Cuban Grand Prix

Last updated
Flag of Cuba.svg Cuban Grand Prix
el Malecon
Cuban Grand Prix Circuit. Havana. 1957.jpg
Race information
Number of times held3
First held1957 [1]
Last held1960
Most wins (drivers) Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stirling Moss (2)
Most wins (constructors) Flag of Italy.svg Maserati (2)
Circuit length5.591 km (3.23 miles)
Race length260.50 km (161.50 miles)
Laps50
Last race (1960)
Pole position
Podium
Fastest lap
1958 Cuban Grand Prix. Cuban Grand Prix 1.jpg
1958 Cuban Grand Prix.
La Casa de Beneficencia y Maternidad de La Habana Cuba Grand Prix. 1957 Casa de Beneficencia y Maternidad de La Habana. Cuba Grand Prix.2. Havana 1957.jpg
La Casa de Beneficencia y Maternidad de La Habana Cuba Grand Prix. 1957

The Cuban Grand Prix, also known as the Havana Grand Prix, was a sports car motor race held for a brief period in the late 1950s in Havana, Cuba, last raced in 1960. The 1958 race is best remembered as the backdrop to the kidnapping of Formula One World Champion driver Juan Manuel Fangio by anti-government rebels linked to the 26th of July Movement. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The race was established in 1957 as Fulgencio Batista envisioned creating an event to attract tourists, particularly from the United States. A street circuit was established on the Malecón. The first race was a success; it was won by Fangio driving a Maserati 300S, leading home Carroll Shelby driving a Ferrari 410 S and Alfonso de Portago in a Ferrari 860 Monza.

The following year the official Maserati team arrived in force with their fleet of Maserati 300S cars and Fangio and Stirling Moss as drivers. On the eve of the race Fangio was abducted from his hotel by an armed man. [2] The Cuban government ordered the race to continue. Moss and Masten Gregory led the race which was red flagged after just six laps. Armando Garcia Cifuentes had crashed his Ferrari into the crowd, killing seven. [4] [5]

The 1959 race was cancelled as Fidel Castro's revolution entered its final stages. The race returned in 1960, at a new venue on service roads around a military airfield. Moss, driving a Maserati Birdcage for privateer team Camoradi, had a comfortable victory over NART run Ferrari 250 TR59 driven by Pedro Rodríguez with Masten Gregory third in a Porsche 718. [6]

Winners of the Cuban Grand Prix

YearDriverConstructorLocationReport
1957 Flag of Argentina.svg Juan Manuel Fangio Maserati 300S Malecon Avenue Report
1958 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stirling Moss Ferrari 335 S Malecon Avenue Report
1959Not held
1960 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stirling Moss Maserati Tipo 61 Camp Freedom [7] [8] Report

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Manuel Fangio</span> Argentine racing driver (1911–1995)

Juan Manuel Fangio, nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro, was an Argentine racing car driver. He dominated the first decade of Formula One racing, winning the World Drivers' Championship five times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1954 Belgian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1954 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 20 June 1954. It was race 3 of 9 in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers. The 36-lap race was won by Maserati driver Juan Manuel Fangio after he started from pole position. Maurice Trintignant finished second for the Ferrari team with Fangio's teammate Stirling Moss in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1957 Argentine Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1957 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 January 1957 at the Buenos Aires circuit. It was race 1 of 8 in the 1957 World Championship of Drivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1958 Argentine Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1958 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 19 January 1958 at Autodromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires Circuit. It was race 1 of 11 in the 1958 World Championship of Drivers and race 1 of 10 in the 1958 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was the sixth Argentine Grand Prix. It was held on the #2 variation of the circuit. The race was held over 80 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 313 kilometres.

The 1957 Formula One season was the 11th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1957 World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on 13 January 1957 and ended on 8 September after eight races. Juan Manuel Fangio won his fourth consecutive title, his fifth in total, in his final championship. A feat that would not be beaten until Michael Schumacher in 2003. The season also included numerous non-championship races for Formula One cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Schell</span> American racing driver (1921–1960)

Henry O'Reilly "Harry" Schell was an American Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was the first American driver to start a Formula One Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luigi Musso</span> Italian racing driver (1924–1958)

Luigi Musso was an Italian racing driver. In 1955 he joined the Ferrari team, entering into a fierce rivalry with Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, which boosted the performance of the team, but also encouraged greater risk-taking. According to Musso's fiancée, he was deep in debt by the time of the lucrative 1958 French Grand Prix, where he was fatally injured, somersaulting into a ditch while chasing Hawthorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piero Taruffi</span> Italian racing driver (1906–1988)

