| Nivola > Nivola International > Tazio Nuvolari > The opponents > Achille Varzi | January , 7 .2009 |
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Achille Varzi is one of the greatest driver of all times and the greatest master of the
driving-style in the history: perfect, elegant, fast, effective, without errors (in his long
career has only two incidents caused by driving errors!)
He is born in Galliate (Novara, Italy) the 8th of August 1904 and debuts in the
world of the races in the '20s, very young for the period, following the "example" of the
brother Angelo that runs with the motorcycles since 1920.
Varzi is born as a motorcyclist, even if his objective is to become a great racing car
driver, like he reveals in an interview years after. He chooses the motorcycle at the begin
because they are more economic than the car. He demonstrates soon his qualities and
picks the first victories at the circuit of the Tigullio in 1922, with the Garelli 350.
In the 1923, when he is 19, he becomes Italian champion of the category 350, winning
numerous races: Perugia, Busto Arsizio, Padova, Parma-Poggio Berceto and the terrible
cricuit of Lario, striking all the greatest champions of this period. The 8th September
he debuts with a 500, with the Norton, at the Grand Prix of the Nations to Monza driving
very well: in the future he will be a specialist of this track.
The successive year the victories arrive both in 350 and in 500 and wins the Nisbet shield at
the British Tourist Trophy for the fair-play demonstrated: while he is in race a local
driver falls in front of him. Achille must choose, in one fraction of second, if run over
the driver or to crash against a wall. He chooses the second possibility and fortunately
he has not important damages and wounds.
The episode increases the esteem and the popularity of Varzi. Moreover he is by now a
dangerous adversary for the "star" of the motorcycling of that period, Tazio Nuvolari.
A rivarly that will become legendary: their spectacular duels with the motorcycles and with
the cars will sign an era.
In 1925 he runs with the Sunbeam but the season is not fortunate and wins only at the circuit
of Novara and obtains at the Tourist Trophy the Visitor's Cup, prize for the best foreign
participant.
The successive year he returns to the maximum levels and conquests the title of Italian
champion of the class 500 figthing with the Bianchi 350 of Nuvolari. The two wins all and
Achille triumphs at Stradella, circuit of Belfiore, Lodi, circuit of the Adriatic and Monza,
after a great duel with Arcangeli. He still wins the Visitor's Cup at the British TT. Moreover
he debuts with the cars, driving a Bugatti. He has to withdrawn for machanical problems but
declares: "...it was easy and natural like if I had drove from always...". His natural talent
for the cars is greater than for the two wheels, and Varzi knows it: he's ambitious, he
espects always the maximum from himself and wants to become the first possible the number one.
For the 1927 he continues to runs with the motorcycles: passes to the Moto Guzzi and obtains
with the 250 a great victory at the circuit of Savio while the rest of the season, because of
mechanical problems, is not very profitable.
In 1928 the destinies of Varzi and Nuvolari are placed side by side: Achille enters in the
Bianchi team, upon request of the Mantuan (that runs with the "freccia celeste" from some
years). Achille with the same motorcycle demonstrates to be very competitive and the two
champions gain numerous races. Moreover Nuvolari founds an own team in order to run with
the cars and chooses like associate just Varzi: the two champions were also friends.
1928 marks the beginning of the career with the cars at full time for the two champions and
soon they will become, also with the four wheels, opponents...
Varzi continues however to run (and to win!) some contests with the motorcycles until 1930,
even if he concentrates himself mostly on the cars. The cohabitation with Nuvolari ends after
few months and Achille leaves the team of "Nivola" and acquires an Alfa Romeo P2 from
Campari and drives for himself.
In 1929 he is an official driver of the Alfa Romeo: arrives third at the Mille Miglia and obtains
numerous victories (Roma, Alessandria, Livorno and the GP of Spain). At Alessandria drives with the
maximum difference between the fastest and the slowest lap of 2 seconds and wins completing all
the 8 laps (32 kilometers - 20 miles each lap!!). At Monza, when is first, he's forced to stop
at the box for a mechanical problem. The contest seems compromised, after the stop he has a lap
of disadvantage from the first, Luigi Arcangeli. But Achille re-enters, pushes to the maximum
in order to return in head and, with the enthusiasm of the spectators, establishes a lap record
with 200 km/h (125 mph) of average speed: but the circuit was tested and omologated for 190 km/h
(118 mph) of maximum average speed!! Varzi exceeds the previewed limit and "tests" the track
directly: Monza from that day, and for many years to come, is renamed the "varzodromo" (the
varzi-drome). Moreover he wins with twenty meters of advantage from Arcangeli! Varzi is already a
legendary champion. Also his way to win, like at Monza, exceeding the rival for little meters
form the arrive, will become proverbial.
The Mille Miglia of 1930 still see a Nuvolari-Varzi duel: the two exalt the enthusiasts and
engage a spectacular duel for all the massacring contest, gained at last by the "flying
mantuan". But Varzi obtains the "return match" at the Targa Florio strinking Tazio and making
an incredible number: wins covering the last kilometers with the car in flames (!) because of
a benzine spillage. The rivarly between the two aces it's obvious: both think to be the best,
both want to win always, at any cost. The enthusiasts are divided in two separate "factions".
Varzi continues the season with the Maserati and concludes winning the italian title, after the
one of 1929.
