Poster promoting the 1933 edition of the Grand Prix.

The Tripoli Grand Prix in Libya was first held in 1925 and concluded in 1940 following the onset of World War II. Part of the Grand Prix circuit, the race was first held on a 71.10 kilometer road course in Tripoli until 1933 when a new track was built, bringing the best drivers in the world to compete for the £80,000 purse, a substantial amount at the time. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ...

With Libya becoming a colony of Italy, the new circuit was opened at Mellaha Lake on May 7th, 1933 by the country's governor, Marshal Italo Balbo. The new track was a 8.165 mile long (13.140 kilometer) affair with 15 turns situated in a salt basin between Tripoli and Tajura. From 1933 to 1938 the race was held as a Formula Libre event, meaning no weight or engine restrictions were enforced on what was then the fastest track in the world. By 1939 the Italians had tired of Germany's domination and they turned the event into a Voiturette race for smaller, 1500cc cars ^[1]. Still, a specially-built W165 Voiturette Mercedes driven by Hermann Lang won. In 1940, with only the factory Alfa Romeo and Maserati teams plus independents in attendance, Dr. Giuseppe Farina took his only major pre-war victory on a 158. The race was never held again. Air Marshal Italo Balbo Italo Balbo (June 6, 1896 - June 28, 1940) was an Italian aviator, blackshirt leader and possible successor of Mussolini. ... Tajura Wa Al Nawahi AlArba is one of the municipalities of Libya. ... Hermann Lang (born April 6, 1909 – died October 19, 1987) was a German champion race car driver. ... Emilio Giuseppe Nino Farina (October 30, 1906 - June 30, 1966) was an Italian racing driver. ... The Alfa Romeo 158, also known as the Alfetta, is one of the most successful racing cars. ...

1933 - Accusation of Foul Play

The Grand Prix was held in conjunction with the Libyan state lottery and, in the case of the inaugural Mellaha Lake event, there have long been accusations of result fixing. From October of 1932 to April 16th of 1933, the government sold 12 lire lottery tickets and, after taking their cut, they put up the rest as the prize for a special lottery based on the outcome of the race. Thirty attendance tickets were drawn at random eight days before the event and assigned to a corresponding race entry. The holder of the winner's entry would receive three million lire, second place two million, and third one million. The story, first publicized in Alfred Neubauer's 1958 book Speed Was My Life (Männer, Frauen und Motoren: Die Erinnerungen des Mercedes- Rennleiters), alleged that Tazio Nuvolari, Achille Varzi and Baconin Borzacchini, along with their respective ticket holders, conspired to decide the outcome of the race in order to split some seven and a half million lire together. Research suggests that the story is a popular myth ^[2]. Alfred Neubauer (b. ... Jan. ... Nuvolaris statue in front of PalaLottomatica in Rome. ... Achille Varzi, born August 8, 1904 – died July 1, 1948, was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion. ... Baconin Borzacchini, born September 28, 1898 - died September 10, 1933, was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver often referred to as Mario Umberto Borzacchini. ...

Winners

By year

Year	Driver	Constructor	Location	Report
1940	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo	Mellaha	Report
1939	Hermann Lang	Mercedes-Benz	Mellaha	Report
1938	Hermann Lang	Mercedes-Benz	Mellaha	Report
1937	Hermann Lang	Mercedes-Benz	Mellaha	Report
1936	Achille Varzi	Auto Union	Mellaha	Report
1935	Rudolf Caracciola	Mercedes-Benz	Mellaha	Report
1934	Achille Varzi	Alfa Romeo	Mellaha	Report
1933	Achille Varzi	Bugatti	Mellaha	Report
1930	Baconin Borzacchini	Maserati	Tripoli	Report
1929	Gastone Brilli-Peri	Talbot	Tripoli	Report
1928	Tazio Nuvolari	Bugatti	Tripoli	Report
1927	Emilio Materassi	Bugatti	Tripoli	Report
1926	François Eysermann	Bugatti	Tripoli	Report
1925	Renato Balestrero	OM	Tripoli	Report

Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Emilio Giuseppe Nino Farina (October 30, 1906 - June 30, 1966) was an Italian racing driver. ... During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. ... The 1939 Grand Prix season was the seventh AIACR European Championship season. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Hermann Lang (born April 6, 1909 – died October 19, 1987) was a German champion race car driver. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... The 1938 Grand Prix season was the sixth AIACR European Championship season. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Hermann Lang (born April 6, 1909 – died October 19, 1987) was a German champion race car driver. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... This article recaps the 1937 European Championship (auto racing) Grand Prix season. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Hermann Lang (born April 6, 1909 – died October 19, 1987) was a German champion race car driver. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... The 1936 Grand Prix season was the fourth AIACR European Championship season. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Achille Varzi, born August 8, 1904 – died July 1, 1948, was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion. ... Auto Union Logo 1936 Auto Union Wanderer Auto Union was a joint venture of four German automobile manufacturers, established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression. ... Of the numerous races held in 1935, only five, the Belgian, German, Swiss, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix counted towards the championship. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Monument in Remagen Rudolf Caracciola (b. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... The 1934 Grand Prix season was the final year of a two-year hiatus for the European Championship. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Achille Varzi, born August 8, 1904 – died July 1, 1948, was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion. ... During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. ... The 1933 Grand Prix season was the first year of a two-year hiatus for the European Championship. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Achille Varzi, born August 8, 1904 – died July 1, 1948, was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion. ... For other uses, see Bugatti (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Baconin Borzacchini, born September 28, 1898 - died September 10, 1933, was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver often referred to as Mario Umberto Borzacchini. ... A 1957 Maserati 200SI at the Scarsdale Concours Maserati Birdcage 1959 Maserati 5000 GT Coupe Maserati Sebring This article is about the automobile manufacturer. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Count Gastone Brilli Peri (born in Montevarchi, Arezzo, Italy, 1893 - died March 1930) was a famous Italian racing driver, who won the 1925 Italian Grand Prixin an Alfa Romeo P2 to secure the inaugural Automobile World Championship title for Alfa Romeo. ... Talbot is an automobile brand, whose history is one of the industrys most complex. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... The 1928 Grand Prix season saw the Monegasque driver Louis Chiron take seven Grand Prix victories whilst driving for the Bugatti team. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Nuvolaris statue in front of PalaLottomatica in Rome. ... For other uses, see Bugatti (disambiguation). ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... The 1927 Grand Prix season was the third AIACR World Manufacturers Championship season. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Emilio Materassi (born 1898 – died September 9, 1928) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver. ... For other uses, see Bugatti (disambiguation). ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... The 1926 Grand Prix season was the second AIACR World Manufacturers Championship season. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For other uses, see Bugatti (disambiguation). ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... The 1925 Grand Prix season was the first AIACR World Manufacturers Championship season. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Officine Meccaniche (OM) - was an Italian Truck manufacturer, from Brescia. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ...

Notes

1. ^  Leif Snellman. XIII° Gran Primo di Tripoli
2. ^  H. Donald Capps. Tripoli 1933 - A Hard Look at the Legend

External links

• Grand Prix History, Gran Premio di Tripoli
• Grand Prix History, Triumph: A Victor's Report