Tazio Nuvolari
Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari (November 16, 1892 - August 11, 1953) was an Italian racing motorcycle and car driver.
Nuvolari was born in Castel d'Ario, Mantua. He was the fourth son of Arturo Nuvolari (a well off farmer and a known cyclist) and his wife Elisa Zorzi.
Nuvolari has been (and still is) admired for his many special qualities and his human characteristics.
He obtained the motorcycle race licence in 1915, when he was 23, but was soon recalled to the Army as a driver, when Italy entered WWI. In 1917, He married Carolina Perina, by a civil ceremony (quite a scandal for those times).
His career started with motorbikes and he had his first official race on June 20 1920 in Cremona at the Circuito Internazionale Motoristico. He won his first race on March 20, 1921 in Verona.
He became a professional driver, and soon met Enzo Ferrari (still a driver and not yet the founder of Ferrari). Nuvolari quickly became very popular in Italy, where he was called "Il campionissimo delle due ruote", "the two wheeler Campionissimo" (the same title will be later given only to Fausto Coppi, bicycle champion).
He begun testing himself in Grand Prix motor racing and he won the prestigious Targa Florio, in Sicily. After that, he decided to dedicate himself only to cars. His fame grew rapidly and famous poet Gabriele D'Annunzio gave him a little golden turtle with dedication: "To the fastest man in the world, the slowest animal". He obtained victories on most of the Italian circuits and in the Mille Miglia. In 1932 he dominated Grand Prix motor racing, winning the Monaco, French and Italian Grand Prix events.
Personal misfortune (in a few years he lost both of his two sons) made people even more passionate about him. His determination led him, proverbially, to insist on racing even when the car was losing components, or burning, causing several accidents.
He died on August 11th, 1953, in his bed.
Ferdinand Porsche called him "The greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future."
Some of Tazio Nuvolari's major career victories:
