1959 Targa Florio

The 43° Targa Florio was a motor race for sportscars held on 24 May 1959 on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, Sicily, Italy. It was the second round of the 1959 F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship and the 43rd running of the Targa Florio. Early that year, the event founder, Vincenzo Florio died and his nephew Vincent Paladion promised to keep alive Florio's Targa. “The Targa must continue... Promise me!..” [1]

The race was won by Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel driving a Porsche 718 RSK entered by Porsche KG.

Report

Entry

The event attracted fewer cars than in previous years, with 59 racing cars registered for this event,[2] instead of the 81 in 1958.[3] Of the 59 cars registered, 58 arrived for practice with 52 qualifying for and starting the race.[2]

Reigning champions, Ferrari had entered three of their latest 250 TR 59 for their squad of drivers; Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Tony Brooks, Olivier Gendebien, Jean Behra and Cliff Allison. As Aston Martin elected to miss the event, there was no other entrants in the S3.0 class, therefore their main opposition would come from the works Porsches of Jo Bonnier, Wolfgang von Trips, Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel, but these were smaller engined cars and less powerful.[4]

Race

This was meant to be a Ferrari battle, but it was not to be, as all the Ferraris retired due to mechanical problems. This left Porsche alone to command the race, taking the top four places. Their only issue was the leading Porsche 718 of Bonnier and von Trips being forced to withdraw on the last lap.[1][2]

Porsche recorded their first win in the World Sportscar Champions, with the pairing of Barth/Seidel. They took an impressive victory, with their 718 RSK completing 14 laps, covering 626.343 miles in just over 11 hours of racing, averaging a speed of 56.737 mph. Second place went to the second Porsche of Eberhard Mahle, Paul Ernst Strähle and Herbert Linge in a Porsche 550 RS, albeit 20 mins adrift. The podium was complete by another works Porsche, this time a 356A Carrera of Antonio Pucci and Huschke von Hanstein who were further 9 mins behind, the first GT car to finish. Surprisingly, the fourth car home was driven by the same crew that finished second.[5][2][6]

The result meant Porsche took the lead in the World Championship standing. This was the first time Ferrari had not topped the standings since March 1957.[7]

Official Classification
Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel won the race driving a Porsche 718 RSK similar to the example pictured above.

Class Winners are in Bold text.

