Piero Dusio

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Piero Dusio
Piero Dusio in the middle, flanked by Piero Taruffi (left) and Giovanni Savonuzzi (right)
Born(1899-10-13)13 October 1899
Scurzolengo d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy
Died7 November 1975(1975-11-07) (aged 76)
Victoria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityItaly Italian
Active years1952
TeamsCisitalia
Entries1 (0 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1952 Italian Grand Prix
Last entry1952 Italian Grand Prix

Piero Dusio (13 October 1899 – 7 November 1975) was an Italian footballer, businessman, racing driver and racing car manufacturer.[1]

Biography[edit]

Football career[edit]

Dusio was born in Scurzolengo, province of Asti, in Piedmont. A promising footballer, he played as a midfielder and made three appearances for Juventus in 1921–22.[2] After his football career ended due to a knee injury, Dusio started a textile business which expanded into manufacturing sport equipment and supplying military uniforms. His association with football continued in a managerial role. In 1941 he founded Juventus Organizzazione Sportiva Anonima (O.S.A.), an organization he ran until 1943. In 1942 Dusio was appointed president of Juventus. He resigned from the post in 1948 to move to Argentina.

The Cisitalia D46 was named after Piero Dusio (the Dusio 46). The racecar driver is Ilario Bandini.

Racing career[edit]

In 1929 Dusio made his racing debut at the Mille Miglia. He would compete until 1938, his best results being a class victory in a Siata 500cc in 1937. In 1936 he established the Scuderia Torino and took part in the 1936 Italian Grand Prix at the wheel of a Maserati 6C-34, finishing sixth behind Bernd Rosemeyer, Tazio Nuvolari, Ernst von Delius, René Dreyfus and Carlo Pintacuda. [3][4]

Team owner[edit]

In 1944, at the end of World War II, Dusio switched his focus to his racing team. He commissioned Dante Giacosa of Fiat to develop a racing car and founded the "Consorzio Industriale Sportiva Italia", later known as Cisitalia. The team's collaborators included Carlo Abarth, Rudolf Hruska and Ferry Porsche. Three D46's topped the Coppa Brezzi (a race held together with the 1946 Turin Grand Prix), with Dusio finishing 1st.[5]

Dusio continued financing his racing car projects, but the expenses in engineering the complex 202MM[6] almost bankrupted Cisitalia in 1947. Consequently, Dusio moved to Argentina and established Autoar (Automotores Argentinos) S.A.I.C. (22 March 1949),[7] an enterprise financially supported by Juan Peron. Aldo Brovarone joined Dusio in Argentina to work for the company.[8] Dusio's son, Carlo, stayed in Turin to restructure Cisitalia, and ran the company with his father until 1964.[9] In 1960 Dusio started Cisitalia Argentina Industrial y Comercial SA in Buenos Aires, where he built cars such as the Cisitalia 750 (1960).

Dusio tried to qualify for one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix (Italy 1952) with a Cisitalia D46, but failed to set a time in practice due to engine problems.

He died in Buenos Aires in 1975.

Racing record[edit]

Complete European Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 EDC Pts
1935 Scuderia Subalpina Maserati 8CM Maserati 3.0 L8 MON
Ret
FRA BEL GER SUI ITA ESP 32nd 55
1936 Scuderia Torino Maserati 6C-34 Maserati 3.7 L6 MON GER SUI ITA
6
18th 28
Source:[10]

Complete Formula One World Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 WDC Pts
1952 Piero Dusio Cisitalia D46 BPM 2.0 L4 SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA
DNQ
NC 0
Source:[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Donatella Biffignandi, Piero Dusio from museoauto.it, an online museum for automotive issues, last accessed on 12 November 2016.
  2. ^ Piero Dusio soccer statistics at juworld.net, last accessed 12 November 2016
  3. ^ "historicracing.com". Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  4. ^ sporting-to.com. Archived 9 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Coppa Brezzi 1946". Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  6. ^ Piero Dusio & the Cisitalia Archived 10 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Autoar Historia". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2007.
  8. ^ forix.com
  9. ^ Cisitalia Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ^ "THE GOLDEN ERA – OF GRAND PRIX RACING". kolumbus.fi. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  11. ^ "Piero Dusio – Grand Prix not started". statsf1.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.