STORY OF THE DAY: Nuvolari Wins the Carthage Sprint to the Line

Tazio Nuvolari won the 1933 Tunis Grand Prix on the Carthage road circuit in Scuderia Ferrari’s number 28 Alfa Romeo 8C 2600 Monza. After 37 laps, he defeated teammate Baconin Borzacchini by only two-tenths of a second, with both Ferraris completing the full distance. The result was an emphatic one-two for the team in an important non-championship race at the beginning of the European season.

Borzacchini had surged into the early lead from deep on the grid, while Nuvolari advanced among the pursuing group. Mechanical failures gradually removed several challengers, leaving the two Scuderia Ferrari Alfas to decide the race between themselves. Nuvolari’s larger-engined car ultimately prevailed in a finish of remarkable closeness, turning what had become a display of team superiority into a contest settled only at the line.

The 8C 2600 Monza was an enlarged development of Vittorio Jano’s 8C 2300 competition car. Its supercharged straight-eight retained the twin-block architecture and central gear train of the original design but gained displacement to approximately 2.6 litres for greater power. The short-wheelbase chassis and open two-seat body preserved the Monza’s agility, while the stronger engine was advantageous on the fast stretches of the Carthage circuit.

Tazio Nuvolari was an Italian driver from Mantua whose earlier motorcycle career had sharpened the balance and improvisation evident in his car racing. He joined Scuderia Ferrari in 1930, delivered its first outright victory and became European champion in 1932 with Alfa Romeo machinery. His Tunis victory showed him at the height of that partnership, overcoming both international opposition and the determined challenge of his accomplished teammate.