Enzo Ferrari makes his debut in racing
Today 98 years ago on October 5, 1919 the later famous Enzo Ferrari made his debut as a race car driver in Parma / Italy and finished at number 4. Enzo was a car engineer and mechanic but not the best driver - at least he won 13 of 47 races attended, not too shabby!
It has been said he was not the most successful driver as he cared too much about the cars, he handled them like babies trying to not ruin engine and chassis. After his racing career he moved to car building by taking over Alfa Romeo Racing and producing cars under his own name! A legend was born - FERRARI. However this was still a part of Alfa Romeo and Enzo got fired in 1939. With his own manufacturing company he firs tproduced machine tools instead of cars duringWorld War II. It took until 1947 when the first real Ferrari car was launched to market who won in the same year the famous Rome Grand Prix. That was even the first race as an independent carmaker and it should continue. In 1949, the Le Mans road race was won and in 1952 the first Ferrari team driver (Alberto Ascari) become world champion by wining every race he drove.
The myth Ferrari still is alive on racing tracks and on the streets - one day I might drive one.
Sources: Grand Prix History, Wikipedia, Ferrari.com and History.com