Scuderia Centro Sud

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Founder "Mimmo" Dei (center, with sunglasses) surrounded by Guerino Bertocchi (mechanic, seated in Maserati A6GCS/53) and team drivers Giorgio Scarlatti (left) and Piero Taruffi (right). 1956 Maserati A6GCS-53 Bertocchi Scarlatti Dei Taruffi.jpg
Founder "Mimmo" Dei (center, with sunglasses) surrounded by Guerino Bertocchi (mechanic, seated in Maserati A6GCS/53) and team drivers Giorgio Scarlatti (left) and Piero Taruffi (right).
A Cooper-Maserati T51 in Scuderia Centro Sud's rosso corsa livery. Cooper T51 Centro Sud Donington.jpg
A Cooper-Maserati T51 in Scuderia Centro Sud's rosso corsa livery.

Scuderia Centro Sud was a privateer racing team founded in Modena by Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei and active in Formula One and sports car racing between 1956 and 1965.

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Dei had been an amateur driver in the 1930s. In the early 1950s he opened a Maserati dealership in Rome. Keen on maintaining a relationship with motorsport, in 1956 he founded his own team. The name "Centro Sud" refers to the parts of Italy where his adoptive and native cities are (Modena and Rome).

Over the course of nine seasons, Scuderia Centro Sud entered a total of 49 World Championship rounds, with cars such as the Maserati 250F, various Maserati-powered Coopers and, in the 1960s, a BRM P57. After a very promising start (they scored their first points at their debut with Luigi Villoresi), Centro Sud went on to earn a further total of 24 points, mostly with Masten Gregory and Tony Maggs. But they never won a race: Gregory's third place at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix was the team's best result.

Centro Sud was the only Italian racing team that took part in the Tasman races in Australia and New Zealand during the winter of 1961-1962. [1]

One of their most notable feats was to be the first team in the history of Formula One to run a female driver, when Maria Teresa de Filippis (who had already raced as a privateer in the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix a few weeks earlier) competed in the 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix as a Centro Sud team driver. [2] Future 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans) and 1967 24 Hours of Daytona winner Lorenzo Bandini made his Formula One debut with the team at the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

YearChassisEngine(s)TyresDriver1234567891011
1956 Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 P ARG MON 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA
Flag of Monaco.svg Louis Chiron DNS
Flag of Italy.svg Luigi Villoresi 5
Flag of the United States.svg Harry Schell Ret
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Toulo de Graffenried 7
Ferrari 500 Ferrari Straight-4 Flag of Italy.svg Giorgio Scarlatti Ret
1957 Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 P ARG MON 500 FRA GBR GER PES ITA
Flag of the United States.svg Harry Schell 4
Flag of Sweden.svg Joakim Bonnier 7RetRet
Flag of the United States.svg Masten Gregory 3844
Flag of France.svg André Simon DNQ
Flag of Germany.svg Hans Herrmann Ret
Ferrari 500 Ferrari Straight-4 Flag of Argentina.svg Alejandro de Tomaso 9
1958 Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 P ARG MON NED 500 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA MOR
Flag of Sweden.svg Joakim Bonnier DNARet
Flag of Italy.svg Gerino Gerini DNQ9RetRet12
Flag of France.svg Maurice Trintignant 7
Flag of the United States.svg Masten Gregory Ret
Flag of Germany.svg Wolfgang Seidel RetRet
Flag of the United States.svg Carroll Shelby Ret9Ret*
Flag of the United States.svg Troy Ruttman 10DNS
Flag of Germany.svg Hans Herrmann Ret
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cliff Allison Ret
Flag of Italy.svg Maria Teresa de Filippis Ret
1959 Cooper T51 Maserati Straight-4 D MON 500 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ian Burgess RetRet614
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Colin Davis Ret11
Flag of Germany.svg Hans Herrmann Ret
Flag of Portugal.svg Mário de Araújo Cabral 10
Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 Flag of Uruguay.svg Asdrúbal Fontes Bayardo DNQ
Flag of Brazil.svg Fritz d'Orey 10Ret
1960 Cooper T51 Maserati Straight-4 D ARG MON 500 NED BEL FRA GBR POR ITA USA
Flag of Argentina.svg Roberto Bonomi 11
Flag of Argentina.svg Carlos Menditeguy 4
Flag of the United States.svg Masten Gregory DNQDNS914Ret
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ian Burgess DNQ10RetRet
Flag of France.svg Maurice Trintignant RetRetRet15
Flag of Portugal.svg Mário de Araújo Cabral Ret
Flag of the United States.svg Alfonso Thiele Ret
Flag of Germany.svg Wolfgang von Trips 9
1961 Cooper T53 Maserati Straight-4 D MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA
Flag of Italy.svg Lorenzo Bandini Ret12Ret8
Cooper T51 Flag of Italy.svg Massimo Natili RetDNS
1963 BRM P57 BRM V8 D MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA USA MEX RSA
Flag of Italy.svg Lorenzo Bandini 105Ret
Flag of France.svg Maurice Trintignant 9
Flag of Mexico.svg Moisés Solana 11
Cooper T60 Climax V8 Flag of Portugal.svg Mário de Araújo Cabral RetDNQ
Cooper T53 Maserati Straight-4 Flag of Italy.svg Ernesto Brambilla DNQ
1964 BRM P57 BRM V8 D MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA USA MEX
Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg Tony Maggs DNSDNSRet64
Flag of Italy.svg Giancarlo Baghetti DNA10812Ret78
1965 BRM P57 BRM V8 D RSA MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Lucien Bianchi 12
Flag of the United States.svg Masten Gregory Ret128Ret
Flag of Italy.svg Roberto Bussinello DNQ13
Flag of Italy.svg Giorgio Bassi Ret

* After retiring his Scuderia Centro Sud-entered car, Shelby subsequently took over Masten Gregory's car, entered by Temple Buell, finishing fourth. [3]

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References

  1. "Lorenzo Bandini", The Times, May 11, 1967, Page 12.
  2. "Maria Teresa de Filippis, first female Formula One driver, dies aged 89". The Observer. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2017 via www.theguardian.com.
  3. Lang, Mike (1981). Grand Prix! Vol 1. Haynes Publishing Group. p. 138. ISBN   0-85429-276-4.

Bibliography