Scuderia Ferrari Rudge Motorcycles
The Vintagent article, of 2017 by Paul De'Orleans delves in great detail into the Scuderia and their two year foray into Grand Prix motorcycle racing using Rudge motorcycles.
"While the team cars had to be Alfa Romeo, the Scuderia’s motorbikes were almost always British. Not that there weren't any decent Italian motorcycles: the Bianchis and Moto Guzzis were competitive, but they were not offered for sale to private firms. So Enzo Ferrari had no choice but to go for Rudge and Norton. Ferrari had encountered the former in the car world as Rudge-Whitworth had developed a quick mounting rim, a patent that gave it an advantage over the competition. The Scuderia sometimes used Italian motorcycles but only in the less powerful classes: Benellis or MMs, built in Bologna.
Scuderia Ferrari motorcycles debuted with a win. It was 28 March 1932 when Guglielmo Sandri rode a Rudge 350cc to first place in the Spring Grand Prix in Modena. Forty-four victories and three national titles came in just three years thanks to the Milanese riders Giordano Aldrighetti in 1932 (250cc class) and 1933 (500cc class) and Aldo Pigorini in 1934 (350cc class). However, that season the Rudge proved uncompetitive in the other classes, so Scuderia Ferrari decided to abandon two-wheeled competition. Its final appearances were in August at the Trofeo Acerbo, in which Pigorini won his class, and at the Coppa Adriatico in Rimini"
The studio photographs, are of a facsimile of a Scuderia Rudge 500TT, sold at auction through Sotheby's.
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