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The effects of the Wall Street crash and subsequent depression worked its
way across the ocean and on November of 1930 Daimler-Benz ceased all major
racing activities. Alfred Neubauer desperate to maintain his relationship
with the new German Ace, Rudolf Caracciola and sensing that the German
company's withdrawal was only temporary approached Dr William Kissel,
managing director at Daimler-Benz with the idea of a personal services
contract with the young driver whereupon the manufacturer would provide the
equipment and support in exchange for a portion of all prize monies
collected. This "support" included a generous stipend as well as use of a
company car. With this Neubauer put together a small racing team which
included Caracciola, his wife Charley, mechanic Willy Zimmer and co-driver
Wilhelm Sebastian. It was said that Sebastian would later convince
Caracciola to take the inside ditch of the Karussell at
the Nurburgring.
The
one fly in the ointment was that according to the Italians, Caracciola was
contracted to the Alfa Romeo team! After bringing this matter to the attention
of the Automobile Club of German the Milanese company graciously allowed
Caracciola to contest the race driving a Mercedes which is just as well due
to the fact that the manufacturer, also effected by the growing economic
strife only had two frontline race cars which were to be given to Nuvolari
and Arcangeli.
For 1931 the course underwent a few revisions in
order to maximize revenues by incorporating Porto Recanati, a popular
Adriatic resort. This year's starting field was down in comparison to last
years with Varzi now driving for Bugatti. Filing an entry at the last
possible moment there was some question with regards to whether he would use
a Bugatti T50 or the T51 which was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in
October of the previous year. Finally deciding to go with the larger engined
T50 whose engine it was said had be heavily "influenced" by the American
Miller that the Molsheim firm had recently purchased. Alfa Romeo countered
with their now legendary Tipo 8C 2300 supported by an army of lesser
models including the team entered by Scuderia Ferrari. All told nearly a
third of the 99 starters were driving Alfa Romeos! Britain was represented
for the first time by a supercharged Austin Seven driven by Charles Goodacre.
Caracciola was driving a specially lightened SSKL. For the Mille Miglia
Neubauer added Karlo Kimpf and Fritz Kuhnle to their "team".
| Soon after we
had moved into our hotel, the Albergo Brescia, we had our first
conference ...With a map of Italy spread out in front of me I
felt like Napoleon before the battle of Waterloo, till I thought
of Alfa Romeo's ninety mechanics and seventeen repair trucks and
went hot and cold all over.
The thousand-mile
race course ran from Brescia via Bologna and Florence to Rome,
then over the Abruzzi mountains to Ancona on the Adriatic, from
there to Bologna again and through Ferrara and Treviso back to
Brescia. Sixteen hours of driving over good, bad and indifferent
roads, some asphalt, some cobbled through towns, villages and
mountain passes.
We would need
four refueling depots, but we had only three men. Karlo Kumpf, I
decided, would have to do the work of two, As soon as Caracciola
had refueled and changed tires at the first depot at Sienna,
Kumpf would make for Bologna ready for the second half of the
course. From Sienna to Bologna was about 120 miles. The roads
would be partially blocked. But he had between six and eight
hours.
Alfred Neubauer in Männer, Frauen und Moteren |
 And
so against overwhelming odds the race began. Very suddenly the odds improved
when the
race for Varzi was over almost before it began when engine trouble hit just
minutes after the start. Caracciola new that he needed to build a lead
on the fast parts of the circuit if he were to have any chance at victory.
The Alfa Romeo team likewise hoped to turn this to their advantage by
forcing the young German to drive his Mercedes into the ground.
 One
the run to Bologna Caracciola opened up a lead over the second place OM of
Morandi/Rosa. In so doing he averaged 96 mph easily smashing the record set
by Arcangeli. After initial tire troubles Nuvolari was able to claw back to
second place no more than 5 minutes behind the leader. By the time they
reached Rome Nuvolari now led Caracciola by two minutes with Campari third
and Borzacchini fourth in another Alfa Romeo. Arcangeli was fifth even
though he had to change tires 9 times already! As night fell the lead
changed amongst several drivers and as they headed up the Adriatic Coast
Campari assumed the lead. As the race progressed through the night the Alfa
Romeos seamed to be in control but as dawn broke Caracciola appeared to get
a second wind. Not feeling comfortable hurtling through the darkened Italian
landscape the day's light rejuvenated Caracciola while several other drivers
crashed out. Nuvolari was able to continue though a bloody mouth was
suffered when he hit the windshield of his car. That and 18 tire changes
caused even the great Nuvolari to long for the finish line, one that
Caracciola duly crossed followed by Campari and Morandi in OM's swan song.
It was said that the fact that a foreign driver driving a foreign car saved
the Mille Miglia from being just a local event or even being canceled. In
fact only other foreign driver to win the event, Stirling Moss would do so
twenty-four years later. |
