Clemente Biondetti was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 auto racing

Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...

 driver.

Biography

Born in Buddusò

Buddusò

Buddusò is a comune in the Province of Olbia-Tempio in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 150 km north of Cagliari and about 45 km southwest of Olbia...

, Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

, into a working class family, Biondetti began racing motorcycles in 1923 but in 1927 turned to automobiles. By 1931 his performance earned him a spot in Grand Prix motor racing

Grand Prix motor racing

Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...

 with the Maserati

Maserati in motorsport

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

 factory team.
His success racing on circuits was minimal, but he was one of the best in tough endurance events. Driving an Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo in motorsport

During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private...

 8C 2900b

Alfa Romeo 8C

-1935 Monoposto 8C 35 Type C:Eight 3.8 litre versions, sharing no castings with the earlier blocks, were individually built for racing in five months, most being used in the Alfa Romeo Monoposto 8C 35 Type C, as raced by Scuderia Ferrari. The 3.8 produced at 5500 rpm, and had from...

, Clemente Biondetti won the 1938 Mille Miglia

Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....

 for sports car

Sports car

A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....

s and at the Coppa Ciano

Coppa Ciano

The Coppa Ciano was an automobile race held in Italy. Originally referred to as Coppa Montenero or Circuito Montenero, the Coppa Ciano name being used between 1927 and 1939....

 finished second in the voiturette class then third in the main event. In 1939, he won the Coppa Acerbo

Coppa Acerbo

The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, and the consequent demise of fascism, the race was renamed the Circuito di Pescara, and in some years was also...

 voiturette class and took second place at the Swiss Grand Prix

Swiss Grand Prix

The Swiss Grand Prix was the premier auto race of Switzerland. In its later years it was a Formula One race....

. His racing career came to a halt following the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in 1940. By the time he was able to resume racing after the war, he was already 49 years old. Nevertheless, he dominated Italian endurance racing, driving to victory in the Mille Miglia for three straight years from 1947 through 1949 and the Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

 in 1948 and 1949. He won more Mille Miglias than any other driver in history.

Clemente Biondetti participated in one Formula one

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 World Championship event, the 1950 Italian Grand Prix

1950 Italian Grand Prix

The 1950 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 3, 1950 at Monza. It was the seventh and final event of the 1950 World Drivers' Championship...

. Driving a self-built Ferrari

Ferrari

Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...

-Jaguar

Jaguar (car)

Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....

 hybrid car, engine problems forced him out of the race thus he failed to score any championship points. Biondetti loved racing cars and continued to compete in sports car and endurance events, earning a second place finish in a Ferrari at the 12 Hours of Pescara in 1952 against much younger drivers. After suffering from cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 for a number of years, he was forced to retire in 1954. He died in Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

 early the following year at 57 years old.

Major victories

• Coppa Acerbo
  Coppa Acerbo
  The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, and the consequent demise of fascism, the race was renamed the Circuito di Pescara, and in some years was also...
  
   1939
• Mille Miglia
  Mille Miglia
  The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
  
   1938, 1947, 1948, 1949
• Targa Florio
  Targa Florio
  The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
  
   1948, 1949

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	WDC	Points
1950 1950 Formula One season The 1950 Formula One season included the inaugural FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on May 13, 1950, and ended on September 3 after 7 races...	Clemente Biondetti	Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....  166S Ferrari 166 S The Ferrari 166 S was an evolution of Ferrari's 125 S sports race car that became a sports car for the street in the form of the 166 Inter. Only 39 Ferrari 166 S's were produced, soon followed by the production of the 166 Mille Miglia which was made in much larger numbers from 1949 to 1952...	Jaguar Jaguar (car) Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....  Straight-6 Straight-6 The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...	GBR 1950 British Grand Prix The 1950 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 1950 at the Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, England. It was the fifth British Grand Prix, and the third to be held at Silverstone after motor racing resumed after World War II. It was the first round of the 1950 World...	MON 1950 Monaco Grand Prix The 1950 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 21, 1950 at Monaco. This race was the second round of 1950 World Drivers' Championship. The race, contested over 100 laps at an overall distance of 318.1 km was won by Juan Manuel Fangio for the Alfa Romeo team after starting from...	500 1950 Indianapolis 500 The 1950 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race which was held on Tuesday, May 30, 1950 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the third round of the 1950 World Drivers' Championship...	SUI 1950 Swiss Grand Prix The 1950 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 4, 1950 at Bremgarten. It was the fourth round of the 1950 World Drivers' Championship.-Report:...	BEL 1950 Belgian Grand Prix The 1950 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 18, 1950 at Spa-Francorchamps. It was the fifth round of the 1950 World Drivers' Championship.-Report:...	FRA 1950 French Grand Prix The 1950 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on July 2, 1950 at Reims-Gueux. It was the sixth round of 1950 World Drivers' Championship.__FORCETOC__-Report:Fangio put in a stunning display with a 116 mph practice lap...	ITA 1950 Italian Grand Prix The 1950 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on September 3, 1950 at Monza. It was the seventh and final event of the 1950 World Drivers' Championship... Ret	NC	0

