1927 - 2007
May 17th - 20th, 2007 Brescia Italia

The Italian Mille Miglia ("Thousand Miles" in English) was one of the most legendary car races in the early 20th century. It took place 24 times between 1927 and 1957. Its history ended after a fatal crash in 1957 but lives on in the "Mille Miglia Storica" which is run for serious enthusiasts owning original cars that either actually competed in the original events, or are at least of a type that did. The next event of that kind will be flagged off on May 17th, 2007.



The famous Millie Miglia race was established by Contes Aymo Maggi and Franco Mazzotti in 1927 when their hometown Brescia hat lost the Italian Grand Prix to Monza. The organisers chose a road from Brescia to Rome and back. The length of that course was one thousand roman miles - hence the name "Mille Miglia" which means "thousand miles".



In the first year, all 27 participators were Italian, and the race always remained an Italian-dominated event. However, in 1931 a German could win the race piloting a Mercedes Benz SSK: legendary Rudolf Caracciola left every one behind despite the fact that Caracciola had received very little support from the factory due to the economic crisis at that time. He did not have enough mechanics to man all necessary service points. After performing a pit stop, they had to hurry across Italy, cutting the triangle-shaped course short in order to arrive in time before the race car.



The race's history was briefly interrupted after an accident in 1938 killed a number of spectators. But only two years later, Mille Miglia was resumed once during the Second World War. This event saw the debut of the Ferrari marque and was won by two Germans. After a five year period without races, the the race again gained fame in the 1950's, now dominated by Italian drivers. British pilots Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson set the event record in 1955 when they raced to Brescia at an average speed of 159,65 kilometers per hour in their Mercedes Benz 300 SLR.



The Mille Miglia race history came to an abrupt end in 1957 after a fatal crash had taken the lives of driver Alfonso de Portago, his navigator, and eleven spectators. The crash was probably caused by a blown tyre.



The manufacturer was blamed and sued for this, as was the Ferrari team, which did not change tyres in order to save time. From 1958 to 1961, the event was shortly resumed as a round trip at legal speeds. In 1977, the name was revived as the "Mille Miglia Storica", a parade for pre-1957 cars.



The rally has since gained popularity, and every year more and more people apply for entry. But only vehicles of a type that participated from 1927 - 1957 are accepted and sometimes only one model of each car is allowed. The next Mille Miglia Storica rally will be held in Brescia, Italy, from May 17th to 20th in 2007.


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