Almost 61 years ago Luigi Fagioli died driving a sports car. This relatively unknown driver did the same as other legends who are more known to the public (Fangio and Ascari) and was even better some times. His impressive career ended unexpectedly in the tunnel of Monaco during the GP of 1952. In May the tragic accident occurred in the tunnel where the car hit the wall. Fagioli died three weeks later, on June 20th, as he struggled to cope with internal injuries who he lost in the end.
On June 9th 1898 Luigi Fagioli was born in a wealthy family at Osimo, (part of the province Ancona, region Marche). As a boy Luigi Fagioli was fascinated by the relatively new invention of the automobile and the ensuing racing. Blessed with great natural driving instincts, a young Fagioli spent several years participating in hillclimbing and sports car races before entering Grand Prix racing in 1926. The turning point for Fagioli’s career was in 1933 when team director and driver Enzo Ferrari invited him to change to Alfa Romeo. He replaced the famous Tazio Nuvolari in the Alfa P3 (Nuvolari changed to Maserati that year). Luigi did not take to much time to adjust and won the Coppa Acerbo, the Grand Prix du Comminges and the Italian GP. People often found Fagioli a daredevil who took unnecessary risks and often lost because of accidents. In spite of that his talent was rising and Mercedes bought the driver in 1934. […]
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