Complete European Championship results

(Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Entrant	Team	1	2	3	4	5	EDC	Points
1931 1931 Grand Prix season The 1931 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Ferdinando Minoia, driving for the Alfa Corse team. Minoia won the championship despite not winning a single race during the championship season...	Officine A Maserati Maserati Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...	Maserati Maserati in motorsport Throughout its history the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants.-Beginnings:...	ITA 1931 Italian Grand Prix The 1931 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on May 24, 1931.- Classification :...	FRA 1931 French Grand Prix The 1931 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry on June 21, 1931.- Classification :... 3	BEL 1931 Belgian Grand Prix The 1931 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 12, 1931.- Classification :-Race:- Starting grid positions :...			23=	19
1936 1936 Grand Prix Season The 1936 Grand Prix season was the fourth AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Bernd Rosemeyer, driving for the Auto Union team...	Scuderia Maremmana	Maserati Maserati in motorsport Throughout its history the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants.-Beginnings:...	MON 1936 Monaco Grand Prix The 1936 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Circuit de Monaco on April 13, 1936.Heavy rain contributed to a series of accidents, while a broken oil line on the Alfa Romeo of Mario Tadini led to so many wrecks in the chicane out of the tunnel it was almost impassable...	GER 1936 German Grand Prix The 1936 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 26, 1936.-Classification:...	SUI 1936 Swiss Grand Prix The 1936 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Bremgarten on August 23, 1936.-Classification:... Ret	ITA 1936 Italian Grand Prix The 1936 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 13, 1936.-Classification:... Ret		25	29
1937 1937 Grand Prix Season The 1937 Grand Prix season was the fifth AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Rudolf Caracciola, driving for the Mercedes-Benz team...	Scuderia Maremmana	Maserati Maserati in motorsport Throughout its history the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants.-Beginnings:...	BEL 1937 Belgian Grand Prix The 1937 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 11, 1937.-Classification:...	GER 1937 German Grand Prix The 1937 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 25, 1937.Driver Ernst von Delius collided with Richard Seaman during this race on lap 6 and the accident was eventually fatal for von Delius, experiencing thrombosis. Von Delius was 25 years old.-Classification:...	MON 1937 Monaco Grand Prix The 1937 Monaco Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on August 8, 1937.-Classification:... Ret	SUI 1937 Swiss Grand Prix The 1937 Swiss Grand Prix was a 750 kg Formula race held on August 22, 1937 at the Bremgarten Circuit.-Race Report:After the start, Hans Stuck chopped across the nose of the other drivers to take the early lead, followed by Caracciola and Rosemeyer. Rosemeyer was soon in trouble though, under...		15=	34
	Private entry	Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private...					ITA 1937 Italian Grand Prix The 1937 Italian Grand Prix was a 750 kg Formula race held on September 12, 1937 at the Livorno Circuit.-Race report:Caracciola took an early lead from pole, Lang was second but he soon took the lead from Caracciola, the two Mercedes drivers pushing each other hard. Team manager Alfred... Ret
1938 1938 Grand Prix season The 1938 Grand Prix season was the sixth AIACR European Championship season. The championship was won by Rudolf Caracciola, driving for the Mercedes-Benz team...	Alfa Corse Alfa Corse Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo's factory racing team. Throughout the years, Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport, from Grand Prix motor racing to touring car racing....	Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private...	FRA 1938 French Grand Prix The 1938 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 3, 1938.-Classification:...	GER 1938 German Grand Prix The 1938 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 24, 1938.-Classification:... Ret	SUI 1938 Swiss Grand Prix The 1938 Swiss Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Bremgarten on August 21, 1938.-Classification:...	ITA 1938 Italian Grand Prix The 1938 Italian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Monza on September 11, 1938.-Classification:... 4		13	27
1939 1939 Grand Prix season The 1939 Grand Prix season was the seventh AIACR European Championship season. The championship winner was never officially announced by the AIACR due to the outbreak of World War II less than two weeks after the final event in Switzerland. The Italian GP initially had been a fifth event, but it...	Alfa Corse Alfa Corse Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo's factory racing team. Throughout the years, Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport, from Grand Prix motor racing to touring car racing....	Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private...	BEL 1939 Belgian Grand Prix The 1939 Belgian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held on June 25, 1939 at Spa-Francorchamps.Richard Seaman crashed at the La Source hairpin into a tree, causing the fuel line to break. Fuel rushed over the car and the car caught fire. Seaman couldn't move because his right hand was broken...	FRA 1939 French Grand Prix The 1939 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 9, 1939.-Classification:...	GER 1939 German Grand Prix The 1939 German Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at the Nürburgring on July 23, 1939.-Classification:...	SUI 1939 Swiss Grand Prix The 1939 Swiss Grand Prix was a motor race held at Bremgarten on August 20, 1939.The Grand Prix was run as a combined event for Grand Prix cars and Voiturettes. Each class had a heat with the best from each going through to a combined final.-Final:... 9		16=	28