Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari (; 16 November 1892 – 11 August 1953 ) was an Italian motorcycle and racecar driver, known as Il Mantovano Volante ( The Flying Mantuan ) or Nivola.

Nuvolari remained at Auto Union until Grand Prix racing was put on hiatus by World War II.

Nuvolari was married to Carolina Perina, and together they had two children: Giorgio ( born 4 September 1918 ), who died in 1937 aged 19 from myocarditis, and Alberto, who died in 1946 aged 18 from nephritis.

His motorcycling career was postponed, however, by the outbreak of World War I and Nuvolari served as a driver in the Italian army.

It was also in 1925 that Nuvolari was asked by Alfa Romeo to have a trial in their Grand Prix car.

The season was the only one in which Nuvolari regularly had one of the fastest cars, the Alfa Romeo P3.

His mechanic Mabelli said about this race: " Before the start, Nuvolari told me to go down on the floor of the car every time he shouts, which was a signal that he went to a curve too fast and that we need to decrease the car ´ s center of mass.

Sommer argued that he would be drive the majority of the race as he was more familiar with the circuit and Nuvolari would likely break the car.

Nuvolari countered that he was a leading Grand Prix driver and Le Mans was a simple layout that would not trouble him, to which Sommer backed down and they agreed to divide the driving equally.

The race itself saw Sommer and Nuvolari take a two lap lead before their fuel tank developed a hole, which was plugged by chewing gum whilst in the pits.

Nuvolari then approached Enzo Ferrari, but was turned down as he had previously walked out on the team.

Although Nuvolari started 1938 as an Alfa Romeo driver, a split fuel tank in the first race of the season at Pau was enough for him to walk out on the team, critical of the poor workmanship that was exhibited.

In 1946, Nuvolari raced in the Milan Grand Prix using only one hand to steer ; the other was holding a bloodstained handkerchief over his mouth.

Nuvolari was one of the early proponents ( if not the inventor, according to Enzo Ferrari ) of the four-wheel drift technique.

Rumours circulated that Villeneuve was one of several drivers in whom the Italian team was interested, and in August 1977 he flew to Italy to meet Ferrari, who was immediately reminded of the pre-war European champion Tazio Nuvolari: " When they presented me with this ' piccolo canadese ', this minuscule bundle of nerves, I immediately recognised in him the physique of Nuvolari and said to myself, let's give him a try.

* 1892 – Tazio Nuvolari, Italian racing driver ( d. 1953 )

* November 16 – Tazio Nuvolari, Italian racing driver ( d. 1953 )

In the dark of night Nuvolari tailed Varzi for tens of kilometres, riding at speed of with his headlights off, thereby being invisible in Varzi's rear-view mirrors ; he then switched on his headlights before overtaking " the shocked " Varzi near the finish at Brescia.

The race saw Achille Varzi and Tazio Nuvolari exchange the lead many times before being settled in Varzi's favour on the final lap when Nuvolari's car caught fire.

After Alfa Romeo officially left Grand Prix racing, Nuvolari stayed on with Scuderia Ferrari who ran the Alfa Romeo cars semi-officially.

Nuvolari also won the Nations Grand Prix four times between 1925 and 1928 and the Lario Circuit race five times between 1925 and 1929, all in the 350 cc class and each time on a Bianchi motorcycle.

According to a legend, when one of the drivers broke the window of a butchery, Nuvolari, when passing by it, drove on the pavement and tried to catch a ham.

Towards the end of 1930, Nuvolari made a decision to stop racing motorcycles and to concentrate fully on car racing during 1931.

After drawing ninth place on the grid at the Italian Grand Prix, Nuvolari started the race in an Alfa Romeo shared with Baconin Borzacchini.

For 1935, Nuvolari set his sights on a drive with the German Auto Union team.

Having started after his team-mate and rival Achille Varzi, Nuvolari was comfortably leading the race but was still behind Varzi ( holder of provisional second position ) on the road.

Over the next several years, as the only female on the Grand Prix circuit, Nice continued to race Bugattis and Alfa Romeos against the greatest drivers of the day including Tazio Nuvolari, Robert Benoist, Rudolf Caracciola, Louis Chiron, Bernd Rosemeyer, Luigi Fagioli, and Jean-Pierre Wimille, among others.

Fagioli went on to take the victory at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy beating Chiron as well as fellow Italian greats, Achille Varzi and Tazio Nuvolari.

In 1930, Tazio Nuvolari joined Campari on the Alfa Romeo team.

Also, Budrio is the hometown of Franco Zagari, the automobile historian and photographer who authored many books on the history of Ferrari, Maserati, Osca, Stanguellini, Bugatti and Mercedes and the great Italian race car driver Tazio Nuvolari.

On June 16, 1935 Nuvolari drove a specially prepared Bimotore from Florence to Livorno and set a new speed record with an average speed of over.

Memorable pre-war races at the circuit featured the talents of early Ringmeister ( Ringmasters ) such as Rudolf Caracciola, Tazio Nuvolari and Bernd Rosemeyer.

Dr Ferdinand Porsche called Nuvolari " The greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future.

Tazio Nuvolari started out in motorcycle racing in 1920 at the age of 27.

During 1933, Nuvolari left the team for Maserati after becoming frustrated with the Alfa Romeo's performance.

At the end of 1934, Maserati pulled out of Grand Prix racing and Nuvolari returned to Ferrari, who were reluctant to take him back, but were persuaded by Mussolini, the Italian prime minister.

The relationship with Ferrari turned sour during 1937, and Nuvolari raced an Auto Union as a one-off in the Swiss Grand Prix that year before agreeing to race for them for the 1938 season.

Nuvolari gained his license for motorcycle racing in 1915 at the age of 23.

During this period, Nuvolari also dabbled in car racing, winning a reliability trial in 1921.

In 1925, Nuvolari became the 350 cc European Motorcycling champion by winning the European Grand Prix.

The car's gearbox seized and Nuvolari crashed, severely lacerating his back.

Nuvolari ( fifth from left ), with other Alfa Romeo drivers and Enzo Ferrari.

Coppa Consuma 1930, Tazio Nuvolari driving Alfa Romeo 6C | Alfa Romeo 6C1750GS.