The is a former grand prix from the
Grand Prix Motor Racing era - precursor to
Formula One . Only one championship event was held, won in
1939 by
Tazio Nuvolari . The Kalemegdan Park circuit is no longer operational.
The race held on
September 3 ,
1939 was sponsored by
King Peter II Of Yugoslavia . It generated major interest among the Belgraders as more than 100,000 (quarter of the city's entire population at the time) came out to see the world famous racers such as
Tazio Nuvolari and
Manfred Von Brauchitsch .
Considering it capable of showing the King in good historical light, Yugoslavia's post-war communist authorities did their best to erase this race event from collective national memory. As a result, later generations in
Serbia , even the most ardent Formula One fans among them, have almost no knowledge about this major event in not-too-distant local history.
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The 1939 Belgrade race also holds distinction as the only Grand Prix event to be held during
World War II , which was already raging throughout parts of Europe. It is also signifacnt for being the very last win of the great
Tazio Nuvolari 's illustrious career. He was 46 at the time.
