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Legend and translations

ITA - ITALY
CASALE MONFERRATO
SORRY, SOME DATA ARE NOT TRANSLATED YET
Not to be confused with	Casale Monferrato, Circuito Monferrino
Description	Circuit opened on March 19th 1973 by Arturo Merzario (Ferrari 312 B2), who set first record in 1’01"1 (144.950 km/h - 90.087 mph). In the same day, there were races of Italian F.3 and Challenge Ford Escort Mexico too. At first, wind carried a lot of sand on the track, but nevertheless the circuit was soon very successful and it was very appreciated for test and races of several Italian and Swiss championships. Among the most important races there were Coppa Autodromo di Casale (Interserie, September 22nd 1974) and Giro d’Italia 1973 and 1974. Bernie Ecclestone too was interested in buying a factory nearby the circuit. In 1973 (see below), 1974 and 1976 some proposal were made for lengthen the circuit. Meanwhile, in 1975 problems arose: Pontestura (in which district the circuit lies) and Cuniolo population complained about noise, while Morano Po administration isin favour of the circuit. In 1976 racing activity was reduced, but it’s not enough and at the end of the same year it was nearly stopped. On August 18th 1977 an excavator broke the gate down and ploughed 500 m of the track, in order to unfit it for use. In 1980 the tarmac was restored and there were rumors about a reopening in 1981. There were some more trials (even recently), but with no results. In 1998 proposal the circuit should have been named after Lella Lombardi. Now the track is inside a park and thanks to its laws this operation is quite impossible. Curiously several sources reports the same track layout also for Erding Flugplatzrennen, in Germany. Probably an unknown original source made this curious mistake and then it has been spread to other sources.
Location	Morano Po AL - Alessandria - Piemonte
Location	Few meters from river Po, in municipal districts of Morano Po and Pontestura, near Casale Monferrato
Latitude - Longitude	+ 45°09'15"     + 8°20'49" 45.154167     8.346944
UTM Coordinates	X = 448667.418  -  Y = 5000284.052  -  Zone 32T
Aerial photo / Map (*)	Google Maps  -    Bing Maps  -    Flash Earth  -    Portale Cartografico Nazionale  -    Visual Pagine Gialle
Altitude AMSL	124 m - 407 ft
Inauguration	March 19th 1973
Closing	1976
Designer
Sources and links (Translation) (**)	(1) Forum Forum Europe Italy Casale Monferrato / Morano Po [ITA] (2) pilotiemotori.blogspot.it/2014/06/il-circuito-di-morano-sul-po-dalla.html (3) www.flickr.com/photos/25311068@N07 bgiuliano’s photo album, with pics of races held in 1970s (4) www.grigneme.it/home_file/la%20pista/Morano/morano%20p.htm Photos taken on February 14th 2003 (5) Autosprint 27/1972 (page 47) Lavori di sbancamento già a buon punto (con mappa) (6) Autosprint 31/1972 (page 8) Descrizione pista (7) Autosprint 42/1972 (page 34) Quasi pronto per l’inaugurazione, già si parla di allungarlo a 3,5 km (8) Autosprint 43/1972 (page 32) Quasi pronto per l’inaugurazione, già si parla di allungarlo a 3,5 km (9) Autosprint 2/1973 (page 18) Allungamento in vista? (10) Autosprint 13/1973 (page 12) Come si guida (11) Autosprint 20/1973 (page 7) Problemi con la polvere alzata dal vento (12) Autosprint 42/1973 (page 33) Problemi con il sindaco di Pontestura (13) Autosprint 50/1973 (page 16) Progetto di allungamento a 3,5 km e oltre (con mappa) (14) Autosprint 51/1974 (page 43) Progetto allungamento a 4 km (15) Autosprint 49/1976 (page 56) (16) Autosprint 34/1977 (page 35) Impianto chiuso e "arati" 500 metri di pista! (17) Autosprint 36/1977 (page 64) Proposte per risolvere il problema della chiusura (18) Autosprint 47/1977 (page 42) Come salvare la pista (19) Autosprint 50/1980 (page 25) Riapre nel 1981? (20) Autosprint 30/1986 (page 38)   (21) Autosprint 33/1997 (page 7) Si torna a parlare dell’apertura (22) Quattroruote 455/1993 (page 168) [Publishing date: September 1993] (23) Grace 4/2005 (page 40) Complete article about track history [Publishing date: April 2005] (24) Quattroruote 720/2015 (page 60) Actual situation (photos and description in brief) [Publishing date: September 2015]

(*) NOTE: a complete and detailed view of the circuit can be found (if available) on Street View by Google Maps and/or Bird's Eye and 3D views by Bing Maps for Enterprise (former Microsoft Virtual Earth): both can be reached using their own link in Aerial photo / Map cell.

