The disappearance of Tazio Nuvolari, which occurred on 11 August 1953, caused great emotion throughout the world and, in particular, deeply moved the men of the Mille Miglia: Renzo Castagneto, Aymo Maggi and Giovanni Canestrini—the three who, together with Franco Mazzotti, who died during the Second World War, had conceived and created “the most beautiful race in the world.”

Castagneto, the deus ex machina of the Mille Miglia, and his friends were genuinely attached to the Mantuan driver, not only out of affection and esteem for the man and admiration for the great champion, but also out of a sense of gratitude toward him, as he was among those who, through their exploits, had contributed most to the unstoppable growth of their creation.

To honor his memory, the organizers of the Mille Miglia altered the traditional route so that it would pass through Mantua. From that moment on, the GRAN PREMIO NUVOLARI was established, to be awarded to the fastest driver and therefore contested along the long straight roads that cross the Po Valley, starting from Cremona, passing through Mantua, and finishing in Brescia.

In addition to the four historic editions held from 1954 to 1957 at the behest of the organizers of the 1000 Miglia, to date 35 reenactments of the GRAN PREMIO NUVOLARI have been run, following the format of an international regularity race reserved for historic cars. Since 1991, the founding members of Mantova Corse—Luca Bergamaschi, Marco Marani and Claudio Rossi—have continued the same mission handed down by the legendary founders of the 1000 Miglia. The aim remains the same: to allow drivers of new generations to compete in the cars that made the history of those days, paying tribute to the greatest, the boldest and the most daring of their predecessors—the legendary Tazio Nuvolari.