1961 Targa Florio

The 45° Targa Florio took place on 30 April 1961, on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, (Sicily, Italy). It was the second round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship, and third round of the FIA GT Cup.

Report

Entry

The event attracted less cars than in previous seasons, with 64 racing cars were registered for this event, [1] instead of the 78 in 1960, [2] of which 57 arrived for practice. Only these, 54 qualified for, and started the race.[3]

Reigning World Champions, Ferrari had entered two of their Dino 246 SP and a 250 TRI 61 for their squad of drivers; Willy Mairesse, Ricardo Rodríguez, Wolfgang von Trips, Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill and Richie Ginther. As like 1960, there was no other factory entrants in the S3.0 class, their main opposition would come from the works Porsche 718 RS 61s of Hans Herrmann, Edgar Barth, Jo Bonnier, Dan Gurney, Graham Hill and Stirling Moss, despite these were smaller engined cars and less powerful, the marque had won the last two Targa Florios. [4]

Race

At the start, Moss would take an immediate lead, which would eventually build up to around 90 seconds, with his team-mate Bonnier in second place. The leading Ferrari was that of von Trips and he would be trailing along further behind, yet it seemed more than obvious the Dino 246 SP just couldn’t match the overall performance of the nimble Porsches [5] The Ferrari of Phil Hill and Ginther suffered an accident of the very first lap, and was one of 24 cars that didn’t reach half distance. [6]

After a few laps, Moss would have to hand the car over to Graham Hill. Hill’s inexperience of the event was coming into play. While he would stay out of trouble and would have a decent pace, it wouldn’t be fast enough as the Dino of von Trips and Gendebien took the overall lead by nearly 80 seconds, while Bonnier/Gurney fell back to third. Still, Hill had done his job, he complete a couple of laps and would hand the car back to Moss for the remainder of the race. [7]

Moss picked up the pace quite dramatically and was soon right back up with the leading Dino. He wasn’t going to be stop and he soon was back in the lead. In reply, von Trips set an amazing fastest lap, with an average speed of 67.019 mph. Still heading into the final lap, he followed Moss in the running order. [8] Moss headed into the last lap with a lead of more than a minute over the Ferrari. By this point he had covered more than 440 miles, when the differential failed. He was just a few miles around from victory.

The Ferrari of von Trips/Gendebien inherited the lead, to take the victory, completing 10 laps, covering 447.388 miles in just under 7½ hours of racing, averaging a speed of 64.272mph. [9] Second place went to the works Porsche of Bonnier and Gurney in a Porsche 718 RS 61, albeit over 4½ mins adrift. The podium was complete by another works Porsche, of Herrmann and Barth who were further 12 mins behind. [10][11]

Official Classification

Class Winners are in Bold text.

