In your message you write:
>
> Date: Thu, 10 Mar 1994 16:39:40 +0800
> From: sfisher@megatest.com (Scott Fisher)
> Subject: Re: Isadora Duncan
>
> For extra non-LBC credit, answer the following question: why was
> Tazio Nuvolari's victory in the 1937 Nurburgring like Oksana Baiul's
> gold medal in Lillehammer? (I already told you, Kim, so you're
> excluded.)
gee, I don't recall any news stories about followers of Caracciola
attacking Bernd Rosemeyer with a pipe...
By my recollection(albeit limited, since my parents were only about
10years old at the time), Nuvolari's victory was significant in that
he was piloting an outdated but lighter and more agile alfa romeo against
the state sponsored Mercedes and Auto Union teams...and only had about 300
or so horsepower against the 500+ of the v-16 auto-union and v-12
mercedes.(as an aside, I believe that 1937 was the year that the
Auto Union team upgraded to twin leading shoe brakes)
Nuvolari had taken the lead when he stopped for fuel, but was
delayed in the pits due to an extra long 2minute 15 second pit
stop...and lost the lead to the german cars. Upon leaving the pits,
he drove by all accounts like one possessed, gaining on the
Germans and passing one of them. His driving caused the Germans to
push even harder, and on the last lap, the lead auto union car shredded
a front tire, putting Nuvolari on the podium with the victory. The
victory was politically significant, beating the state sponsored
teams at their home grand prix.
Since Scott compares the victory to that of Baiul, I must surmise
that like Baiul, Nuvolari was the reigning world champion at the
time of his win at the German GP....and because of the publicity
surrounding the German cars was not favored to win.
By coincidence, Juan Manuel Fangio's greatest drive probably
occurred at the Nurburgring in the 59 German Grand Prix, when after
losing the lead in an extra long pit stop, he proceeded to chase and
catch the Vanwall(token LBC content) cars, breaking the lap record
on each succeeding lap. I believe that victory gave Fangio his 5th
world championship. (BTW, the old nurburging was(is) a 14+mile,
140+turn course)
jim
jfuerstenberg@dcmdc.dla.mil or jfuerstenberg@zz-link.dcmdc.dla.mil
"It has been said that motor racing shares in common with sex the distinction
of being of the most popular, most maligned and least understood of human
activities.
Charles Beaumont and William F. Nolan from "Omnibus of Speed"
|