Antonio Brivio Sforza (occasionally seen as Marchese Sforza Brivio; 27 December 1905 – 20 January 1995) was an Italian
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
and
bobsled
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobs ...
der.
Auto racing career
Among Brivio's greatest successes in the field of sports cars include a victory in the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (1932), two victories in the
Targa Florio (1933 and 1935) and a win at the
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts :it:Franco Mazzotti, Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi. It took place in Italy 24 times f ...
(1936). His greatest successes in Grand Prix races were third places in the
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the wo ...
in 1935 and
German Grand Prix
The German Grand Prix () was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history: the Nürburgring in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hockenheimring in B ...
in 1936. That year he won the
pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
for the
AAA-sanctioned
Vanderbilt Cup
The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing.
History
An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nass ...
, finishing third.
He stopped racing after winning Mille Miglia in his own category in 1952.
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Brivio was a motorsport functionary; he became a member of the Italian Automobile Club and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), where he participated in the launch of the World Championship.
Bobsleigh career
As a bobsledder, Brivio won a bronze medal in the two-man event at the
1935 FIBT World Championships in
Igls
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
.
At the
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936, were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 February 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Ger ...
in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; ) is an Northern Limestone Alps, Alpine mountain resort, ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ...
, he finished tenth in the four-man event and 12th in the two-man event.
Motorsport career results
European Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
1936 bobsleigh two-man results1936 Olympic Winter Games official report.- pp. 415, 418.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brivio, Antonio
1905 births
1995 deaths
Bobsledders at the 1936 Winter Olympics
Italian male bobsledders
Italian racing drivers
Grand Prix drivers
24 Hours of Spa drivers
Sportspeople from Vercelli
AAA Championship Car drivers
European Championship drivers
Sportspeople from Biella
20th-century Italian sportsmen