| Achille Varzi | |
|---|---|
 Varzi atMontlhery, Paris, in 1931 | |
| Born | (1904-08-08)8 August 1904 Galliate,Piedmont, Italy |
| Died | 1 July 1948(1948-07-01) (aged 43) Bremgarten bei Bern,Bern, Switzerland |
| Championship titles | |
| Major victories Monaco Grand Prix (1933) | |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1931 |
| Teams | Bugatti |
| Best finish | DNF(1931) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Achille Varzi (8 August 1904 – 1 July 1948) was an Italianracing driver.[1] He is remembered as the chief rival ofTazio Nuvolari, and was the winner of the1933 Monaco Grand Prix.
Born inGalliate,province of Novara (Piedmont), Achille Varzi was the son of a textile manufacturer. As a young man, he was a successfulmotorcycle racer ofGarelli, DOT,Moto Guzzi and Sunbeam, and rode seven times in theIsle of Man TT from 1924 before switching to auto racing in 1928 where, for the next ten years, he would rivalTazio Nuvolari,Rudolf Caracciola andBernd Rosemeyer.
Varzi's first race car was a Type 35Bugatti but he shortly changed to driving anAlfa Romeo, a brand with which he would score many victories during the 1929 Italian racing season. In 1930 Varzi acquired a vehicle from the relatively newMaserati company. He drove it as well as an Alfa Romeo earning his country's racing championship, a feat he would repeat in 1934. One of his big victories came at the prestigiousTarga Florio where he upset the favoredLouis Chiron. Following his win at the 1933Tripoli Grand Prix, a race at the time associated with a lottery, Varzi was at the forefront of allegations that the race had been fixed.
Varzi won six Grand Prix in 1934 driving theAlfa Romeo P3, at Alessandria, Tripoli, Targa Florio, Penya Rhin at Barcelona, Coppa Ciano and Nice. He also became the first driver in history to hold both the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia title in one season[2][page needed]
Although the Alfa Romeo team had proved to be competitive under the management ofEnzo Ferrari, Varzi decided to join theAuto Union team, racing for them between 1935 and 1937. This move coincided with Varzi having serious personal problems, including an addiction tomorphine and a difficult affair with Ilse Pietsch (Engel/Hubitsch[3]/Feininger), the wife of fellow driverPaul Pietsch. Quickly overshadowed by teammateBernd Rosemeyer, his trips to the winners circle dropped to only four, but he did win his third Tripoli Grand Prix in his third different vehicle. By 1938 he had dropped out of sight and the advent ofWorld War II ended racing in Europe. During the war, Varzi overcame his drug addiction and settled down with his new wife, Norma Colombo. At the end of the War, Varzi made a remarkable comeback at the age of 42. In 1946 he attempted to race a Maserati for theIndianapolis 500 but failed to qualify.[4] In 1947, he won three minor Grand Prix races and traveled toArgentina to race in theBuenos Aires Grand Prix.
During practice runs for the1948 Swiss Grand Prix a light rain fell on theBremgarten track in Berne, Switzerland. Varzi'sAlfa Romeo 158 skidded on the wet surface, flipping over and crushing him to death. He was buried in his hometown.
Varzi's death resulted in theFIA mandating the wearing of crash helmets for racing, which had been optional previously.[5]In 1950 Varzi's chief mechanic, Amedeo Bignami, co-established theScuderia Achille Varzi in Argentina. The team entered someFormula One races in1950 equipped withMaseratis4CL and 4CLT and featured driversJosé Froilán González,Antonio Branca,Alfredo Pián andNello Pagani.[6]
On 5 June 2004Poste Italiane issued a stamp commemorating Achille Varzi.[7]
Varzi was mentioned more than once in the 2023 movie,Ferrari (2023 film). In the film, at least twice,Enzo Ferrari said that the newest addition to his racing team,Alfonso de Portago, "drives like Varzi."
In 1991, motorsport journalist Giorgio Terruzzi recounted Varzi's story in a book titledUna curva cieca – Vita di Achille Varzi. During his career, Achille Varzi competed in 139 races, winning 33. Some of his major victories include:
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Entrant | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | EDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Usines Bugatti | Bugatti | ITA Ret | FRA 1 | BEL Ret | 4= | 12 | ||||
| 1932 | Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | ITA Ret | FRA Ret | GER | 16= | 21 | ||||
| 1935 | Auto Union | Auto Union | MON | FRA 5 | BEL | GER 8 | SUI 4 | ITA Ret | ESP Ret | 7= | 39 |
| 1936 | Auto Union | Auto Union | MON 2 | GER | SUI 2 | ITA Ret | 4 | 19 | |||
| 1937 | Auto Union | Auto Union | BEL | GER | MON | SUI | ITA 6 | 20= | 36 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| 1933 | Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | MON 1 | FRA | BEL 2 | ITA Ret | ESP 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | MON 6 | FRA 2 | BEL Ret | BEL Ret | ITA Ret | ESP 5 |
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Alfa Corse | Alfa Romeo 158 | SUI 2 | BEL 2 | ITA 2 | FRA | |
| 1948 | Alfa Corse | Alfa Romeo 158 | MON | SUI DNS † | FRA | ITA | GBR |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
