1922 Grand Prix season
After FIAT's dominance in France, most teams stayed away for the first Italian Grand Prix held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza and only eight cars started.
At the start of the season, Italian privateer Conte Giulio Masetti won the Targa Florio for a consecutive year, running a 1914 GP Mercedes.
A number of manufacturers had sent works teams to this event, but Masetti's local knowledge and driving skill gave him a narrow victory over Jules Goux's Ballot.
Jimmy Murphy bought the Duesenberg he had won the French Grand Prix in the previous year and got it fitted with a Miller engine for the Indianapolis 500.
Murphy set the fastest practice time and had a dominating drive to win by three minutes from Harry Hartz (Duesenberg) and Eddie Hearn (Ballot).
[8] Then, starting with Mercedes, ingenious engineers found a way around these rules by introducing forced induction with the supercharger and speeds were soon at least as fast as they had been in the 3-litre formula.
[10] Up to now the Automobile Club de France (ACF) had laid sole-claim to dictate the rules for Grand Prix racing.
But at the end of the year at the annual general meeting of the AIACR, held in London, a new regulatory body was created – the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI).
Representatives were elected from seven of the major automobile authorities – of France, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, Spain, Austria and the United States.
For the new regulations, three French manufacturers developed grand prix racers based on their touring or sports models.
In the sports-model touring car, the 501 SS, it became a favourite for the Italian amateur racer and the grand prix version was the Type 803.
[12][13] The first event of the season was the Targa Florio and the degree of interest it generated from manufacturers bode very well for the rest of the year.
The liberal rules encouraged works teams from nine companies to put in entries and a huge grid of 42 cars arrived.
These were prepared for the new 2-litre Grand Prix formula and the French team sent Jules Goux and Giulio Foresti to race them.
[17][16] Goux was second and his teammate Foresti finished third, while Ascari (Alfa), Giaccone (private FIAT) and Sailer (Mercedes) filled the next places.
After the 1921 French Grand Prix, Jimmy Murphy had bought the Duesenberg he had driven to victory and had it fitted with the new Miller engine for the Indianapolis 500.
Louis Chevrolet had a strong seven-car team in his Frontenacs led by Roscoe Sarles and veteran Ralph Mulford.
It was won by Jean Chassagne in a 3-litre Sunbeam TT after teammate Segrave had to stop for a puncture and then retired with engine problems.
Algernon's younger brother, Kenelm Lee Guinness, won all three major events – in England (JCC 200), France (the Coupe des Voiturettes) and Spain (Gran Premio do Penya Rhin).
Three manufacturers entered to reclaim French honour: Ballot had their team-regulars Goux and Foresti, and invited Giulio Masetti (who had bested them in the Targa Florio) to join them.
[25] A team new to Grand prix racing, Rolland-Pilain had developed its own 2-litre straight-8 A22 and hired veteran drivers Louis Wagner, Victor Hémery and Albert Guyot.
[13] The veteran Felice Nazzaro, unaware of the disaster, went on to win his last major race, finishing nearly an hour ahead of de Vizcaya's Bugatti.
The Milan Automobile club followed the example in Britain (Brooklands), the USA (Indianapolis) and Germany (AVUS)– to establish a closed circuit.
[27] An innovative design, combining a paved racing oval and a road circuit (exactly 10 km in total length), was laid out.
The first sods of dirt were turned in a formal ceremony on February 26 by Italian racing heroes Felice Nazzaro and Vincenzo Lancia.
The second Italian Grand Prix was scheduled for September, so after protracted negotiations when construction resumed in May, it had to be completed in exactly 100 days.
Bugatti also chose not to attend however Spaniard Pierre de Vizcaya drove his own car from the Molsheim factory to Milan.
[35][33] Despite another wet race day another huge crowd turned out – including bringing 10000 of the 41000 cars registered in Italy at the time.
Both Heims retired early and on lap 27 Alfieri Maserati spun his Diatto at Lesmo from a twisted front axle.
Segrave and Chassagne came for Sunbeam, while Peugeot made a rare appearance with André Boillot and Maurice Béquet.
