The flyover of Monza

The turnout was enormous: over 150,000 spectators invaded the racetrack for the event. Juan Manuel Fangio won in front of Taruffi and Castellotti, however favored by the boycott of the English teams that did not participate in the Grand Prix.

25 drivers entered the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. This time the English teams participated in the race after having carefully prepared their cars for days, which had to withstand the high stresses caused by the very fast circuit in Brianza.

The idea of the tender came to Eng. Bacciagaluppi, director of the racetrack, who invited Duane Carter, American race director, to participate. Carter was thrilled and scheduled the event for June 1957. The first edition of the 500 Miglia di Monza, however, was practically deserted by the Europeans, probably short of preparation for such an unusual and extremely fast race.

The edition saw a consistent presence of European cars and drivers. Ferrari and Maserati built cars specifically for the event, while drivers such as Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn, Luigi Musso and Phil Hill decided months before they would not miss the event. The great Juan Manuel Fangio also took part in the race, qualifying his roadster Dean Van Lines in third place.

In the 60 'the Grand Prix returned to the complete 10 km circuit. It was a triumph for Ferrari which won the first three places, however favored by the absence of some English teams.

The 1961 Grand Prix was unfortunately destined to make history. In the early stages of the race, Jim Clarck crashed into Von Trips a few meters before the Parabolica curve. The German's Ferrari ended up in the crowd killing thirteen and the same driver was catapulted out of the car, dying instantly. The tragedy marked the end of the use of the elevated track for Formula 1 cars and for a few years the high-speed ring was only used for minor races and record attempts.

In the 60 'the Grand Prix returned to the complete 10 km circuit. It was a triumph for Ferrari which won the first three places, however favored by the absence of some English teams.

Competing for the victory in the first edition of the 1000 Kilometers were Ferrari, the undisputed ruler of the Sport-Prototype category, and Ford, more than ever willing to replace the Maranello house in dominance. The Reds always remained in the lead until winning the victory.

The second edition of the 1000 Kilometers of Monza took place in the rain, but precisely in these atmospheric conditions, Ferrari once again made a name for itself before the eyes of over 25,000 spectators, regardless of the rain and cold. The Monza race proved highly selective: of the 40 cars lined up at the start only 19 managed to qualify.

The 1000 Kilometer proposed the duel between the Ferrari 330 P4 and the futuristic Texan Chapparal who took turns driving for an hour. Then the original American model had to retire and, after 5 hours and 7 minutes from the start of the race, Bandini and Amon's Ferrari 330 P4 crossed the finish line first.

Absent the Ferrari, during the 1000 Kilometers we witnessed the collision between the Ford GT 40 and the Porsche 907. The powerful American 5 liters proved to be the most suitable for the very fast track in Brianza, so the one that failed against Ferrari finally succeeded against Porsche, and Ford had the satisfaction of winning the prestigious endurance race for the first and last time.

In the 1000 Kilometers, the Red from Maranello did not realize its supremacy over the Porsche, above all because of the tires that could not withstand the stresses they were subjected to on the high-speed ring. And so the Ferraris, leading from the start, had to retire before the eyes of over 500,000 spectators.