Tazio Nuvolary Italian auto and motorcycle racer known as the "Flying Mantuan". Date of Birth: 16.11.1892 Country: Italy

Biography of Tazio Nuvolari

Tazio Nuvolari, also known as the "Flying Mantuan", was an Italian auto and motorcycle racer. He was born in Castel d'Aria, Mantua, Lombardy, and was the fourth son of Arturo Nuvolari, a renowned cyclist.

At the age of 23, Tazio obtained a motorcycle racing license, but he was immediately drafted into the Italian army as a driver. However, his racing career officially began on June 20, 1920, when he participated in his first race in Cremona. Just nine months later, on March 20, 1921, he won his first race in Verona.

Tazio became a professional racer and competed alongside Enzo Ferrari (who was not yet the founder of the famous team at that time). He quickly gained popularity in Italy, earning titles such as "Il campionissimo delle due ruote" (the champion of two wheels) from his fans. As he began competing in Grand Prix races, Tazio won the prestigious Targa Florio race in Sicily in 1931 and 1932, driving an Alfa Romeo 8C. In 1932, he dominated the Grand Prix circuit, winning the races in Monaco, France, and Italy.

However, Nuvolari's most famous victory came in the 1935 German Grand Prix. Driving an Alfa Romeo P3, he battled against the best German drivers from the Auto Union and Mercedes Benz teams, ultimately winning the race in front of Adolf Hitler himself, despite starting in 6th place. Tazio Nuvolari passed away in August 1953, peacefully in his own bed.

Ferdinand Porsche once described Nuvolari as "the greatest driver of the past, present, and future". In 1996, Alfa Romeo named their concept car Nuvola in honor of the legendary pilot. In 1998, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Fifty years after his death in 1953, Audi created a concept car called the Audi Nuvolari Quattro as a tribute to Nuvolari.