Alberto Ascari was literally born into the Grand Prix. He entered this world on July 13, 1918 in Milan, Italy. His father was Antonio Ascari, the Italian racing star of the Grand Prix during the 1920 s. Antonio also owned a Fiat dealership in Milan. As a child Alberto met the celebrities of the racing world who visited his father s business. He also became acquainted with Enzo Ferrari, his father s closest friend. Antonio, who was considered Italy s greatest driver, always took his son to watch the races in which he drove. Then after capturing the lead in the French Grand Prix at Montlehry, Antonio crashed and died. His father s death did not quell young Alberto s passion for racing. Rather, it intensified the youth s desire to follow in his father s footsteps.
Alberto began his career racing motorcycles and in 1937 the Bianchi Team hired him as a rider. Alberto s first venture into automobile racing was in 1940 when he entered the Mille Miglia. But the outbreak of World War 2 put his racing career on hold. Alberto was now operating the family business in Milan, which was part of Italy s war effort. Alberto also partnered With Luigi Villoresi to develop a transport service to send fuel to Italian military depots in North Africa. He had married in 1940 and by the war s end, he and Mietta had two children. Because of this, Alberto was thinking of giving up racing.
However, when the war ended his friend and partner, Luigi Villoresi, who was also a race driver convinced Alberto to continue.
The two friends then signed on with Maserati. Alberto s first Grand Prix win was in 1948 at Sanremo, Italy. Later in the year he placed second at the British Grand Prix. By 1952, Luigi and Alberto had attracted the attention of Enzo Ferrari who signed them up to drive for Ferrari. With the Ferrari team, Alberto enjoyed illustrious success, winning nine times in 1950 and six times in 1951. In 1952, he became the only European driver to enter the American Indy 500 but had to retire at the end of lap 40 due to mechanical difficulties. But he had placed first in Europe s six races and set a record for the fastest lap in each race.
His winning streak continued into 1953 when he won three more races for a total of nine straight wins that, combined with two more later in the year, gave him a second consecutive world championship. However, the most unusual event in his career was its ending. In 1955 while racing at Monaco, he missed a corner and plunged into the sea. After recovering from shock and a broken nose he came to Monza where his friend Eugenio Castellotti was testing a Ferrari.
Alberto decided to do a few laps but spun out on a curve and was killed.The date was May 26, 1955. His father fatally crashed on the 26th. Both father and son were thirty six years old when they died. They both drove a car numbered 26 and had won thirteen championships. They had also both survived serious crashes four days prior to their untimely deaths and both accidents occurred on relatively easy curves.
Alberto s winning smile and friendly, unassuming personality had won the love and devotion of his fans who mourned him as a national hero. At his funeral the front columns of the church were draped in black with the inscription: On the Last Finish Line, meet, O lord, the soul of Alberto Ascari.
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