The 43° Targa Florio was a motor race for sportscars held on 24 May 1959 on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie , Sicily , Italy . It was the second round of the 1959 F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship and the 43rd running of the Targa Florio . Early that year, the event founder, Vincenzo Florio died and his nephew Vincent Paladion promised to keep alive Florio's Targa. “The Targa must continue... Promise me!..” [ 1]
The race was won by Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel driving a Porsche 718 RSK entered by Porsche KG .
The event attracted fewer cars than in previous years, with 59 racing cars registered for this event,[ 2] instead of the 81 in 1958.[ 3] Of the 59 cars registered, 58 arrived for practice with 52 qualifying for and starting the race.[ 2]
The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa of Brooks/Behra during the race, with Brooks driving.
Reigning champions, Ferrari had entered three of their latest 250 TR 59 for their squad of drivers; Phil Hill , Dan Gurney , Tony Brooks , Olivier Gendebien , Jean Behra and Cliff Allison . As Aston Martin elected to miss the event, there was no other entrants in the S3.0 class, therefore their main opposition would come from the works Porsches of Jo Bonnier , Wolfgang von Trips , Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel , but these were smaller engined cars and less powerful.[ 4]
This was meant to be a Ferrari battle, but it was not to be, as all the Ferraris retired due to mechanical problems. This left Porsche alone to command the race, taking the top four places. Their only issue was the leading Porsche 718 of Bonnier and von Trips being forced to withdraw on the last lap.[ 1] [ 2]
Porsche recorded their first win in the World Sportscar Champions, with the pairing of Barth/Seidel. They took an impressive victory, with their 718 RSK completing 14 laps, covering 626.343 miles in just over 11 hours of racing, averaging a speed of 56.737 mph. Second place went to the second Porsche of Eberhard Mahle , Paul Ernst Strähle and Herbert Linge in a Porsche 550 RS , albeit 20 mins adrift. The podium was complete by another works Porsche, this time a 356A Carrera of Antonio Pucci and Huschke von Hanstein who were further 9 mins behind, the first GT car to finish. Surprisingly, the fourth car home was driven by the same crew that finished second.[ 5] [ 2] [ 6]
The result meant Porsche took the lead in the World Championship standing. This was the first time Ferrari had not topped the standings since March 1957.[ 7]
Official Classification [ edit ]
Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel won the race driving a Porsche 718 RSK similar to the example pictured above.
Class Winners are in Bold text.
Pos
No
Class
Driver
Entrant
Chassis
Laps
Reason Out
1st
112
S1.5
Edgar Barth
Wolfgang Seidel
Porsche KG
Porsche 718 RSK
11hr 02:21.8, 14
2nd
118
S1.5
Eberhard Mahle Herbert Linge
Paul Ernst Strähle
Porsche KG
Porsche 550 RS
11hr 22:20.8, 14
3rd
102
GT2.6
Huschke von Hanstein
Antonio Pucci
Porsche KG
Porsche 356A Carrera
11hr 31:44.4, 14
4th
96
GT2.6
Paul Ernst Strähle Eberhard Mahle
Herbert Linge
Porsche KG
Porsche 356A Carrera
11hr 36:10.0, 14
5th
134
S2.0
Mennato Boffa
Piero Drogo
Centro-Sud
Maserati A6GCS/53
11hr 41:20.0, 14
6th
38
GT1.3
“Dario Sepe” Mario Sannino
Colin Davis
Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato
12hr 02:30.0, 14
7th
84
S1.1
Umberto Bini
Luciano Mantovani
Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus
Osca S1100
12hr 10:52.3, 14
8th
132
S2.0
Mario Cammarata
Domenico Tramontana
Mario Cammarata
Ferrari 500 TRC
12hr 14:45.4, 14
9th
120
GT+2.6
Salvatore La Pira
Francesco Siracusa
Nissena
Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta
12hr 24:15.0, 14
10th
138
S2.0
Giuseppe Allotta
Nino Vaccarella
Giuseppe Allotta
Maserati A6 GCS
12hr 35:47.4, 14
11th
72
S1.1
Domenico Rotolo
Gaspere Cavaliere
Monte Pellegrino
Osca MT4 1100
12hr 39:40.0
12th
30
GT1.3
Antonio Picone Sergio Mantia
Franco Tagliavia
Monte Pellegrino
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider
12hr 41:31.0, 14
13th
46
GT1.3
Vito Coco
Vito Sabbia
Nissena
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce
12hr 46.16.0, 14
14th
8
GT750
Enrico Carini
Ernesto Prinoth
Janua
Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato
12hr 53:39.0. 14
15th
24
GT1.3
Amedeo Bartoccelli Salvatore Panepinto
Giuseppe Parla
Nissena
Fiat 1200 Boano
13hr 00:27.0, 14
16th
20
GT1.3
Pietor Laureati
“Pompei””
Pietro Laureati
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce
162
17th
50
S750
Sesto Leonardi
Alfredo Tinazzo
Settecoli
Osca S750
13hr 13:46.1, 14
18th
70
S1.1
Tommy Wisdom
Bernard Cahier
Tommy Wisdom
Austin-Healey Sprite
13hr 22:05.0, 14
19th
60
S750
Gustavo Laureati
Giuseppe Celani
