ALBERTO ASCARI'S DEATH

ALBERTO ASCARI. Following his spectacular crash into the Monaco harbour in 1955 here is an account of Ascari's mysterious death at Monza

"There followed in the Monaco race one of the most extraordinary accidents in the whole history of motor racing. Ascari skidded wildly at the chicane, the Lancia bounced off a stone bollard, and disappeared in a great cloud of steam into the harbour. Ascari surfaced, and was dragged to safety by frogmen, stationed in boats at that point in case such an unlikely thing should occur." - Gregor Grant (Autosport)
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Ascari's unlikely accident happened with just nine laps to go when he had inherited the lead, following the retirements of the frontrunning Mercedes team mates: Fangio, who stopped on lap 50 with a broken axle, and Moss, whose engine broke 31 laps later, though he pushed the car across the line and was classified as the ninth, and last, finisher. The unexpected winner was Maurice Trintignant, whose victory in a Ferrari was his first in a championship Grand Prix. But the 1955 Monaco event was forever after known as the last race of Alberto Ascari.

His injuries were comparatively slight - a broken nose and a severe shaking - and when Fangio visited him in hospital that night Ascari joked that it was fortunate he could swim. Still, on a more serious note, the two-time World Champion confided in Juan that he wondered if his star was setting, and if, after 32 championship Grands Prix his total of 13 victories (the last one was in Switzerland in 1953) would prove to be an unlucky number. His father Antonio Ascari, Alberto knew all too well, had also won 13 of 32 races before he was killed in 1925.

Though he had this year deserted him for a full-time Lancia drive, Enzo Ferrari had a particular affection for Alberto Ascari. Ferrari knew Ascari loved his wife Mietta and their two children dearly, but wondered why he didn't show it more often. Ascari replied that he didn't want his children, especially, to become too fond of him because, one day he might not come back from a race and they would suffer less if he kept them at arm's length.

Enzo Ferrari: "On the Thursday after falling into the sea at Monte Carlo Ascari turned up at Monza, where Castellotti was practising one of our 3-litre sports model they were due to drive that weekend in Germany. Alberto remarked that, after an accident, one must as soon as possible get back behind the wheel again in order not to lose one's nerve. During the mid-day break, he asked if he could take the car round the track a couple of times. He set off without bothering about his crash helmet and with his tie fluttering over his shoulder. The second time round, he was killed on the big, sweeping bend that is hardly a bend at all. His death, on 26 May, came on the same day of the month as his father."

All of Italy mourned the loss and on the day of Alberto Ascari's funeral in Milan the whole city fell silent, as a procession carrying the fallen hero moved slowly through the streets lined with an estimated one million silent mourners dressed in black. It required 15 carriages to carry the profusion of wreaths and flowers, and in the hearse, drawn by a team of plumed black horses, Ascari's familiar light blue helmet lay on top of the black coffin.

"I have lost my greatest opponent," Juan Manuel Fangio said. "I deeply admired the graceful, pleasant style of Alberto's driving. He was a real champion, worthy in every way of his father Antonio."

-excerpt from FANGIO The Life Behind The Legend by Gerald Donaldson (available from Amazon)