“The highest mountain race in the world” turns 90

The five most important European automobile clubs organized the first “International Mountain Championship” in 1932; each country came up with its most attractive and greatest mountain route: Germany with the Kesselberg, Austria with the Gaisberg, Switzerland with the Klausen Pass, France with Mont Ventoux and for Italy, the Automobile Club of Milan organized the race on the Stilfser Joch-Stelvio with the support of the local automobile clubs of Merano and Bolzano. The race from Trafoi at 1550 meters to the Stelvio Pass at 2760 meters with an altitude difference of 1200 meters was advertised as the “highest mountain race in the world”. The winner received prize money of 50.000 lire, which today would be the equivalent of around 50.000 euros.

In addition to the national Grand Prix races, mountain races were also very important events for top drivers, as they contributed to the fame of the driver and also to the prestige of his car brand. The aces of the international racing circuit also came together for the Stelvio Joch Race. Two German superstars, Rudolf Caracciola and Hans Stuck, were there, as were top drivers Hans Stuber and Horst Von Waldthausen from Switzerland. “Scuderia Ferrari”, the Alfa Romeo racing team with Enzo Ferrari as racing director, was also there with Tazio Nuvolari and Mario Tadini. Preparations, technique and training runs Even days before the race, there was a lot of activity in Trafoi: the unpaved Stelvio road had to be brought into perfect condition. Several rotter teams were busy repairing and sweeping the road, and the 45 curves were marked with black and white paint and numbered to guide drivers. Technicians laid a 14 km long telephone line from Trafoi to Stelvio Pass so that a functioning telephone connection was available at 5 points along the route. Parking spaces for private and racing cars were set up at the finish area on the Joch, as well as a grandstand for spectators and journalists.

<a data-caption="Tazio Nuvolari von der Scuderia Ferrari auf einer Alfa Romeo 2.3 Mille Miglia. Bemerkenswert: Er hatte vergessen, die Rennbrille aufzusetzen." data-fancybox="inline-123938" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2022/08/tazio-nuvolari-von-der-scuderia-ferrari-auf-einer-alfa-romeo-23-mille-miglia-bemerkenswert-er-hatte-vergessen-die-rennbrille-aufzusetzen.jpg"> Tazio Nuvolari from Scuderia Ferrari in an Alfa Romeo 2.3 Mille Miglia. Remarkable: He had forgotten to put on his racing glasses.

State-of-the-art technology was installed: a large loudspeaker system and, for the first time, electronic time measurement was used, which registered the arrival times of the race participants with an accuracy of fractions of a second. One day before the race, training runs were carried out with the road closed from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. so that the participants could test the demanding route: The best training time was achieved by top German pilot Rudolf Caracciola. Even after the road was reopened to general traffic, most pilots continued their exploration tours in order to perfectly memorize the course of the route. The night before the race Down at the start in Trafoi: A dark night sky envelops the Ortler mountains, above which a magnificent starry sky shines, which makes the white glaciers shine with a picturesque crescent moon. In Trafoi, where the racing drivers have taken up residence, there is still a dreamy calm on this black and silver night that promises a wonderful day. The beautiful racing cars play all colors red, blue, green, black and white; They stand there in rows, protected by their guards, waiting for the big entrance. The start will take place on Sunday from 46 a.m. directly in front of the Hotel Bella Vista, at curve number 9.

High up in the finish area: In the middle of the night, the windows of the pass hotel light up and welcome the viewer with a never-before-seen automobile warehouse life. There are pennants, flags and posters, crowds of people and hundreds of automobiles everywhere. The rush of machines is at its peak at 5 a.m., because after that the road is closed. The chaos in the parking lot is utter chaos, but everyone's mood is great - despite the early hour of the morning. Herds of people move between the automobiles, singing, whistling and honking.

The parked racing cars in the finish area on the Stelvio Pass.

7 a.m.: A gentle morning wind moves the pennants and flags. The mighty Ortler shines magnificently in the background in the first sunlight, now the slope of the Livrio begins to be populated all the way up, everyone wants the best place, everyone wants to take part in the big race. The race, a heart-stopping finale At 9 a.m. the loudspeaker announces the start of the first participant and the race has begun. The series “tourism class” cars start first. Most of them are private gentlemen drivers, but the spectators' great interest is in the world-famous names with the sports and racing cars; they only start the race in the second half. It starts every three minutes, and the loudspeaker finally announces start number 68: “Hans Stuck…partito!…started!”