Montegrappa
Osca S750
13hr 22:05.4, 14
20th
56
S750
Giancarlo Rigamonti
Anna Maria Peduzzi
Scuderia Sant Ambroeus
Osca S750
13hr 39:23.2, 14
21st
28
GT1.3
José Rosinski
Claude Bobrowski
Paris
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato
13hr 44:11.4, 14
NC
76
S1.1
Enrico Manzini
Attilio Brandi
Clemente Biondetti
Ermini-Fiat 1100
14
Over time limit
NC
6
GT750
Carmelo Giugno
Salvatore Giuffrida
Nissena
Fiat 500
14
Over time limit
NC
92
GT2.6
Giovanni Giordano
Carlo Fulci
San Rizzo
Fiat 8V Zagato
14
Over time limit
DNF
136
S2.0
Umberto Maglioli
Hans Herrmann
Porsche AG
Porsche 718 RSK
Transmission
DNF
150
S3.0
Jean Behra
Tony Brooks
Scuderia Ferrari
Ferrari 250 TR 59
Rear axle
DNF
154
S3.0
Dan Gurney
Cliff Allison
Scuderia Ferrari
Ferrari 250 TR 59
Transmission
DNF
4
GT750
Gérard Laureau
François Jaeger
Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet
D.B.-Panhard HBR4
did not finish
DNF
26
GT1.3
Teodoro Zeccoli
Roberto Rosignoli
G.S. Savio
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce
did not finish
DNF
32
GT1.3
Giuseppe Ruggero
Ciro Monaci
Giuseppe Riggero
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato
did not finish
DNF
34
GT1.3
Jean-Pierre Hanrioud
Beniatt
Jean-Pierre Hanrioud
D.B.-Panhard HBR5
did not finish
DNF
36
GT1.3
Sergio Bettoja
P. Feroldi
Camidoglio
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato
did not finish
DNF
40
GT1.3
Ada Pace
Carlo Peroglio
Racing Club 19
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato
did not finish
DNF
42
GT1.3
Enrico Giaccone
Vincenzo Ribaudo
Enrico Giaccone
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce
did not finish
DNF
44
GT1.3
Francesco de Leonibus
Carlo Peroglio
Racing Club 19
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato
did not finish
DNF
52
S750
Amerigo Brachetti
Elio Pandolfo
Montegrappa
Giaur 750 Sport
did not finish
DNF
58
S750
Giacomo Marino
Salvatore Sirchia
Monte Pellegrino
Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato
did not finish
DNF
74
S1.1
Francesco La Mattina Francesco Soldana
Armando dols Soldana
Monte Pellegrino
Osca MT4 1100
did not finish
DNF
78
S1.1
Emanuele Trapani
Bartolomeo Donato
Monte Pellegrino
Osca MT4 1100
did not finish
DNF
80
S1.1
Antonio di Salvo
Silvestre Semilia
Falanga
Roar-Fiat 1100 Special
did not finish
DNF
82
S1.1
Enzo Buzzetti
Giuseppe Rossi
Settecoli
Osca MT4 1100
did not finish
DNF
90
GT2.6
Rosario Montalbano
Gaspare Bologna
Giuseppe Bologna
Fiat 8V
did not finish
DNF
94
GT2.6
Alfonso Vella
Pietro Tremini
Pietro Tremini
Fiat 8V
did not finish
DNF
100
GT2.6
Rocco Finocchiaro
Ignazio Consiglio
Rocco Finocchiaro
Fiat 8V
did not finish
DNF
104
GT2.6
Vincenzo Sorrentino
Franco Pisano
Sorrentino
Lancia Flaminia
did not finish
DNF
114
S1.5
Edoardo Lualdi
Ludovico Scarfiotti
Scuderia Sant Ambroeus
Osca MT4 1500
did not finish
DNF
116
S1.5
Christian Goethals
Christian Goethals
Porsche 550 RS
did not finish
DNF
122
GT+2.6
Nino Todaro
Gennaro Alterio
Mediterranea
Ferrari 250 GT
did not finish
DNF
140
S2.0
Gaetano Starrabba
Domenico Lo Coco
Gaetano Starrabba
Ferrari 500 TRC
did not finish
DNF
142
S2.0
Giulio Cabianca
Giorgio Scarlatti
Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti
Dino 196 S
Out of fuel
DNF
130
S2.0
Jo Bonnier
Wolfgang von Trips
Porsche AG
Porsche 718 RSK
13
did not finish
DNF
152
S3.0
Olivier Gendebien
Phil Hill
Scuderia Ferrari
Ferrari 250 TR 59
1
Pinion
DNS
2
GT750
Elio Lenza
Filippo Golia
Elio Lenza
Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato
did not start
DNS
10
GT750
Aldo Tine Matteo Sgarlata
Gianni Carpinteri
Aretusa
Fiat-Abarth 750
did not start
DNS
22
GT1.3
Francesco Gambi
Francesco Gambi
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce
did not start
DNS
54
S750
Gaetano Spampinato
Spampinato
Fiat-Abarth 750 Sport
did not start
DNS
98
GT2.6
Sergio Mantia
Giovanni Napoli
Monte Pellegrino
Lancia Aurelia B24
did not start
DNS
110
S1.5
Henri Perrier Gilled Nebon Carle
Binachon
Henri Perrier / Binachon
Osca MT4 1500
did not start
The Ferrari 250 GT of La Pira and Siracusa during the race. Winner of the GT +2600 class.
Class
Winners
Sports 3000
No finishers
Sports 2000
134
Maserati A6GCS/53
Boffa / Drogo
Sports 1500
112
Porsche 718 RSK
Barth / Seidel
Sports 1100
84
Osca S1100
Bini / Mantovani
Sports 750
50
Osca S750
Leonardi / Tinazzo
Grand Touring +2600
120
Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta
La Pira / Siracusa
Grand Touring 2600
102
Porsche 356A Carrera
von Hanstein / Pucci
Grand Touring 1300
38
Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato
“Sepe” / Davis / Sannino
Grand Touring 750
8
Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato
Carini / Prinoth
[ 2]
Standings after the race [ edit ]
Note : Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.
Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.