Piero Dusio

Piero Dusio
	Piero Dusio in the middle, flanked by Piero Taruffi (left) and Giovanni Savonuzzi (right)
Born	13 October 1899; Scurzolengo d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy
Died	7 November 1975 (aged 76); Victoria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1952
Teams	Cisitalia
Entries	1 (0 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1952 Italian Grand Prix
Last entry	1952 Italian Grand Prix

Piero Dusio (13 October 1899 – 7 November 1975) was an Italian footballer, businessman, racing driver and racing car manufacturer.^[1]

Biography

Football career

Dusio was born in Scurzolengo, province of Asti, in Piedmont. A promising footballer, he played as a midfielder and made three appearances for Juventus in 1921–22.^[2] After his football career ended due to a knee injury, Dusio started a textile business which expanded into manufacturing sport equipment and supplying military uniforms. His association with football continued in a managerial role. In 1941 he founded Juventus Organizzazione Sportiva Anonima (O.S.A.), an organization he ran until 1943. In 1942 Dusio was appointed president of Juventus. He resigned from the post in 1948 to move to Argentina.

Racing career

In 1929 Dusio made his racing debut at the Mille Miglia. He would compete until 1938, his best results being a class victory in a Siata 500cc in 1937. In 1936 he established the Scuderia Torino and took part in the 1936 Italian Grand Prix at the wheel of a Maserati 6C-34, finishing sixth behind Bernd Rosemeyer, Tazio Nuvolari, Ernst von Delius, René Dreyfus and Carlo Pintacuda.^[3]^[4]

Team owner

In 1944, at the end of World War II, Dusio switched his focus to his racing team. He commissioned Dante Giacosa of Fiat to develop a racing car and founded the "Consorzio Industriale Sportiva Italia", later known as Cisitalia. The team's collaborators included Carlo Abarth, Rudolf Hruska and Ferry Porsche. Three D46's topped the Coppa Brezzi (a race held together with the 1946 Turin Grand Prix), with Dusio finishing 1st.^[5]

Dusio continued financing his racing car projects, but the expenses in engineering the complex 202MM^[6] almost bankrupted Cisitalia in 1947. Consequently, Dusio moved to Argentina and established Autoar (Automotores Argentinos) S.A.I.C. (22 March 1949),^[7] an enterprise financially supported by Juan Peron. Aldo Brovarone joined Dusio in Argentina to work for the company.^[8] Dusio's son, Carlo, stayed in Turin to restructure Cisitalia, and ran the company with his father until 1964.^[9] In 1960 Dusio started Cisitalia Argentina Industrial y Comercial SA in Buenos Aires, where he built cars such as the Cisitalia 750 (1960).

Dusio tried to qualify for one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix (Italy 1952) with a Cisitalia D46, but failed to set a time in practice due to engine problems.

He died in Buenos Aires in 1975.

Racing record

Complete European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	EDC	Pts
1935	Scuderia Subalpina	Maserati 8CM	Maserati 3.0 L8	MON Ret	FRA	BEL	GER	SUI	ITA	ESP	32nd	55
1936	Scuderia Torino	Maserati 6C-34	Maserati 3.7 L6	MON	GER	SUI	ITA 6				18th	28
Source:^[10]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	WDC	Pts
1952	Piero Dusio	Cisitalia D46	BPM 2.0 L4	SUI	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	NED	ITA DNQ	NC	0
Source:^[11]

References

^ Donatella Biffignandi, Piero Dusio from museoauto.it, an online museum for automotive issues, last accessed on 12 November 2016.
^ Piero Dusio soccer statistics at juworld.net, last accessed 12 November 2016
^ "historicracing.com". Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
^ sporting-to.com. Archived 9 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Coppa Brezzi 1946". Retrieved 12 November 2016.
^ Piero Dusio & the Cisitalia Archived 10 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Autoar Historia". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2007.
^ forix.com
^ Cisitalia Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
^ "THE GOLDEN ERA – OF GRAND PRIX RACING". kolumbus.fi. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
^ "Piero Dusio – Grand Prix not started". statsf1.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.

[museo-1] Donatella Biffignandi, Piero Dusio from museoauto.it, an online museum for automotive issues, last accessed on 12 November 2016.

[2] Piero Dusio soccer statistics at juworld.net, last accessed 12 November 2016

[3] "historicracing.com". Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2016.

[4] sporting-to.com. Archived 9 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine

[5] "Coppa Brezzi 1946". Retrieved 12 November 2016.

[6] Piero Dusio & the Cisitalia Archived 10 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine

[7] "Autoar Historia". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2007.

[8] rix.com

[9] Cisitalia Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.

[10] "THE GOLDEN ERA – OF GRAND PRIX RACING". kolumbus.fi. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2016.

[11] "Piero Dusio – Grand Prix not started". statsf1.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.

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