The most famous racetrack in Italy (and perhaps in Europe) turns 100 in 2022. Just a few kilometers from Milan, the Monza National Circuit It was inaugurated on May 15, 1922, but its official opening actually took place on September 03, 1922.
At that time it was one of the few sporting circuits in the world, there were only two others: Brooklands (in England, opened in 1907) and Indianapolis (in the United States, operating since 1909).
Monza saw, in 2005, Juan Pablo Montoya reach 372,2 km/h in his McLaren, an undefeated record for a Formula 1 driver on the track.
It was one of the European circuits that brought the most joy to Brazilians, with victories by Nelson Piquet (3 times), Emerson Fittipaldi (1 time), Ayrton Senna (2 times) and Rubens Barrichello (3 times) – Englishman Lewis Hamilton and German Michael Schumacher are the biggest winners on this track, with 5 victories each.
But the Monza National Circuit It also saw “the birth” of many technologies in our daily lives, tested on the track and only reaching the roads years later.
“Transponders, guardrails and draining asphalt were tested for the first time at the Temple of Speed,” said Alessandra Zinno, general manager of the track since 2020.
Among the most recent experiments, however, are the autonomous driving projects of the Politecnico di Milano. “We are particularly linked in our history to projects that deal with security. The latter plays a fundamental role not only in protecting riders, but also for all road users. And we want to continue being the permanent laboratory that hosts these innovations”, said Zinno, in an interview with the newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The main 100th anniversary celebration will be at the F1 Grand Prix, to be held on September 11th.
Photos: deposit photos
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