1957 Venezuelan Grand Prix

The 1957 Gran Premio de Venezuela took place on 3 November, through a park and along the autostrada leading to Caracas.

The previous year’s race, won by Stirling Moss, and the organiser, Touring Club Automovil de Venezuela dealt with it so well, albeit at a loss, the F.I.A.

General Marcos Pérez Jiménez, the President of Venezuela, brought sports car racing to his country in 1955, which Juan Manuel Fangio won, but the organiser lost over $100,000, because no one collected the admission charges from the thousand who lined the street circuit, whilst the grandstands were empty but for officials and friends of the government.

When Moss won the following season, taking home a solid gold cup, the Auto Club again made big losses.

When the flag finally fell, both the Maserati 450Ss stalled on the line, this enabled Dick Thompson’s Corvette to take to initial lead with the Ferrari 335 Ss in close formation behind.

[1][5] As for Masten Gregory in the Temple Buell Maserati, he got off to a good start, and found it easy to past the Ferraris and Thompson on the long back straight.

As this was on the opening lap, the Maserati would have had a full (60 gallons) tank of petrol, fearing fire he did not waiting for the marshals and kicked one of the doors off its hinges and crawled away, covered in blood from facial cuts.

As for Moss, he cut through the field at an incredible pace, passing 22 cars on the first lap, to cross the start line in tenth place.

By lap 16, Moss had passed both Behra and Hawthorn, and with Jo Bonnier’s 300S moving into a position of close support, raising Maserati championship hopes despite the demise of Buell’s car.

Then disaster struck, as on the next circuit Moss flashed his headlights as a warning to Joseph Hap Dressel in a slower AC Ace.

When he hit the starter button, there was an explosion and a belch of flame at the rear of the car, with burning petrol spewing out the fuel hose.

Behra was badly bruised from failing heavily on the concrete pit apron, while the mechanic, Guerino Bertocchi was painfully burned.

As a result of the Schell/Bonnier accident, Hill and Collins in car number 14, took an impressive victory, winning in a time of 6hrs :31.55.7 mins., averaging a speed of 95.404 mph.