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Andrea, let’s talk history shall we? In your
opinion where do the roots of sporting
competition lie?
«The Culture of Motorsport is the concept of a
Competition where the glory derives from risk
inherent in the event itself, and where the
actual prize is not the most important
element. The ancients described this culture,
for example Xenophon’s short work Hiero,
which is frequently cited by Machiavelli,
includes the following passage: «..But if you
are afraid, O mighty prince, that through the
multitude of prizes offered under many heads,
expenses also must be much increased,
consider that no articles of commerce can be
got more cheaply than those which people
purchase in exchange for prizes. Note in the
public contests (choral, equestrian, or
gymnastic) how small the prizes are and yet
what vast expenditure of wealth and toil..».
What were the origins of the first modern
races?
«Motorsport was born with the advent of the
first motor vehicles. The Indianapolis circuit
organised the first motor racing competition in
1911, back in the time of Henry Ford and
Alfred Sloan (founder of General Motors): the
State of Indiana saw the birth of numerous
small, local manufacturers (such as Allison),
and similarly in Europe (Mercedes,
Fiat…) Technological progress was driven by
the competition for market share between
manufacturers. This is a recurrent theme, and
it is typical of new sectors during their rapid
expansion phase. Motorsport as we understand
it today probably came into being when it
stopped being simply a sport and began to
assume the role of a marketing tool: John
Player Special began its sponsorship of Lotus
in 1972. It’s fair to say that the sport’s
transformation into an entertainment business
was complete towards the latter half of the
first decade of the third millennium».
In your opinion is it possible to divide the
history of motorsports into specific periods,
such as, say, a pioneer period, a romantic
period, a classical period and even a post-
modern era?
«Let’s try! First there was the Romantic period
when the drivers, who were often engineers
and technicians (one thinks of Chevrolet in the
United States, or Mark Donohue; a more recent
emulator of the “Romantics” would be John
Miles, the Lotus test driver and Formula 1
driver), would also test their own cars. Their
objective was to test the serviceability and
reliability of the first automobiles, at the limit
of their capabilities, and over unknown
terrain: let’s not forget that until the 1930s,
when it was asphalted for the first time, the
Indianapolis Speedway racetrack was paved
with bricks, hence the term Brickyard. The
Second Phase is associated with advertising
and promotion - or réclame, as it used to be
known - initially of typically male-oriented
products, such as tobacco (Marlboro, JPS),
petrol (Gulf, Shell), accessories and clothing,
before gradually expanding to cover a whole
range of consumer goods, especially foodstuffs
and clothing. We are currently witnessing the
Third Phase, which could be classified as a
post-modern period and is typified by the
promotion of services, such as
telecommunications, software, insurance,
transportation, banks. It’s feasible that the
next phase will be distinguished by the
promotion of educational approaches to
engineering, using the excitement of
competition as a means of encouraging young
people to study challenging but rewarding
engineering disciplines.»
How would you define the culture of
motorsport? What are the core values of this
world?
«A value is something that makes us feel good,
healthy, well-adjusted: the “valeo” of the
Latins. Value is a commodity that is recognised
without hesitation, offers convenience not just
in terms of its price, but comprises emotional
attachment and credibility. For Europeans
Value evokes rarity and beauty. For Americans
it’s the “expected price” and evokes
manufacturing quality, taste, form, solidity,
convenience and qualities that are essential for
consumers, such as ease of purchase, available
choice, home delivery, service, assistance. To
compromise on value (expected price) is to be
at a variance with the idea of Value (taste,
civilisation, culture). Culture is that which an
organisation (a family, an association, a team,
a company, a nation) accumulates collectively
over time as it learns to meet the challenges
posed by the environment without, while
successfully integrating the elements within.
Culture arises from the context, and results in
an optimised form of conduct governed by
rules that are wise, just, safe and, above all,
the fruit of experience; thus, “values” are what
unites the components of an organisation,
supports the functional parts of the system
and penalises harmful behaviour. In a
The Heart of Racing
RISK AND THRILLS:
THE ROLE OF ETHICS
ON THE TRACK
The second instalment of our journey around the complex
world of motor sports with Dallara’s Engineer Andrea Toso.
Is there such a thing as a motorsports culture? And if so,
how can it be reconciled with the requirements of industry
and marketing? What are the historical roots of motor
racing? And what led to the development of the sport in
the leading nations? We may find the answers to these
questions in the classics, but it would be wrong to neglect
the "mystical” aspect of the sport
