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Monza 4 hours

Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy

Date: 26/3/1978
Track length: 5.800 m
Attendance: unknown
Entries accepted: unknown
Starters: 35
Finishers: 18

Pole position: Facetti/Finotto in 2.01,19
Fastest lap: Facetti in 2.03,5 = 169,068 kmh

Distance: 4 hours
Average speed: 162,959 kmh
Weather: Sunny but cold
Ruleset: Group 2/76
Car info: 1978 Cars

 

I suppose Aufrecht’s brave move to prepare a Mercedes 450 SLC with a three-speed automatic gearbox was taken at a moment more competitive cars were expected to race in 1978. But brave as the move was, it was a kind of a silly idea. The Mercedes was neither well homologated nor adequately financed, but its silver appearance was perhaps a bonus; though the finish of the car was not exactly Mercedes-like, with ugly head- and rear lights.
On Friday, a blocked fuel pump ended practice, and on Saturday the very limited stopping power ended after 16 laps, with fifth spot on the grid as a result, behind three BMWs and a Zakspeed Escort.
Facetti and Finotto were only challenged by their tyres in the race; the low temperatures resulted in heavy understeer. The other two BMWs retired with engine failures; the Mercedes duelled with 1600- and 2000 cc cars, but kept running until the end; a never expected third overall at the finish, behind the BMW 320 of König/Weltrowski which won the 2000 cc class after the Zakspeed Escort broke its gearbox only six laps from the end.

Division 1-5
Pos Pos in class # Team / Entrant
Car- Engine		 Drivers, Nationality Engine
vol. (cc)		 Engine
Type		 Group Distance,
time		 Qualifying position Qualifying time Fastest lap Reason out,
remarks
1 1 3 Jolly Club Milano
BMW 3.0 CSL		 Carlo Facetti, I
Martino Finotto, I
 3171 L6 Div. 5 113 1 2.01,19 2.03,5  
2 1 24 Eggenberger Motorsport
BMW 320		 Kurt König, D
Heinz Weltrowski, D
 1998 L4 Div. 3 106 6 2.12,49    
3 2 78 AMG
Mercedes 450 SLC		 Hans Heyer, D
Clemens Schickentanz, D
 4520 V8 Div. 5 106 5 2.10,38    
4 2   Autovama Firenze
Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV		 Giorgio Francia, I
Amerigo "Joe" Bigliazzi, I
 1985 L4 Div. 3 106 8 2.12,89    
5 1   VW Motorsport
VW Scirocco		 Willi Bergmeister, D
Jörg Siegrist, CH
 1596 L4 Div. 2 105 7 2.12,54    
6 3    
Alfa Romeo GTV		 Ademaro Massa, I
Vittorio Ciardi, I
 ca. 2000 L4 Div. 3 103 12 2.16,34    
7 4    
Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV		 Luigi Pozzo, I
Giordano Perego, I
? Minella, I
 1985 L4 Div. 3 102        
8 1   Jolly Club?
Alfa Romeo 1300 GT Junior		 Angelo Chiapparini, I
Giuseppe Chiapparini, I
 1290 L4 Div. 1 99        
9 5    
Opel Kadett GT/E		 Heinrich Haag, D
Reiner Geiger, D
 ca. 2000 L4 Div. 3 97 10 2.15,62    
10 6    
Ford Escort II RS		 Cipolli, I
Ercole Pini, I
Tacus
 1800/2000? L4 Div. 2 97        
11 1    
Ford Capri III 3.0S		 Bernd Herlitze, D
Henning Schmidt, D
 2993 V6 Div. 4 97        
12 2    
Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint		 Guy Deladrière, B
Richard Mattozza, B
 1299 B4 Div. 1 96        
13 3    
Fiat 128 coupé 1300		 Carlo Carlini, I
Bommartini, I
 1290 L4 Div. 1 93        
14      
Alfa Romeo GTV		 Cavagni, I
Andrea Giaccari, I
 2000? L4 Div. 3? 93        
15 4    
Alfa Romeo 1300 GT Junior		 Alfredo Santulli, I
Mercatelli, I
 1290 L4 Div. 1 89        
16 5    
Fiat 128 coupé 1300		 Giacinto Caio, I
Petenzi, I
 1290 L4 Div. 1 84        
17 6    
Alfa Romeo 1300 GT Junior		 Giancarlo Galimberti, I
Gaudenzio Uboldi, I
 1290 L4 Div. 1 82        
18      
VW Scirocco		 Drago Regvart, YU
Dagmar Suster, YU
 1596 L4 Div. 2 79        
DNF     Racing Corporation Vienna
BMW 530i		 Heribert Werginz, A
Harald Neger, A
 2985 L6 Div. 4   11 2.16,23    
DNF      
VW Scirocco		 Anton Stocker, CH
Walter Brun, CH
 1596 L4 Div. 2   9 2.12,73    
DNF     Ford Team Zakspeed
Ford Escort II RS		 Armin Hahne, D
Manfred Mohr, D
 1840 L4 Div. 3 ca. 100 4 2.04,82   Differential
DNF     Luigi/BMW Italia
BMW 3.0 CSL		 Umberto Grano, I
Arturo Merzario, I
 3196 L6 Div. 5   3 2.04,04   Engine
DNF     Luigi Racing
BMW 3.0 CSL		 Jean Xhenceval, B
Sandro Uberti, I
 3196 L6 Div. 5   2 2.03,89   Oil leak