Piero Taruffi

Piero Taruffi ("Pierino Antonio Alberto Taruffi") (12 October 1906 – 12 January 1988) was an Italian racing driver, motorcycle road racer, motorsport executive and engineer, who competed in Formula One from to . Taruffi won the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix with Ferrari. In endurance racing, Taruffi won the Mille Miglia in 1957, also with Ferrari. In Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Taruffi won the 1932 European Championship in the premier 500cc class with Norton.

Born and raised in Rome, Taruffi started his career in motorcycle racing, winning the 500cc European Championship in 1932 with Norton. He also held the motorcycle land-speed record for 38 days in 1937, reaching a speed of 274.18 km/h on the Autostrada Serenissima whilst riding a 492cc Gilera. Taruffi competed in Formula One for Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes, Maserati and Vanwall, winning the in with Ferrari and finishing third in the World Drivers' Championship that season.

Outside of Formula One, Taruffi competed extensively in sportscar racing, winning the final edition of the Mille Miglia with Ferrari, driving the 315 S and retiring upon his victory. He also managed the Gilera motorcycle team throughout his career, designing the record-breaking Cisitalia ''Tarf'' and Gilera ''Rondine''.

Motorcycle racing 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).

Sportscar racing career

Taruffi drove a newly introduced 2-litre, 4-cylinder Ferrari in the 1951 Bari Grand Prix, finishing third behind Juan Manuel Fangio and Froilán González. He completed the 360 km race with a time of 2 hours 58 minutes 40 3/5 seconds. In November 1951 Taruffi participated in the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico. He finished first in the opening leg from Mexico City to León, Guanajuato, a leg. Taruffi led second-placed Troy Ruttman by more than four minutes. Taruffi trimmed a further 15 minutes on the Mexico City-Leon leg and another 21 minutes between Leon and Durango. In the process he climbed from 12th to third overall. Taruffi and Luigi Chinetti eventually won the race on 25 November, with a time of 21:57:52. His average speed was 87.6 mph (140.97 km/h).

Taruffi set a world record for in an auto of 22 cubic centimetre (1.3 in³) displacement in January 1952. He attempted a record but his motor failed after . Taruffi was in a two-litre Ferrari for the running of the third Grand Prix de France, in Paris in May 1952. He captured first place with a time of three hours over a distance of . His average speed was . Taruffi placed second to Fangio in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana, with a time of 18:18:51 in a Lancia D24. His time was better than the previous year when he was victorious. In March 1954, Taruffi lost the 12 hours of Sebring 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 O.S.C.A. shared by Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd crossed the finish line. Taruffi had averaged before he retired. Taruffi won the Giro di Sicilia 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 in a Lancia D24.

Taruffi and Harry Schell placed fifth overall at Sebring in 1955 , driving a Ferrari 750 Monza. 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 . Taruffi dropped out of the 1955 Mille Miglia, when he suffered a broken oil pump on the course north of Rome. He and eventual winner, Stirling Moss, were vying for the lead in the early stages of the race. Cesare Perdisa won by 22 seconds in the 1955 Grand Prix of Imola, driving a two-litre 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. Jean Behra and Taruffi teamed to secure a fifth-place finish in a Maserati at the 1956 Sebring 12 hours. Taruffi established a world record for Class E cars in June 1956. He raced in 46 minutes 27.2 seconds, an average of 129.9 miles per hour (209.04 km/h). Also at Monza, Taruffi broke the one-hour mark of 212.543 kilometres per hour (132.074 mph). A third record he performed was for 200 kilometres. His time was 53 minutes 14.5 seconds. 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. During the event, J. Olivari was burned to death when his Maserati hit a wall on the course.

Taruffi's last victory was at the 1957 Mille Miglia, the last competitive edition of the Italian race, where he won in a Ferrari 315 S. At the race, Alfonso de Portago suffered a tire failure and crashed his car into the crowd, killing himself, his co-driver Edmund Nelson, and nine spectators. Following this, Taruffi officially retired from competitive racing. He was 50 years of age.

Formula One career

Taruffi participated in 18 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 3 September 1950. 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 second. Over the course of six seasons he scored a total of 41 championship points. He also participated in numerous non-championship Formula One races. His best season was 1952 where he finished third behind Giuseppe Farina and World Champion Alberto Ascari.

Stockcar racing career

Taruffi drove a Ford stock car owned by Floyd Clymer of Los Angeles in the Pan-American race held in November 1954.

Other Ventures

In 1959 Taruffi authored the book ''The Technique of Motor Racing''. In November 1957 the Saturday Evening Post published Taruffi's article, ''Stop us before we kill again'', where he discussed the 1955 Le Mans and 1957 Mille Miglia races where drivers and numerous spectators lost their lives.

In August 1952 Taruffi designed and patented a racing car with the entry 2,608, 264. The car featured 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 passengers sit 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 centre of gravity of his design.''2 New Inventions Make It Tough For Rogues With Nefarious Intent'', New York Times, August 30, 1952, Page 17. Taruffi died in Rome in 1988, age 81.

Legacy

The Piero Taruffi Museum is located in Bagnoregio, a small town between Viterbo and Orvieto in Central Italy. The museum collection includes a selection of vintage cars and motorbikes from Taruffi's racing career.

In the 2023 biographical sports drama film ''Ferrari,'' Taruffi is portrayed by American actor Patrick Dempsey.

Complete World Championship Grand Prix results

( key) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

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

Non-Championship Formula One results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

See also

* Formula One drivers from Italy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taruffi, Piero
1906 births
1988 deaths
Sportspeople from Albano Laziale
Italian racing drivers
Italian Formula One drivers
Italian motorcycle racers
Formula One race winners
Alfa Romeo Formula One drivers
Ferrari Formula One drivers
Mercedes-Benz Formula One drivers
Maserati Formula One drivers
Vanwall Formula One drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
Motorcycle land speed record people
World Sportscar Championship drivers
European Championship drivers
Grand Prix drivers
Carrera Panamericana drivers