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Enzo Ferrari and motorcycles

The Ferrari Team, British motorcycles and Mignon

From 1932 to 1934 the Ferrari Team was engaged in a series of nationwide racing events involving British-made motorcycles and Italian riders.
The "prancing horse" car manufacturer's Team had its debut in motor racing in 1932, at the Modena Spring G.P. The Team was represented by Guglielmo Santi, a rider from Bologna, on a Rudge.
In 1929, Enzo Ferrari had bought out Alfa Romeo's motor racing department and, after putting the Ferrari Team emblem on their vehicles, he had these cars race in a number of competitions. At his disposal were some of the most famous drivers of the time: Nuvolari, Varzi, Fagioli, Caracciola, Moll and Chiron. At that time, Ferrari was not a car manufacturer yet, but had made a reputation for himself as an organizer.
The idea of building a diversified structure which would combine the two Team activities came to Ferrari not so much out of financial reasons, but rather as a way to provide Italian motorcyclists with an organization that could provide them with contracts, assistance and high-quality motorcycles. The fact that in those days the Team only had British motorcycles at its disposal - Nortons 350-500 and Rudges 250-350 and 500 - gave rise to some controversy, which Ferrari had to face by explaining that there were not enough Italian-made motorcycles to satisfy the Team's demand.
In fact, in the early Thirties foreign motorcycles - and especially British ones - had taken over racing circuits worldwide.
Besides being extremely lightweight, they boasted advance-technology designs, including four radial valves per cylinder and light alloy piston rods installed on needle bearings rather than on journal boxes or bearing brasses. Taruffi's Norton CS 1's engine was a true source of inspiration for new-generation engines. As a matter of fact, the rider had taken his motorcycle to a body shop to have it disassembled and examine the details of its engine - which, with an overhead camshaft distribution and a vertical shaft, was one of the best at the time.
Taking the distribution of the Norton CS 1 as an example, engineer Bellentani created a brand new engine, a brilliant product of his intuition. A new motorcycle was born: a single-cylinder 500cc, with a cast-iron chrome-nickel cylinder and light-alloy piston. The drive shaft featured interior flywheels and wheels mounted on a needle bearing by the distribution and on a ball-bearing by the transmission. The main transmission - manual - was based on a double-chain block mechanism, with a multi-disc system in an oil bath.
The idea of taking the Norton engine as a model was fairly successful, and yet not convincing enough for Ferrari. Believing that Bellentani's creation lacked the high-quality he was looking for in a motorcycle, he decided to stick to Norton and Rudge for his competitions.
He also realized that in order to keep working in the field of car and motorcycle racing, an independent structure would be needed - one which would allow the Ferrari Team to be functional and reach its full potential. In the meantime, the Team got a new Sports Manager, Renzo Saracco Ferrari, who, as may be expected, was related to Enzo Ferrari - and namely his cousin.
During its first year of activity, the Team won about twenty competitions, thanks to Rudge motorcycles and riders like G. Aldrighetti, M. Ghersi, G. Sandri and Severi. On the other hand, Norton motorcycles - driven by Piero Taruffi - helped the Team score 3 victories, while Ferrari Team's motorcyclist Carlo Baschetti won one competition riding a Benelli 175cc.
Other important victories in 1933 were achieved by G. Aldrighetti, Colabattisti and Pigorini on Rudges.
Finally, 1934 was the last year of activity for the Team, which had no longer any financial interest in motorcycle racing. From that moment, the Ferrari Team would focus entirely on car racing.


Excerpt taken from Dante Candini's book "Le Moto Maserati e l'artigianato motociclistico modenese"("Maserati Motorcycles and Motor Craftsmanship in Modena"), p. 160 (prologue by Roberto Orsi; foreword by Nunzia Manicardi), Il Fiorino Publishing, Modena, 2002.
(Courtesy of the Publisher)