Pos No Class Driver Entrant Chassis Laps Reason Out
1st 162 S3.0 West Germany Wolfgang von Trips Belgium Olivier Gendebien SEFAC Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246 SP 6hr 57:39.4, 10
2nd 134 S2.0 Sweden Jo Bonnier United States Dan Gurney Porsche KG Porsche 718 RS 61 7hr 02:03.5, 10
3rd 132 S2.0 West Germany Hans Herrmann East Germany Edgar Barth Porsche KG Porsche 718 RS 61 7hr 14:14.0, 10
4th 152 S3.0 Italy Nino Vaccarella France Maurice Trintignant Scuderia Serenissima Maserati Tipo 63 7hr 28:49.3, 10
5th 158 S3.0 Italy Umberto Maglioli Italy Giorgio Scarlatti Scuderia Serenissima Maserati Tipo 63 7hr 40:04.2, 10
6th 92 GT2.5 West Germany Paul-Ernst Strähle Italy Antonio Pucci Porsche KG Porsche 356B Carrera Abarth GTL 7hr 48:25.8, 10
7th 96 GT2.5 West Germany Herbert Linge West Germany Huschke von Hanstein Porsche KG Porsche 356B Carrera Abarth GTL 7hr 50:53.5, 10
8th 38 GT1.3 France José Rosinki France Bernard Consten José Rosinki Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 7hr 59:08.0, 10
9th 4 GT1.3 Italy Vito Coco Italy “Sand” Scuderia Etna Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 8hr 06:14.0, 10
10th 30 GT1.3 Italy “Kim” Italy “Tom” Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 8hr 13:54.0, 10
11th 10 GT1.3 Italy Baldassare Taormina Italy Pasquale Tacci Baldassare Taormina Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 8hr 06:48.0, 10
12th 18 GT1.3 West Germany Hans Bauer Italy Roberto Sgorbati Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 10
13th 26 GT1.3 Italy Emanuele Trapani Italy Bartolomeo Donato Balarm Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale 10
14th 34 GT1.3 Italy Enzo Buzzetti Italy Renzo Sinibaldi Montegrappa Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 10
15th 70 S1.0 Italy Umberto Bini Italy Giancarlo Riagmonti Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Osca S1000 10
16th 12 GT1.3 Italy Giuseppe Grasso Italy Vito Sabbia Scuderia Etna Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 10
17th 92 GT2.5 Italy Giulio Cabianca Italy Elio Zagato Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato 10
18th 98 GT2.5 Italy Franco Lisitano Italy Benedetto Catano San Rizzo Fiat 8V 10
19th 56 S1.0 Italy Massimo Natili Italy Giuseppe Cucchiarelli Alto Lazio Giaur Giannini 1000 10
NC 16 GT1.3 Italy Pietro Laureati Italy Domenico Santoleri Pescara Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 10 over time limit
NC 138 S2.0 Italy Paolo Samona Italy Giuseppe de Sarzana Paolo Samona Maserati A6GCS/53 10 over time limit
NC 154 S3.0 Italy Pietro Ferraro Italy Armando Zampiero San Marco Ferrari 250 GT SWB 10 over time limit
NC 156 S3.0 Italy Giuseppe Gasso Italy Giovanni Giordano Scuderia Etna Ferrari 250 GT LWB 10 over time limit
DNF 120 S1.6 Italy Ludovico Scarfiotti United Kingdom Colin Davis Osca Osca S1500 SF392 9 did not finish
DNF 136 S2.0 United Kingdom Stirling Moss United Kingdom Graham Hill Porsche KG Porsche 718 RS 61 9 Differential
DNF 28 GT1.3 Italy Ivanhoe Avorio Italy Carlo Facetti Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce 7 did not finish
DNF 74 S1.0 Italy Gregorio Filippone Italy Francesco Patané Scuderia Etna Osca MT4 1000 7 did not finish
DNF 40 GT1.3 Italy Gianni Bulgari Italy Maurizio Grana Campidoglio Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 6 did not finish
DNF 60 S1.0 Italy Marcello de Luca di Lizzano Italy Attilio Brandi Bardahl Italy Osca S1000 6 did not finish
DNF 66 S1.0 Italy Massiom Leto di Priolo Italy Ottavio Prandoni Scuderia Ambrosiana Fiat-Abarth 1000 6 did not finish
DNF 72 S1.0 Italy Mario Raimondo Italy “Aldebaran” Balarm Osca MT4 1000 6 did not finish
DNF 6 GT1.3 Italy Antonio Accardi Italy Alessandro Federico Antonio Accardi Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 5 did not finish
DNF 14 GT1.3 Italy Guido Garufi Italy Franco Tagliavia Guido Garufi Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 5 did not finish
DNF 20 GT1.3 Italy Ermete Bosco Italy Bruno Bevilacqua Pescara Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale 5 Accident
DNF 22 GT1.3 Italy Mario Tropia Italy Giuseppe Parla Nissena Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider 5 did not finish
