f1 circuits: San Marino

IMOLA - AUTODROMO ENZO e DINO FERRARI  

Overview

The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is near the Italian town of Imola, 40 km east of Bologna and 80 km east of the Ferrari factory in Maranello.

The circuit is named after Ferrari's late founder Enzo and his son Dino who had died in the 1950s. Before Enzo Ferrari's death in 1988 it was called 'Autodromo Dino Ferrari'.

It was the venue for the Formula One San Marino Grand Prix (for many years two Grands Prix were held in Italy every year, so the race held at Imola was named after the nearby state) and it also hosted the 1980 edition of the Italian Grand Prix, which usually takes place in Monza. When Formula One visits Imola, it is seen as the 'home circuit' of Ferrari and masses of tifosi (Ferrari supporters) come out to support the local team.

Sadly Imola is best known for that fateful Sunday afternoon in 1994 when one of the greatest drivers ever, crashed and died here: Ayrton Senna. Since then most of the, by drivers favoured, fast corners have been remodelled into chicanes. It is still a very fast circuit with high speeds and very hard braking. Similar to the Brazilian GP, Imola is also anti-clockwise which means that the race is also a physical challenge for the drivers.

 

Specifications:

  • Starting time: 14:00 CET
  • Local time: CET
  • First GP: 1980
  • Circuit length: 4,892 km
  • Race laps: 63 laps
  • Direction: Anti-clockwise
  • Total distance: 308,196 km
  • Winner 2005: Fernando Alonso
  • Fastest lap: Michael Schumacher - 2004, Ferrari - 1:20.411 in lap 10

 

History:

The foundations of the current racetrack can be traced back to the 1940s.  To financially help (and provide work) for a depressed economy of the post war era, a series of public works were launched, including the construction of a road which connected the "via Emilia", where today there is the Rivazza bend, to the village of Codrigano, reaching the "Tosa bend".

Then four motor racing enthusiasts from Imola (Alfredo Campagnoli, Graziano Golinelli, Ugo Montevecchi and Gualtiero Vighi) had the idea of building a race circuit in these hills.  In addition to the enthusiasm of these four, the initiative of Checco Costa was then added, who was to become the organiser of major motorcycle events.

Imola´s long chapter in the history of motor racing began in 1950 and it saw its first major event in 1953 with the running of the CONI Motor Cycle GP. The circuit is named after the founder of the famous Ferrari team, Enzo, and his son Dino.

In 1979 a non-championship F1 race was held at Imola a week after the Italian GP in Monza. It was itself the venue for the 1980 Italian GP, while Monza was andergoing revisions and proved such a success that it has hosted the San Marino (a small independent republic 50 miles away in the foothills of the Apennine mountains). Until recently, it was a bumpy and bruising road course, running counter-clockwise alongside a river for half its length and around vine-covered hillsides for the rest, just minutes walk from the town centre of Imola itself.

 

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