The 15th Rome Grand Prix was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 19 May 1963 at the ACI Vallelunga Circuit, near Rome in Italy. The race was run over two heats of 40 laps of the circuit, both of which were won by British driver Bob Anderson in a Lola Mk4.

1963 Rome Grand Prix
Non-championship race in the 1963 Formula One season
Race details
Date 19 May 1963
Official name XV Gran Premio di Roma
Location ACI Vallelunga Circuit, Vallelunga
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 3.222 km (2.002 miles)
Distance 2 x 40 laps, 255.96 km (159.04 miles)
Pole position
Driver Porsche
Time 1:29.4
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Bob Anderson Lola-Climax
Time 1:29.0
Podium
First Lola-Climax
Second Porsche
Third Gilby-BRM

Both heats finished with the same three cars coming home in the first three places, and each time they were the only three cars to complete the distance. The grid included some Italian drivers who were relatively unknown outside their home country, and who never took part in any World Championship Grands Prix. The only one of these to threaten the leaders in this race was Franco Bernabei in his De Tomaso, but his engine blew up while he was leading the first heat and he was unable to take part in the second.

Swiss driver Jo Siffert was to have taken part in this race, having decided against competing in a sports car race in Germany on the same day. The team he was to have driven for, Ecurie Filipinetti, lobbied the Swiss Automobile Club and they refused Siffert a visa to race in Rome.[1]

Results

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Pos Driver Entrant Constructor Time/Retired Grid Heat 1 / 2
1   Bob Anderson DW Racing Enterprises Lola-Climax 2:02:32.2 2 1st / 1st
2   Carel Godin de Beaufort Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche + 32.7 s 1 2nd / 2nd
3   Ian Raby Ian Raby (Racing) Gilby-BRM + 1:05.4 s 5 3rd / 3rd
4   Roberto Lippi Scuderia Settecolli De Tomaso-Maserati 78 laps 13 4th / 5th
5   Gaetano Starrabba Gaetano Starrabba Lotus-Maserati 76 laps 10 5th / 6th
6   Clement Barrau Clement Barrau Lotus-Climax 73 laps 17 7th / 7th
7   Rovero Campello Rovero Campello De Tomaso-O.S.C.A. 71 laps 11 6th / 10th
8   Gastone Zanarotti Gastone Zanarotti De Tomaso-Maserati 68 laps 19 9th / 8th
9   Tim Parnell Tim Parnell Lotus-Climax 68 laps (Engine) 6 Ret / 4th
10   Günther Seiffert Rhine-Ruhr Racing Team Lotus-BRM 67 laps 18 8th / 11th
11   John Campbell-Jones Tim Parnell Lotus-BRM 56 laps 7 12th / 9th
Ret   Massimo Natili Scuderia Centro Sud Cooper-Maserati 36 laps (Oil pipe / Gearbox) 4 Ret / Ret
Ret   Juan Manuel Bordeu Count Volpi Porsche 32 laps (Clutch) 8 10th / DNS
Ret   Franco Bernabei Alejandro de Tomaso De Tomaso-Ford 27 laps (Engine) 3 Ret / DNS
Ret   "Condor" "Condor" De Tomaso-Alfa Romeo 26 laps (Gearbox) 15 11th / Ret
Ret   Bernard Collomb Bernard Collomb Lotus-Climax 20 laps 12 13th / DNS
Ret   André Wicky André Wicky Cooper-Climax 7 laps (Oil pressure) 14 Ret / DNS
Ret   Carlo Peroglio Scuderia Centro Sud Cooper-Maserati 3 laps (Oil pipe) 16 Ret / DNS
Ret   Nasif Estéfano Alejandro de Tomaso De Tomaso 1 lap (Clutch) 9 Ret / DNS
DNQ   Kurt Kuhnke Kurt Kuhnke BKL Lotus-Borgward - -
DNQ   Ernst Maring Kurt Kuhnke BKL Lotus-Borgward - -
DNP   Jo Siffert Siffert Racing Team Lotus-BRM Refused visa to race - -
WD   André Pilette André Pilette Lotus-Climax - -
WD   Philip Robinson A. Robinson & Sons Lotus-Climax - -
  • Fastest lap: (Heat 1) Bob Anderson 1:30.9
  • Fastest lap: (Heat 2) Bob Anderson 1:29.0

References

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  1. ^ "The Formula One Record Book", John Thompson, 1974, pp.141.
  • "The Grand Prix Who's Who", Steve Small, 1995.


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1963 BRDC International Trophy
Formula One non-championship races
1963 season
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1963 Solitude Grand Prix
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1954 Rome Grand Prix
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