The Martini Trophy was once a very significant trophy when the AMOC was involved in international racing events.
First, a little history of Martini and Rossi who were not only aperitif producers but significant sponsors in Motor Sport. They sponsored Porsche, Lancia, Williams and Brabham F1 to name but a few teams; as well as events such as the AMOC Martini International Trophy race, along with many other races and rallies
Alessandro Martini and Luigi Rossi took over a small distillery just outside Turin as partners. In 1863 the two men created Martini Rosso Vermouth. It was Rossi’s creativity that invented the drink and Martini’s enterprising spirit (forgive the pun) that made this a truly international drink. Martini and Rossi have of course expanded further in the international beverage market over the years with more famous brands added to their portfolio.
Sadly, Martini’s records of their motorsport activities were lost when they moved offices. With their help with the few records they were able to find, we know the Martini International Trophy races started in 1957. Unfortunately the above press cutting does not show the year, however the period seems about right for their first race as AMOC sponsor.
I should state that my first involvement with these races was as a flag marshal at the 1972 event for 2 litre sportscars, won by Arturo Mezario in an Abarth. It was a typical Silverstone day, wet and windy, and I was located at Abbey. In those days Abbey was the fastest corner on the circuit. Despite my being cold and wet, it was an exhilarating event, particularly being close to the action in the marshal’s post. The winner Mezario was, and still is, a colourful figure in his Stetson who went on to race in many F1 races for the likes of Ferrari, Frank Williams and Shadow to name but a few.
Below is a programme copy of the entry list for the 1970 Martini International Trophy F3 race which reads like a who’s who of motorsport. I will pick out a few names from the list.
James Hunt, named ‘Hunt the Shunt’ by Max Mosley, went on to be World Champion. Ian Ashley, named ‘Crashley’ by Mosley, raced for BRM in F1 and kindly took my place in recent years when I could not do the Tour Britannia with a friend. Tom Walkinshaw went on to run the winning Jaguars at Le Mans and was involved with Arrows F1, as well as being a successful racer himself in works Jaguar XJS. David Purley broke the Guinness Book of Records for the largest ‘negative G’ accident ever at 180G (actually 179.80G, but what’s 0.2G between friends!). His car stopped from 108mph to zero in 26 inches when his throttle jammed at Silverstone’s Copse Corner during an F1 qualifying session. That incident was reminiscent of Verstappen’s recent crash at the same corner, but he only suffered 51G. Purley later went on to receive the George Medal for trying to save Roger Williamson at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. Other future F1 drivers on the list are Wilson Fittipaldi, Carlos Pace and Tony Trimmer. Finally, an unusual character for motorsport was Mike Beuttler, who became the only openly gay F1 driver.
The key point is that the AMOC Martini International Trophy was hugely significant in international motorsport. Today, sadly, the AMOC is no longer involved. In fairness to the club, running these events is for professional promoters who are licensed by the FIA at huge cost. For example, Johnathan Palmer who runs the British F3 championship has recently been told by the FIA that he can no longer call it ‘F3’. Palmer is of course a major circuit owner in the UK, ex F2 champion, and a former F1 driver, as is his son Jolyon.
This illustrates how difficult it is to run international races these days. While we might regret that the AMOC no longer has the resources or expertise to run races at an international level, it is entirely understandable. However, the Club should be commended for continuing to run sprints and club races, which is no easy task given all the rules and regulations.
In recent years the Martini Trophy was awarded for a scratch race for DB4 to DBS, which is a shame considering its history, but nonetheless significant to those who have won it. My thanks must go to Martini and Rossi for their help with this article, and more so for their many years of past support when the AMOC was running internationally renowned motor races.