In the 1931 and until 1933 he runs with the Bugatti, obtaining good results but also some
withdrawal. In the '33 he has another great duel with Nuvolari at the GP of Monaco that enters
into the legend. Varzi passes Nuvolari, Nuvolari passes Varzi more times and fights with
incredible determination for 99 of the 100 previewed laps, without a moment of breath. At the last
passage the engine of the Alfa of Nuvolari yields and Varzi picks one of his beautiful victories.
At the end of the season he passes at the scuderia Ferrari, replacing the mantuan. During this
year Varzi wins the Mille Miglia and the third italian title. The "wedding" with Ferrari is rich
of satisfactions and victories and Achille remains with the scuderia until the end of the year.
In that period it begins the absolute supremacy of the German cars and Varzi in 1935 is engaged
from the Auto Union, that searches a great foreign champion. For many people the "betrayal" to the
native land is serious: but Varzi is interested in the victory, independently from the car or
from the nationality of his team.
It seems the beginning of an invincible binomial: one of the greatest driver with one of the better
and powerful cars. In fact he gains at the debut, demonstrating an impressive adaptability: the
Auto Union is most powerful and much difficult to drive and the posterior motor is a new
development that impose a completely new driving style. But Varzi does not have problems and
gives the 100% also in this occasion.
The season continues well and, in spite of some technical problems, the Italian is always protagonist
in the first positions, he fights against the Mercedes or the other Auto Union and, in some
occasion, with Nuvolari, the only that with the Alfa Romeo is competitive with the German cars.
At the GP of Germany 1935 (entered in the history for the clamorous victory of Nuvolari) Varzi
knows a woman, the wife of another driver of his team, and the two falls in love: they begin a
relation that will take away Varzi from the world of the races. The season finishes positively,
with a great victory at the circuit of Pescara.
In 1936 he obtains a good result at the GP of Montecarlo and wins (for the last time with the
Auto Union) at Tripoli, thanks also from an "help" from the team that slow down Stuck, launched
towards the victory. Probably in this period the champion, that by now lives with Ilse that has
left his husband, begins to use morphine. Here begins the decline, just when he seems "launched"
with the car of four rings.
A little after, at the GP of Tunisi, he has the first incident of the career: in a fast curve the
car goes out of the road and overturns more times. The incident is impressive but Achille is
unhurt, even if shaken: also he could mistake. The season finishes with an enough positive
"balance".
In the successive years he falls more and more in the spiral of the drug and his occasional
appearances are more and more rare. His character gets worse, often refuses to participate in the
races, is not at the disposal of the team. He makes only some disappointing apparition but he is
not more himself and until the post-war period disappears.
In 1946 the miracle. He detoxify himself completely, leaves Ilse and gets married with a friend
of old date, Norma, and returns to run, with the extraordinary class of a time. At 42 years the
new debut: after some necessary races in order to resume the confidence with the speed, he returns
to win at the circuit of Turin, with the Alfa Romeo 158, after more than eight years from the last
triumph. He completes optimal races and, above all, meets newly his great rival again: Nuvolari.
The two champions thrilled again the enthusiasts.
In winter '46-'47 he leaves for the South America where runs five contests at the "Temporada". Then
returns in Europe and wins at Bari and arrives second at Spa, Bern and Milan.
In 1948 runs newly at the "Temporada" and knows an emergent driver that wants to come to
compete in Europe: Juan-Manuel Fangio. The two become friends and Varzi becomes his master and his
adviser. Newly in Europe he concludes third at Bari and in Mantua, where, in July 1948, meets for
the last time his rival Tazio Nuvolari.
The 1st of July there's the Grand Prix of Bern, where runs also the two wheels. The day before
the qualifying session of tha cars there are the motorcycles and the tragedy happens: after a fall
Omobono Tenni, the living legend of the motorcycling, dies. The same fate attends Varzi after some
hour: while he runs under a light rain his Alfa Romeo 158 with double stage compressor faces a curve at
moderated speed. The car loses the grip, Varzi corrects with the steering, perhaps too
much energetically. The car, slowly and softly, turns over in a pit. It does not seem nothing
of serious but the champion of Galliate is imprisoned under the car, the head beats violently and
he dies.
During the race will die also the Swiss Christian Kautz: the GP of Bern '48 will be remembered
like one of the most tragic in the history of the competition.
Varzi leaves the memory of a legendary driver, that has conquered nearly 40 victories (only with
the cars), with a perfect style, "pitiless", cold calculator, fast, nearly invincible. Antonio
Brivio, that was a driver in the 30s, remembers Varzi: "...at the tests session of the Grand Prix
of Tripoli 1934 I broke the engine and my companion René Dreyfus came for towing me along the
track. In order to arrive in the paddock we had to cross the track: we had to proceed slowly on the
right until to the crossroad for the paddock and therefore, if nobody arrive, we had to cross the
track. But Dreyfuss did not use this caution: he arrived at the crossroad and cross the track
without watch. Varzi was arriving. He could see us at the last moment because the street center
was embedded in the earth, like a trench. The mechanic launched a tremendous scream to my
shoulder. Varzi passed to my left, mounting with two wheels on earthwork, flying over Dreyfus and
falling to the ground more ahead. If he braked it would have been the end for all. Came down from
the car Varzi, watched us screaming 'are you crazy?!?'. To recall the memory now, and it succeed many
times, seems to me what incredible and extraordinary was this manoeuvre. Also because he
proceeded at over than 200 km/h (125 mph)! He changed the chassis and the day after won the race....