A few minutes after takeoff, a huge cloud of dust rises in the Trafoi forest. Even before the white Mercedes racing car is seen, a heroic journey is about to take place. Now he can finally be seen on the track: Stuck is a specialist in mountain races, he performs real miracles with his heavy car, he whirls around the hairpin bends, he literally plows up the road surface, lets his engine roar and races impetuously to the finish Clouds of dust and gravel swirl up. Best time!

The audience goes wild - but there is little time for comments, because Tazio Nuvolari starts with number 72 six minutes after Stuck. The “flying Mantovaner” forgot to put on his racing glasses, despite the dust and wind, he attacks the entire series of serpentines. However, the Italian - whose Alfa Romeo "Mille Miglia" 2300 cc has only half the displacement of his German competitor's car - is slightly behind schedule, after all, he needs 20 seconds longer than Stuck.

<a data-caption="45 Kehren waren beim Bergrennen von Trafoi auf das Stilfser Joch zu bewältigen. Der Start erfolgte unmittelbar nach der Kehre 46 – sie ist direkt vor dem Hotel Bella Vista in Trafoi." data-fancybox="inline-123944" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2022/08/45-kehren-waren-beim-bergrennen-von-trafoi-auf-das-stilfser-joch-zu-bewaeltigen-der-start-erfolgte-unmittelbar-nach-der-kehre-46-sie-ist-direk.jpg"> 45 bends had to be mastered in the mountain race from Trafoi to the Stelvio Pass. The start took place immediately after bend 46 - it is directly in front of the Hotel Bella Vista in Trafoi.

It happens in quick succession: everyone is nervously waiting for the best trainee: “Rudi Caracciola, No. 98... partito!” – it sounds from the loudspeaker, the audience follows him along the entire route and observes his elegant style in the hairpin bends and the acceleration of the car on the short straights. Everyone is excited, but in the end “Caratsch” with his Alfa Romeo 8C is a few seconds slower than his compatriot Stuck.

Now all that's missing is a red Alfa from "Scuderia Ferrari" that can be at the front: Mario Tadini with the number 100 - he's very fast in the hairpin bends: the audience feels his wonderful race and enthusiastically carries him up over the bends. He climbs energetically, with style, with ease. Can he achieve what Caracciola could not? It will be a heart-stopping finale: Tadini is in the last hairpin bend, only a few meters to the finish line, but suddenly the car slows down for a brief moment, but it's enough to lose the race. The stopwatch stops a blink of an eye past Stuck's best time. Stuck wins, Tadini is second! Four heroes and the analysis The four heroes of the first Stelvio Pass race are: Hans Stuck, Mario Tadini, Rudolf Caracciola and Tazio Nuvolari. Mario Tadini won the over 2000 cc category and came second overall; the press later learned that he was unable to shift into third gear for a fraction of a second on the home straight. Third-placed Rudolf Caracciola enthusiastically commented on the route on the Stelvio: “This route is a tough one for the engine, but great fun for the driver!”

Tazio Nuvolari, the fourth-place finisher, jokes with dry humor: “That was an extreme race, you start at the bottom of the valley with water and when you get to the top everything has evaporated,” he said, alluding to the smoking radiator of his Alfa Romeo. Meanwhile, the day's winner, Hans Stuck, was adorned with the appropriate giant laurel wreath, surrounded by the cheers of a countless crowd, wooed by autograph hunters, and for a long time he was not able to start his descent from the pass to Trafoi. An unforgettable moment For the large audience who traveled from Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and also from all over South Tyrol, the Stelvio Race of 1932 on this magical race track, unique in Europe, was extremely impressive and will remain unforgettable.

Personal Stephan Gander, entrepreneur and marketing expert, is interested in the history of the Stelvio Pass, researches and writes about it. His wife Petra Maria Thöni runs the Hotel Bella Vista in Trafoi, where many well-known racing drivers stayed in the 1930s. This article is the result of extensive research in various historical media: Dolomiten, Alpenzeitung, Corriere, Il Littoriale, Le Figaro, El Mundo Deportivo, L'Auto and Motorsport.

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“The highest mountain race in the world” turns 90

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