(**) For on-line not-English speaking sources, click on each small flag and you open the corresponding Google Translator page with automatic translation.

Casale Monferrato
Description	Original layout and the only one built
Years	1973÷1976
Direction	Clockwise
Proposal	NO
No longer operational	YES
Car Circuit	YES
Motorbike circuit	YES
Type	Permanent
Inauguration	March 19th 1973
Closing	1976
Last update of this page	September 4th 2008
Info last update
Designer
Distinctive points
length	2460  m	8071  ft	1.529  mi
Total area	50  hectares	500000  m²	123.551  acres		(14)

Casale Monferrato
Description	Since the beginning of 1973 a lengthen up to more than 3.5 km - 2.175 mi was proposed and they hoped to finish all works within the end of 1973. I ha no map of this proposal, I only know that lengthen was towards Turin (left on my map): they wanted to have a 900 m straight, a half-bend and an ’S’ quite fast such as pits position would have been in the indernal side of the ’S’ itself. Final target was to lengthen the track up to 4.4 km - 2.735 mi.
Years	1973
Direction	Clockwise
Proposal	YES
Proposal not developed	YES
Car Circuit	YES
Motorbike circuit
Type	Permanent
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 26th 2007
Info last update	December 1974
Designer
Distinctive points
length (approx)	3500  m	11483  ft	2.175  mi		(7)
length (approx)	4400  m	14436  ft	2.734  mi	Later extension	(7)
Straight length	900  m	2953  ft	0.559  mi		(7)

Casale Monferrato
Description	First season of this circuit was very succesful (17 races, 2151 drivers, 100,000 spectators in 1974), so an extension was proposed. Project was made by Dr. Nosetto: on the same area used by the original track (500,000 m²) he designed circuit with as few armco as possible and surrounded by tribunes, where all the track is visible from. The only problems were about bureaucracy, but it seemed they could be solves easily: works should have begun in January 1975 and finished within the following Summer.
Years	1974
Direction	Clockwise
Proposal	YES
Proposal not developed	YES
Car Circuit	YES
Motorbike circuit
Type	Permanent
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 26th 2007
Info last update	December 1974
Designer
Distinctive points
length (approx)	3800  m	12467  ft	2.361  mi		(14)
Width	12  m	39  ft			(14)

Casale Monferrato
Description	People leaving on the closest village, Ponte Stura, complained for noise of the track. In order to reduce it, a track lengthen and some more works on facilities were proposed. This works were never done and circuit was abandoned. I don’t know what is the difference between two layout shown on my maps: are they contemporary or one was drawn before the other?
Years	1976
Direction	Clockwise
Proposal	YES
Proposal not developed	YES
Car Circuit	YES
Motorbike circuit
Type	Permanent
Inauguration
Closing
Last update of this page	October 26th 2007
Info last update	November 1976
Designer
Distinctive points
length (approx)	4000  m	13123  ft	2.486  mi	Approximated length	(15)

Location: + 45°09'15", + 8°20'49"
If the aerial photo is not visible, you have to zoom out by clicking (maybe more then once) button ’-’ in top left corner

PHOTOS

Photos by Joyspeed - October 23rd 2007

Click on thumbnail to open original large photo

1	2	3	4
View above pits	View from pit lane	View of piltane in direction of starting line	Start/finish line

5	6	7	8
Race direction building	Paddock behind pits	View from National Road Asti-Vercelli	Track

9	10	11
Track	Track	Straight

Updates
Date	Track layout	Years	Description by	Map by	Thanks to	Note
May 30th 2024			Guido de Carli		Jon Saltinstall	Update	Description
September 3rd 2015			Guido de Carli			Update	Description
October 30th 2014			Guido de Carli			Update	Description
May 20th 2009		1973÷1976	Guido de Carli		Joyspeed	Update	Photos (on this site)
September 4th 2008			Guido de Carli			Update	Description
September 1st 2008			Guido de Carli		bgiuliano	Update	Photos (link)
August 18th 2005			Guido de Carli			Update	Description
May 8th 2005			Guido de Carli			Update	Description
April 6th 2005		1974	Guido de Carli	Guido de Carli		Update	Description with map
April 6th 2005			Guido de Carli			Update	Description
November 6th 2004		1976	Guido de Carli	Guido de Carli		Update	Description with map
November 6th 2004			Guido de Carli			Update	Description
April 6th 2004			Guido de Carli	Guido de Carli		Update	Description with map
October 29th 2003			Guido de Carli			New	Photos (link)
Not all eventual updates issued in last years are already visible in this list

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