In the late 1950s, the folks in charge of The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza had to face a harsh reality: They had spent millions to revitalize the banked oval that had been an original feature of the track back in the 1920s, but that had been destroyed prior to World War II. They had thought the Italian Grand Prix would be made all the more compelling with a flat-out banked section to challenge the drivers.
But Grand Prix cars weren't built to withstand the high speeds and g forces of oval racing, and the European drivers hated the addition. Hoping to get the most out of its investment, Monza called upon the only drivers that did know how to race an oval: The Americans.
What resulted was the Race of Two Worlds — an exhibition event with a huge prize purse designed to pit the Americans against the Europeans in a friendly competition that soon got feisty. This week on “Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys,” we're exploring the long-term implications of this event, and how it very well may have contributed to the ongoing ill will between two very distinct forms of motorsport.
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Episode Bibliography:
Cars at Speed: The Grand Prix Circuit by Robert Daley
Monza: A Glorious History by Paolo Montagna
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fords-assembly-line-starts-rolling
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1955/22/26th-gran-premio-ditala/
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1957/31/the-monza-500-mile-race-2/
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1958/15/the-monza-500-mile-race/
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1958/36/another-monza-500-miles/
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/f1-vs-indycar-monzanapolis/
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