Story and Photos by Robert Little
(Read Part 1)
(Read Part 2)
(Read Part 3)
(Read Part 4)
(Read Part 5)
Dear Readers: I am pleased to open the door of history a tiny bit wider through the exposition of these images taken about 43 years ago. Please however remember the following:
The images themselves were captured on Kodak color slide film using a fine quality 35mm camera for the period. However, the pictures cannot be compared with the resolution quality found with today’s photographic equipment.
Secondly I hope you understand that as a worker for Ing. Chiti I had almost no opportunity to take photographs while “on duty” so many of the photographic opportunities during the many races I attended were lost to the fact that I was there to serve and not to photograph. My number of interesting images was restricted by this commitment. I hope you will enjoy the images I was able to capture and seek the true ‘atmospheric’ shots where they are to be found in commercially available books and magazines on the subject.
Meeting the Autodelta Team in Sicily for the Targa Florio
After arriving in Sicily (Read Part 5), I met up with the Autodelta team, who had rented garage space from the Motel Aurim in Cerda. As the lowest member of the Autodelta ‘totem pole’, I was responsible for keeping all of the cars in spotless condition during the season, so that history would record every Autodelta car looking its absolute fastest and shiny best at the track appearances and in all future photographs.
For the actual race I was stationed somewhere along the course in the mountains. equipped with front and rear spare tires, fuel, a few tools, gasoline, coolant and a large Alfa Romeo sign board to represent an assistance point for drivers.
Evocative; a scene which could only be from the Targa Florio. This is the Vic Elford/Van Lennep Alfa being fueled up.
One of Carlo Chiti’s Darkest Moments: The 1972 Targa Florio
Autodelta had made a major concerted effort to win here and threw the entire weight and prestige of the parent company behind this effort, under the assumption that Ferrari would not bother to enter the race, having a good lead in the World Manufacturer’s Championship. However, at the last minute, Ferrari entered a 312P to be driven by Arturo Merzario and Sandro Munari. Still with four cars entered for Vaccarella/Stommelen, Elford/Van Lennep, de Adamich/ Hezemans and Nanni Galli/Helmut Marko, Chiti was confident of a win.
I had been driving the circuit fairly quickly in my Giulia 1600 with my camera on the passenger seat...it was all I could do to avoid clipping this Ferrari 312P coming toward me at full speed while at the same moment capturing this image. The one car entry took Autodelta by surprise.
