Monza Banking

The banking of Monza - started renovations

 

Hummm .. interesting.

I assumed that it had been demolished, since it stopped being used in the 60s, I believe.

The last time it was used in endurance (Monza 1000K, 1965 or 66), several cars broke their suspension or steering because of the pounding on the banking.

Like Monthlery and Brooklands, the Monza banking was a ferro-concrete architecture and those don't survive very well.

I am wondering if it will be restored to be raced again.

 

Now there's a monument worth saving.

 

Walked a bit of it several years ago when I attended the GP at Monza. Overgrown with weeds but still intact. Not sure of the angle, but it's amazing to think F1 cars raced on it.

 

Interesting.

When I lived in Italy in 1989, portions of the banking were being utilized by club races.
RAI would show some of these races on TV.

The cars would have to stay down low on the apron but they would put little chicanes
in which would take them up on to the banking in short sections.

On that video, you may see the groove that the club races have worn into the surface
in portions. On attending the Grand Prix then, an Italian guy I had met really wanted
me to see these portions as it was evident he was fighting to preserve the banking so
I went out to see it with him.

It's hugely impressive and a testament to the balls the guys who raced on it had back
in the day.

BHW

 

The banking was used for the last time in Endurance racing for the Monza 1000 kms 1969.

Rgds

 

In the 1990s, there were actual plans to demolish the Monza banking. In 1998 to 2000, there were numerous "Save the Monza Banking" campaigns and petitions going around, I signed a few of them. Here's an Autosport article from Jan 2000: From the Banking to the Barricades: Protest Movements and Formula One

Significant in his efforts to get the banking saved was Chris Balfe, editor of pitpass.com

 

If I remember correctly the banking at Monza is something like 39 degree vs about 32 at Daytona.

 

The Monza banks are not a "fixed" angle. The banking angle is shallow near the bottom (ground), and increases in steepness as you work your way "up" the bank.

 

In the movie RUSH there was one shot of the cars coming into the home straight from high and far away, and you could see a bit of the old banking almost side by side with the parabolica turn.

Or for fun you can check out Google or other maps and look at the track old/new with the sattelite photos.

Seems like about once a year there is a magazine article reviewing a new Lamborghini or Maserati, and they manage to either get permission or sneak onto the banked sections of the track for some cool photos. Maybe that's just in Evo and other Euro magazines.

 

that got me curious about the facility, so I found this English version of the website and besides driver days or track days, it sounds like you can just drive your regular car on the track if nothing else is going on for 45 Euros for 25 minutes!

adding that to my bucket list!

Monza |

 

And the last time it was used for Grand Prix "racing" was in the movie "Grand Prix" in 1966. But when was the last time it was used for a real G.P.?

 

That's easy Jim: 1961; after Von trips' accident that year, the high speed oval was deemed unsafe for Formula One, so the 1961 Grand Prix saw the last use of the oval for a Formula One Grand Prix.

Rgds

 

I had bookmarked this a few months ago, great stuff from GP;

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7xN0nauWpQ]Monza - Oval (1966) - YouTube[/ame]

but for racing, it should be as smooth as nascar tracks. I was also watching other historic races back then and I think perhaps it was an accident at Berlin's Avus track that did in steep banking as Von Trip's accident happened on a straight.

 

I remember reading that Alfa Romeo hid their pre-war GP cars from the Germans in the nooks beneath the banking.

 

I guess that the accident you are alluding to may be Jean Behra's ? (It happened on the AVUS)

Rgds

 

yes in 1959

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0yLbK72-Qs]Accidente de Jean Behra.avi - YouTube[/ame]


in 1960 the monza banking was used but the british team boycotted the race on safety grounds. It was used again in 61 when von trips had his accident, but that accident was on a flat straight part that is still used today(back stretch), not on the banking section.

So Behra' accident was the catalyst to end banking for formula 1 teams, but it took the overall lack of safety at Monza made obvious by von trips 61 accident which killed 15 spectators to get Monza to up it's safety game.

 

I think banking, built correctly, could be a nice feature used sparingly on some super tracks, hot wheels types, but i believe we will never see those again in this tilkenized era.

 

Exactly, that's the sequence of events.

But on the other hand, having still used the oval for endurance racing until 1969 was not very wise, as some of the endurance cars of the mid to late sixties were capable of speeds far exceeding the ones from the 1500 cm3 F1...

Meanwhile I was trying to find an old article (or perhaps even a video) that should be from the beginning of the 2000 because I seem to somehow recall images of Jacques Villeneuve driving a Formula One (or perhaps an F2) from the sixties on the Monza banking, but no luck so far so perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me...

Rgds

 

We still have the Monthlery one just south of Paris but in a rather sorry state; I won't bet it will last very long...pity, as it has some historical interest.
As for Formula One, there never was a Grand Prix in Monthlery and there is no Grand Prix any more in France (and there probably will never be again...the will is just not there) so case closed.

Rgds

 

I hope they bring Monza back to its full size with properly built banking. I would also like to have the old Oesterreichring back, you could enlarge the Jochen Rindt curve and build banking so that cars would enter the start/finish straight, (it would have to be widened), at full speed and still have to brake hard for the niki lauda chicane. Another place for banking would be the end of the Mistral straight at Paul Ricard, probably be a lot safer than it was.

Some cool shots of Monthlery, wow, - The Vintagent: June 2010