar driver, known as Il Mantovano Volante or Nivola. He was the 1932 European Champion in Grand Prix motor racing...
driving the Alfa Romeo Monza. Minoia shared second place in the Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
and shared 6th place in the French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
driving an Alfa-Romeo 8C-2300. He then finished joint 3rd in the Belgian Grand Prix
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship....
having changed to the Alfa-Romeo 6C-1750.
In the 1932 24 Hours of Le Mans
1932 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1932 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 10th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19 1932.This race saw the shortening of the circuit to nearly 13.5 km following the creation of a new permanent race track between the pit stretch and Mulsanne, creating the famed Dunlop Curve,...
he failed to finish in a 2.3 litre supercharged Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
8C 2300 with Carlo Canavesi.
Complete European Championship results
(Races in bold indicate pole position)| Year | Entrant | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | EDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 1931 Grand Prix season The 1931 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Ferdinando Minoia, driving for the Alfa Corse team. Minoia won the championship despite not winning a single race during the championship season... |
Alfa Corse Alfa Corse Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo's factory racing team. Throughout the years, Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport, from Grand Prix motor racing to touring car racing.... |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private... |
ITA 1931 Italian Grand Prix The 1931 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on May 24, 1931.- Classification :... 2 |
FRA 1931 French Grand Prix The 1931 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry on June 21, 1931.- Classification :... 6 |
BEL 1931 Belgian Grand Prix The 1931 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 12, 1931.- Classification :-Race:- Starting grid positions :... 3 |
1 | 9 |