The Times/1922/News/Milan Motor Races

MILAN MOTOR RACES.

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TRACK AND ROAD COURSE. MILAN,

Heavy rainfall did not prevent thousands of people from crowding to the new Milan motor race track for the first day of the race week. Signor Facta, the Prime Minister, was among those present.

The Milan meeting is attracting special attention because of the new course, which presents some novel and interesting features. It has been constructed in the Royal Park of Monza, ten miles from Milan, and is different from all the others now existing. The course covers ten kilometres [6.2 miles], of which 4½ kilometres consist of a track and the rest of a road circuit. Hitherto, motor races have been run either on open road circuits adapted for the occasion, as in Italy and France, or on closed tracks, as at Brooklands and Indianapolis. The Monza track combines the two, giving greater safety and at the same time the possibility of reaching high speed. Cars can pass from the track to the road circuit and cover the whole ten kilometres without interruption. Stands with accommodation for twenty thousand people have been built.

Five nations will compete on the circuit on December 10 for the Grand Prix of the Automobile Club of Italy: England, with three Sunbeams, Italy, with three Fiats and three Bianchis, France, with four Rolland-Pilains, three Bugattis, and one Delage, Germany, with three Mercédès, four Benzes, and three Heims, Austria, with three Austrian Daimlers. The Fiats took the lead in to-day's racing. Bordino covered 600 kilometers [372.8 miles] in 4hrs, 28min. 32sec., and the second and third arrivals in that race were both Fiats.