Vincenzo Florio

The Florio.The race was born in Paris. Florio was in France to contact pilots and car manufactures who should have participated in another car race, the Florio Cup. He was impressed by the Auvergne circuit, the Gordon-Bennet venue: the countless curves, the ups and downs and the long flat race track reminded him the Madonie race course. It was there that Florio found the inspiration for what would become the first international car race, a test bench for car manufacturers and an imortant test for the ability of pilots. He talked about it with his friend Henri Desgrange, director of the famous magazine "L'Auto" and and he drew the race course on a sheet of paper: Cerda, Caltavuturo, Petralia, Geraci, Castelbuono, Isnello, Collesano, Campofelice: 146 kilometers altoghether and 900 meters of unsurfaced roads, capable of putting machines and drivers to the test. Once the path had been drawn, Florio's enthusiasm grew day by day. It was absolutely necessary to find a name for that tender still in embryo. Florio remembered that three years before he had won a race, the Padua-Bovolente, and he had been rewarded with a plaque that took the name of the count who had organized it: "Targa Rignano".The Targa Florio was born at that precise moment and it took the name its inventor. The headquarters of the event was established at the Grand Hotel of the thermal baths in Termini Imerese and in Buonfornello Florio built two large wooden sheds, 180 meters long, used for grandstands for the public and the pits, well sheltered from curtains and erected on the edge of the road. A wooden overpass was also built to cross the road without the danger of being overwhelmed or hindering the cars during the race. It was also built,next to the stands, a restaurant and two large first aid tents managed by the Red Cross. A press room was set up above the pits,, equipped with an international telegraph ,the second in Italy after the one existing in Milan. In short, the first car racing circuit was born together with the Targa Florio. It has underwent, as well as this sport, a continuous evolution. During the race two bands alternated in the performance of pieces to brighten up the audience while waiting for cars to pass. Florio even had a section of 400 meters of tracks parallel to the Buonfornello straight line built and connected to the railway line from Palermo to Messina. A "dedicated" line for those who wanted to reach the race corse by train. The ticket, round-trip, cost 13 liras and a breakfast voucher was also included in the price. The response of the Sicilians to the appeal launched by Florio went beyond all expectations: sixteen thousand people that day witnessed the birth of a myth. It was not just a car race, but also a moment of encounter between nobility and the upper bourgeoisie: in the official gallery, in addition to Donna Franca Florio there were the Countess Morosini, the countess of Mazzarino, Princess Lanza of Trabia and many other protagonists of the Sicilian society of the time. Finally on 6 May 1906 the roar of the engines. At the starting line there are 5 Itala, 1 Fiat, 2 Bayard-Clement, 1 Berliet and 1 Hotchkiss. Only seven cars crossed the finish line. after 9 hours and 32 minutes of bends, climbs, descents, straights and three laps race.
In front of everyone, with a gap of 30 minutes on the second, the Itala by Alessandro Cagno, who won at an average of 46 kilometers per hour. The race was a triumph for Florio and a successful image for Sicily. Thus, since its inception, the Targa Florio had gained world renown.