The story of this print.
THE 1 KM DRAG RACE STORY!
21 November 1981... Thousands of F1 fans gathered at the Istrana military airport in Vistreno, Italy for a very special event. The 51st italian air force squadron race against a selection of F1 cars.
Three F1 teams were present with their 1981 cars and their respective drivers. Ferrari superstar Gilles Villeneuve in the 126 CK, Bruno Giacomelli in the Alfa Romeo 179 C/2 and the world champion Nelson Piquet in the Brabham BT49/C. Riccardo Patrese was also there with the Brabham.
To prevent the Starfighters from demolishing the “slow” F1 cars it was decided that the race would be a drag race over a distance of 1 Kilometer. The Starfighters were not allowed to take off before the finish line meaning that the pilots had to force the plane to the ground as they would pass it at over 300 Km/h.
Also on that day there was a dense fog that didn’t make it easier on the pilots for the race. Villeneuve went against the pilot Martinelli. Martinelli also ran a 4 auxiliary fuel tanks that brought weight. Meanwhile Villeneuve in the Ferrari opted not to run with the front and rear wing attached. The extra aerodynamic efficiency made for a higher top speed.
Villeneuve went for a second race, this time against Colonel Tenerello who ran without any auxiliary fuel tanks making his plane lighter. It was a risky move since all the planes were ordered to carry enough fuel to fly to a different airport if the fog became to dense at Istrana for the landing. Even so Villeneuve won again! This time the lead was just 1.2 seconds. In the end the F1 cars won for 5-1. While the fighters did not win they provided one of the most unusual and great races in F1 history. After the race Villeneuve became even more of a Superstar with thousands of fans thrilled with the event!
21 November 1981... Thousands of F1 fans gathered at the Istrana military airport in Vistreno, Italy for a very special event. The 51st italian air force squadron race against a selection of F1 cars.
Three F1 teams were present with their 1981 cars and their respective drivers. Ferrari superstar Gilles Villeneuve in the 126 CK, Bruno Giacomelli in the Alfa Romeo 179 C/2 and the world champion Nelson Piquet in the Brabham BT49/C. Riccardo Patrese was also there with the Brabham.
To prevent the Starfighters from demolishing the “slow” F1 cars it was decided that the race would be a drag race over a distance of 1 Kilometer. The Starfighters were not allowed to take off before the finish line meaning that the pilots had to force the plane to the ground as they would pass it at over 300 Km/h.
Also on that day there was a dense fog that didn’t make it easier on the pilots for the race. Villeneuve went against the pilot Martinelli. Martinelli also ran a 4 auxiliary fuel tanks that brought weight. Meanwhile Villeneuve in the Ferrari opted not to run with the front and rear wing attached. The extra aerodynamic efficiency made for a higher top speed.
Villeneuve went for a second race, this time against Colonel Tenerello who ran without any auxiliary fuel tanks making his plane lighter. It was a risky move since all the planes were ordered to carry enough fuel to fly to a different airport if the fog became to dense at Istrana for the landing. Even so Villeneuve won again! This time the lead was just 1.2 seconds. In the end the F1 cars won for 5-1. While the fighters did not win they provided one of the most unusual and great races in F1 history. After the race Villeneuve became even more of a Superstar with thousands of fans thrilled with the event!