DNF 24 GT1.3 Italy Michele Allegrini Italy Clemente Avventurieri Sila Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 5 did not finish
DNF 54 S1.0 France Gérard Laureau France François Jaeger Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet D.B.-Panhard HBR5 5 Gearbox
DNF 64 S1.0 Italy Domenico Rotolo Italy Salvatore Sirchia Monte Pellegrino Osca MT4 1000 5 did not finish
DNF 100 GT2.5 Italy Sergio Mantia Italy Giovanni Napoli Monte Pellegrino Fiat 8V Zagato 5 did not finish
DNF 106 GT2.5 Italy Gian Carlo Carfi Italy “Comar” Scuderia Etna Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato 5 did not finish
DNF 112 S1.6 United States William Schuldt United States Pat Garret William Schuldt Stanguellini-Climax 1100 5 did not finish
DNF 78 S1.0 Italy Francesco de Leonibus Italy Gino Munaron Virgilio Conrero Lotus-Climax Eleven 4 Gearbox
DNF 114 S1.6 Italy Pietro Termini Italy Rosario Montalbano Balarm Ermini-Alfa Romeo 1500 4 Accident
DNF 142 S2.0 Italy Mennato Boffa Italy Nino Todaro Scuderia Serenissima Maserati Tipo 60 4 Oil pipe
DNF 8 GT1.3 Italy Salvatore Leto di Priolo Italy Corrado Manfredini Scuderia Ambrosiana Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato 3 did not finish
DNF 62 S1.0 Italy Carlo Maria Abate Italy Gianni Balzarini Scuderia Serenissima Fiat-Abarth 1000 S 3 Oil pump
DNF 160 S3.0 Mexico Ricardo Rodríguez Belgium Willy Mairesse SEFAC Ferrari Ferrari 250 TRI/61 3 Fuel tank
DNF 102 GT2.5 France Joseph Thomas West Germany Siegfried Günther Joseph Thomas Porsche 356B Super 90 2 did not finish
DNF 2 GT1.3 Italy Salvatore Russo Italy Giulio Pernice Scuderia Etna Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce 1 Accident
DNF 108 GT2.5 Italy Francesco di Benedetto Italy Giuseppe D’Amico Balarm Alfa Romeo 2500 1 did not finish
DNF 144 S2.0 Italy Giuseppe Allotta Italy Silvestre Semilia Giuseppe Allotta Maserati A6GCS/53 1 Accident
DNF 104 GT2.5 Italy Marino Guarnieri United Kingdom Brian Whitehouse Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato 0 did not finish
DNF 140 S2.0 Italy Vincenzo Riolo Italy Franco Bernabei Centro-Sud Maserati 200S I 0 did not finish
DNF 164 S3.0 United States Phil Hill United States Richie Ginther SEFAC Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246 SP 0 Accident
DNS 32 GT1.3 Italy ”Kim” Italy Tommaso Carletti Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato did not start
DNS 36 GT1.3 Italy Luciano Conti Italy Giancarlo Venturi Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato did not start
DNS 52 S1.0 Italy Camillo Giuliani Italy Angelo Rizzo Sila Fiat Ciolino did not start
DNS 58 S1.0 Italy Giuseppe D’Amico Italy U. Fichera Scuderia Etna Fiat Ciolino did not start
DNS 68 S1.0 Italy Remo Cattini Italy Giuseppe Bonomo Remo Cattini Fiat-Abarth 1000 S did not start
DNS 76 S1.0 Italy Alfonso Vella Italy Giuseppe Virgilio Alfonso Vella Fiat Ciolino did not start
DNS 80 S1.0 Italy Michele Paratore Italy Seire Michele Paratore Fiat-Abarth 1000 S did not start
DNS 116 S1.6 Italy Ada Pace Italy Gianfranco Stanga Osca Osca S1100 did not start
DNS 118 S1.6 Italy Gaspare Cavaliere Italy Gaetano Starrabba Segesta Porsche 718 RSK did not start
DNS T S2.0 United States Dan Gurney Porsche KG Porsche 718 RS 61 Practiced only (Accident)


Class Winners

Class Winners
Sports 3000 162 Ferrari Dino 246 SP von Trips / Gendebien
Sports 2000 134 Porsche 718 RS 61 Bonnier / Gurney
Sports 1600 No classified finisher
Sports 1000 70 Osca S100 Bini / Rigamonti
Grand Touring 2500 9 Porsche 356B Carrera Abarth GTL Strähle / Pucci
Grand Touring 1300 38 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato Rosinski / Consten

[15]

Standings after the race

Pos Championship Points
1 Italy Ferrari 16
2 West Germany Porsche 8
3 Italy Maserati 3

Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.

References

Further reading

World Sportscar Championship
Previous race:
12 Hours of Sebring
1961 season Next race:
1000km Nürburgring
FIA GT Cup
Previous race:
12 Hours of Sebring
1961 season Next race:
Coppa Ascari
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