01/12/2025 - HISTORY NUVOLARI - DECEMBER

The Legend of Tazio Nuvolari Against the Sky, by Fabio Castagna, Head of Digital Bank, in collaboration with Giuseppe Pottocar, Director of the Tazio Nuvolari Museum.

December, a cold month often devoid of races, could not stop the “Flying Mantuan.”
If the previous months had been the stage for triumphs on two and four wheels, December delivered an episode that went beyond sport, becoming legend: the challenge between Tazio Nuvolari and an airplane, one of the boldest feats of his career.

On December 8, 1931, in Rome, at the Pista del Littorio, Nuvolari took his place at the wheel of his Alfa Romeo 8C MM Le Mans 2300 cc of Scuderia Ferrari. Before him, an unusual opponent: an airplane. The challenge was pure, spectacular, almost impossible. The roar of the engine and the buzz of the propellers merged into an extraordinary duel, where courage, skill, and determination were tested against the power of the sky.

In the end, Nuvolari finished second, losing by a hair. Yet the sporting result was secondary: that race entered history as a symbol of audacity, genius, and a talent that seemed to know no limits. The Roman spectators, witnesses to that unforgettable day, applauded not only a driver but a man capable of challenging the impossible.

Thus, December, a cold and seemingly quiet month, remains linked to the myth of Nuvolari, the champion who raced everywhere, defied every limit, and turned every track, even one against the sky, into legend.

Here follows a journey through the races of December, from 1928 to 1931: a calendar of exploits that tells, better than any words, why Nuvolari was not merely a driver, but an immortal myth. During this month of his career, he competed in 2 races (1 on a motorcycle and 1 in a car), achieving a podium in both, winning the motorcycle race and finishing second in the legendary car vs. airplane challenge.

09/12/1928   V Circuito Golfo del Tigullio, Santa Margherita Ligure (Genova)

MOTO: BIANCHI Freccia Celeste - 350 cc

RISULTATO : 3° assoluto e 1° classe 350

08/12/1931   Sfida Auto - Aereo, Roma, Pista del Littorio

AUTO: ALFA ROMEO 8C MM Le Mans - 2300 cc - Scuderia Ferrari

RISULTATO : 2°

Excerpt from the digital Database of the Tazio Nuvolari Museum.
Giuseppe Pottocar, Director Tazio Nuvolari Museum, invites you to visit it to see the original, world-unique trophies he won in person.