Pos No Class Driver Entrant Chassis Laps Reason Out
1st 112 S1.5 Edgar Barth Wolfgang Seidel Porsche KG Porsche 718 RSK 11hr 02:21.8, 14
2nd 118 S1.5 Eberhard Mahle
Herbert Linge		 Paul Ernst Strähle Porsche KG Porsche 550 RS 11hr 22:20.8, 14
3rd 102 GT2.6 Huschke von Hanstein Antonio Pucci Porsche KG Porsche 356A Carrera 11hr 31:44.4, 14
4th 96 GT2.6 Paul Ernst Strähle
Eberhard Mahle		 Herbert Linge Porsche KG Porsche 356A Carrera 11hr 36:10.0, 14
5th 134 S2.0 Mennato Boffa Piero Drogo Centro-Sud Maserati A6GCS/53 11hr 41:20.0, 14
6th 38 GT1.3 “Dario Sepe”
Mario Sannino		 Colin Davis Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato 12hr 02:30.0, 14
7th 84 S1.1 Umberto Bini Luciano Mantovani Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus Osca S1100 12hr 10:52.3, 14
8th 132 S2.0 Mario Cammarata Domenico Tramontana Mario Cammarata Ferrari 500 TRC 12hr 14:45.4, 14
9th 120 GT+2.6 Salvatore La Pira Francesco Siracusa Nissena Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta 12hr 24:15.0, 14
10th 138 S2.0 Giuseppe Allotta Nino Vaccarella Giuseppe Allotta Maserati A6 GCS 12hr 35:47.4, 14
11th 72 S1.1 Domenico Rotolo Gaspere Cavaliere Monte Pellegrino Osca MT4 1100 12hr 39:40.0
12th 30 GT1.3 Antonio Picone
Sergio Mantia		 Franco Tagliavia Monte Pellegrino Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider 12hr 41:31.0, 14
13th 46 GT1.3 Vito Coco Vito Sabbia Nissena Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce 12hr 46.16.0, 14
14th 8 GT750 Enrico Carini Ernesto Prinoth Janua Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato 12hr 53:39.0. 14
15th 24 GT1.3 Amedeo Bartoccelli
Salvatore Panepinto		 Giuseppe Parla Nissena Fiat 1200 Boano 13hr 00:27.0, 14
16th 20 GT1.3 Pietor Laureati “Pompei”” Pietro Laureati Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce 162
17th 50 S750 Sesto Leonardi Alfredo Tinazzo Settecoli Osca S750 13hr 13:46.1, 14
18th 70 S1.1 Tommy Wisdom Bernard Cahier Tommy Wisdom Austin-Healey Sprite 13hr 22:05.0, 14
19th 60 S750 Gustavo Laureati Giuseppe Celani Montegrappa Osca S750 13hr 22:05.4, 14
20th 56 S750 Giancarlo Rigamonti Anna Maria Peduzzi Scuderia Sant Ambroeus Osca S750 13hr 39:23.2, 14
21st 28 GT1.3 José Rosinski Claude Bobrowski Paris Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato 13hr 44:11.4, 14
NC 76 S1.1 Enrico Manzini Attilio Brandi Clemente Biondetti Ermini-Fiat 1100 14 Over time limit
NC 6 GT750 Carmelo Giugno Salvatore Giuffrida Nissena Fiat 500 14 Over time limit
NC 92 GT2.6 Giovanni Giordano Carlo Fulci San Rizzo Fiat 8V Zagato 14 Over time limit
DNF 136 S2.0 Umberto Maglioli Hans Herrmann Porsche AG Porsche 718 RSK Transmission
DNF 150 S3.0 Jean Behra Tony Brooks Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 250 TR 59 Rear axle
DNF 154 S3.0 Dan Gurney Cliff Allison Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 250 TR 59 Transmission
DNF 4 GT750 Gérard Laureau François Jaeger Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet D.B.-Panhard HBR4 did not finish
DNF 26 GT1.3 Teodoro Zeccoli Roberto Rosignoli G.S. Savio Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce did not finish
DNF 32 GT1.3 Giuseppe Ruggero Ciro Monaci Giuseppe Riggero Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato did not finish
DNF 34 GT1.3 Jean-Pierre Hanrioud Beniatt Jean-Pierre Hanrioud D.B.-Panhard HBR5 did not finish
DNF 36 GT1.3 Sergio Bettoja P. Feroldi Camidoglio Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato did not finish
DNF 40 GT1.3 Ada Pace Carlo Peroglio Racing Club 19 Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato did not finish
DNF 42 GT1.3 Enrico Giaccone Vincenzo Ribaudo Enrico Giaccone Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce did not finish
DNF 44 GT1.3 Francesco de Leonibus Carlo Peroglio Racing Club 19 Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato did not finish
DNF 52 S750 Amerigo Brachetti Elio Pandolfo Montegrappa Giaur 750 Sport did not finish
DNF 58 S750 Giacomo Marino Salvatore Sirchia Monte Pellegrino Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato did not finish
DNF 74 S1.1 Francesco La Mattina
Francesco Soldana		 Armando dols Soldana Monte Pellegrino Osca MT4 1100 did not finish
DNF 78 S1.1 Emanuele Trapani Bartolomeo Donato Monte Pellegrino Osca MT4 1100 did not finish
DNF 80 S1.1 Antonio di Salvo Silvestre Semilia Falanga Roar-Fiat 1100 Special did not finish
DNF 82 S1.1 Enzo Buzzetti Giuseppe Rossi Settecoli Osca MT4 1100 did not finish
DNF 90 GT2.6 Rosario Montalbano Gaspare Bologna Giuseppe Bologna Fiat 8V did not finish
DNF 94 GT2.6 Alfonso Vella Pietro Tremini Pietro Tremini Fiat 8V did not finish
DNF 100 GT2.6 Rocco Finocchiaro Ignazio Consiglio Rocco Finocchiaro Fiat 8V did not finish
DNF 104 GT2.6 Vincenzo Sorrentino Franco Pisano Sorrentino Lancia Flaminia did not finish
DNF 114 S1.5 Edoardo Lualdi Ludovico Scarfiotti Scuderia Sant Ambroeus Osca MT4 1500 did not finish
DNF 116 S1.5 Christian Goethals Christian Goethals Porsche 550 RS did not finish
DNF 122 GT+2.6 Nino Todaro Gennaro Alterio Mediterranea Ferrari 250 GT did not finish
DNF 140 S2.0 Gaetano Starrabba Domenico Lo Coco Gaetano Starrabba Ferrari 500 TRC did not finish
DNF 142 S2.0 Giulio Cabianca Giorgio Scarlatti Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti Dino 196 S Out of fuel
DNF 130 S2.0 Jo Bonnier Wolfgang von Trips Porsche AG Porsche 718 RSK 13 did not finish
DNF 152 S3.0 Olivier Gendebien Phil Hill Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 250 TR 59 1 Pinion
DNS 2 GT750 Elio Lenza Filippo Golia Elio Lenza Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato did not start
DNS 10 GT750 Aldo Tine
Matteo Sgarlata		 Gianni Carpinteri Aretusa Fiat-Abarth 750 did not start
DNS 22 GT1.3 Francesco Gambi Francesco Gambi Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce did not start
DNS 54 S750 Gaetano Spampinato Spampinato Fiat-Abarth 750 Sport did not start
DNS 98 GT2.6 Sergio Mantia Giovanni Napoli Monte Pellegrino Lancia Aurelia B24 did not start
DNS 110 S1.5 Henri Perrier
Gilled Nebon Carle		 Binachon Henri Perrier / Binachon Osca MT4 1500 did not start

Class Winners
Class Winners
Sports 3000 No finishers
Sports 2000 134 Maserati A6GCS/53 Boffa / Drogo
Sports 1500 112 Porsche 718 RSK Barth / Seidel
Sports 1100 84 Osca S1100 Bini / Mantovani
Sports 750 50 Osca S750 Leonardi / Tinazzo
Grand Touring +2600 120 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta La Pira / Siracusa
Grand Touring 2600 102 Porsche 356A Carrera von Hanstein / Pucci
Grand Touring 1300 38 Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato “Sepe” / Davis / Sannino
Grand Touring 750 8 Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato Carini / Prinoth

[2]

Standings after the race
Pos Championship Points
1 Porsche 12
2 Ferrari 8
3 Maserati 2
4 Alfa Romeo 1
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.

Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.

References
  1. http://www.targaflorio.info/43.htm
  2. http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Targa_Florio-1959-05-24.html
  3. http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Targa_Florio-1958-05-11.html
  4. http://www.racingsportscars.com/entry/Targa_Florio-1959-05-24.html
  5. http://www.teamdan.com/archive/wsc/1959/59tf.html
  6. http://www.formula2.net/Targa59.htm
  7. Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 266
  8. http://www.formula2.net/Targa59.html

Further reading
  • Ed Heivink. Targa Florio: 1955-1973. Reinhard Klein. ISBN 978-3927458666
World Sportscar Championship
Previous race:
12 Hours of Sebring		 1959 season Next race:
1000km Nürburgring
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