Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari was an Italian racing driver. He first raced motorcycles and then concentrated on sports cars and Grand Prix racing. Originally of Mantua, he was nicknamed Il Mantovano Volante and Nuvola ("Cloud"). His victories—72 major races, 150 in all—included 24 Grands Prix, five Coppa Cianos, two Mille Miglias, two Targa Florios, two RAC Tourist Trophies, a Le Mans 24-hour race, and a European Championship in Grand Prix racing. Ferdinand Porsche called him "the greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future".
Nuvolari at the Belgrade Grand Prix in 1939
Nuvolari (fifth from left), with other Alfa Romeo drivers and Enzo Ferrari
Nuvolari racing an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750GS in the 1930 Coppa della Consuma
Nuvolari after winning the 1932 French Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver. Innovation and the drive of competition soon saw speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), but because early races took place on open roads, accidents occurred frequently, resulting in deaths both of drivers and of spectators. A common abbreviation used for Grand Prix racing is "GP" or "GP racing".
Marcel Renault during the 1903 Paris Madrid trial.
Georges Boillot winning the 1912 French Grand Prix in Dieppe, France
Grid of Coppa Fiera di Milano 1925