Achille Varzi

Born in Galliate, province of Novara, Achille Varzi was the son of a textile manufacturer. As a young man, he was a successful motorcycle racer of Garelli, DOT, Moto Guzzi and Sunbeam, and rode seven times in the Isle of Man TT from 1924 before switching to auto racing in 1928 where, for the next ten years, he would rival Tazio Nuvolari, Rudolf Caracciola and Bernd Rosemeyer.

Varzi's first race car was a Type 35 Bugatti but he shortly changed to driving an Alfa Romeo, a brand with which he would score many victories during the 1929 Italian racing season. In 1930 Varzi acquired a vehicle from the relatively new Maserati company. He drove it as well as an Alfa Romeo earning his country's racing championship, a feat he would repeat in 1934. One of his big victories came at the prestigious Targa Florio where he upset the favored Louis Chiron. Following his win at the 1933 Tripoli Grand Prix, a race at the time associated with a lottery, Varzi was at the forefront of allegations that the race had been fixed.

Varzi won six Grand Prix in 1934 driving the Alfa Romeo P3, at Alessandria, Tripoli, Targa Florio, Penya Rhin at Barcelona, Coppa Ciano and Nice. He also became the first driver in history to hold both the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia title in one season.

Although the Alfa Romeo team had proved to be competitive under the management of Enzo Ferrari, Varzi decided to join the Auto Union team, racing for them between 1935 and 1937. This move coincided with Varzi having serious personal problems, including an addiction to morphine and a difficult affair with Ilse Pietsch (Engel/Hubitsch/Feininger), the wife of fellow driver Paul Pietsch. Quickly overshadowed by teammate Bernd Rosemeyer, his trips to the winners circle dropped to only four, but he did win his third Tripoli Grand Prix in his third different vehicle.

During practice runs for the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix, a light rain fell on the Bremgarten track in Berne, Switzerland. Varzi's Alfa Romeo 158 skidded on the wet surface, flipping over and crushing him to death. He was buried in his hometown.

Varzi's death resulted in the FIA mandating the wearing of crash helmets for racing, which had been optional previously.

Some of Varzi's major victories include:

Avusrennen: 1933

Coppa Acerbo: 1930, 1935

Coppa Ciano: 1929, 1934

French Grand Prix: 1931

Monza Grand Prix: 1929, 1930

Nice Grand Prix: 1934

Gran Premio del Valentino: 1946

Mille Miglia: 1934

Monaco Grand Prix: 1933

Penya Rhin Grand Prix: 1934

Targa Florio: 1930, 1934

San Remo Grand Prix: 1937

Spanish Grand Prix: 1930

Tripoli Grand Prix: 1933, 1934, 1936

Tunis Grand Prix: 1931, 1932

Turin Grand Prix: 1946