Piero Taruffi was an Italian racing driver. He raced in Formula One from 1950 to 1956, winning the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix and finishing 3rd in the 1952 World Drivers' Championship. His most notable motorsports victory was the 1957 Mille Miglia, the final running of the cross-country sports car race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Mieres</span> Argentine racing driver (1924–2012)

Roberto Casimiro Mieres was a racing driver from Mar del Plata, Argentina. He participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 7 June 1953. He scored a total of 13 championship points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 250F</span> Formula One car (1954–1960)

The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 450S</span> Motor vehicle

The Maserati 450S is a racing car made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati for participating in FIA's endurance World Sportscar Championship racing. A total of nine were made.

The 1957 World Sportscar Championship season was the fifth season of the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was a series for sportscars that ran in many worldwide endurance events. It ran from 20 January 1956 to 3 November 1957, and comprised seven races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1957 1000 km Buenos Aires</span>

The 1957 1000 km Buenos Aires took place on 20 January, on the Circuito de la Costanera Norte,. It was the fourth running of the race, and once again, it was opening round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. For this event, was moved from its previous venue, the Autódromo Municipal-Avenida Paz, only to return to the Autódromo in 1958.

Throughout its history, the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsports including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 12 Hours of Sebring</span>

The 1956 Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance powered by Amoco took place on 24 March, on the Sebring International Raceway,. It was the second round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. For the sixth running of the event, was a sign to many in the automotive community that this race had become North America's premier sports car race, and from an international standpoint second only to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 Swedish Grand Prix</span>

The 1956 Sveriges Grand Prix took place on 12 August, at the Råbelövsbanan, Kristianstad. Although this was the second running of the race, it was the first time as a round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. The previous year's race, won by Juan Manuel Fangio was the first big race held in Sweden, and the organiser, Kungl Automobil Klubben dealt with it so well, the F.I.A. promoted the race. For this year's event, the circuit was widened and resurfaced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 1000 km of Nürburgring</span>

The 2. Internationales ADAC 1000 Kilometer Rennen auf dem Nürburgring took place on 27 May, on the Nürburgring Nordschleife,. It was also the fourth round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. This was the first time the event had taken place, since it was dropped from the championship following its inaugural event in 1953. It was also round two of the German Sportscar Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1957 12 Hours of Sebring</span>

The 1957 12-Hour Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance for The Amoco Trophy took place on 23 March, on the Sebring International Raceway,. It was the second round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. This was sixth running of the 12-hour race, and with the growing popularity of sports car racing in post World War II America, the event was finally coming into its own since its creation in 1952.

The 1957 Gran Premio de Venezuela took place on 3 November, through a park and along the autostrada leading to Caracas. Although this was the fourth running of the race, it was the first time as a round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. The previous year’s race, won by Stirling Moss, and the organiser, Touring Club Automovil de Venezuela dealt with it so well, albeit at a loss, the F.I.A. promoted the race to full World Championship status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrio de San Lázaro, Havana</span> Neighborhood in Havana, Cuba

Barrio de San Lázaro is one of the first neighbourhoods in Havana, Cuba. It initially occupied the area bounded by Calle Infanta to the west, Calle Zanja to the south, Calle Belascoáin to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the north, forming the western edge of Centro Habana. According to the 1855 Ordenanzas Municipales of the city of Havana, Barrio San Lázaro was the Tercer Distrito and was Barrio No. 8.

References

  1. "Havana" . Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  2. 1 2 Laurence Edmondson (20 July 2010). "Kidnapped in Cuba". ESPN F1. ESPN. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  3. "Yo Secuestre a Juan Manuel Fangio" . Retrieved 2018-11-18.
  4. "A Grand Prix in Havana?". grandprix.com. 24 November 1997. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  5. Shelby, Carroll (1965). The Carroll Shelby Story. Graymalkin Media LLC. pp. 78, 97–100. ISBN   9781631682872.
  6. "Stirling Moss Race History: 1960 Cuban Grand Prix". stirlingmoss.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  7. "Grand Prix of Cuba by Luis Martinez". 27 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  8. "Stirling Moss Race History: 1960 Cuban Grand Prix | www.stirlingmoss.com". Archived from the original on 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2012-01-24.