Roberto Casimiro Mieres (3 December 1924 – 26 January 2012) was a racing driver from Mar del Plata, Argentina.
He participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 7 June 1953. He scored a total of 13 championship points. Info from Wiki
Bio by Stephen Latham
Born in 1924 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, a broken leg thwarted his rugby ambitions and he started racing an MG with friends at the San Justo Speedway in 1947. This was replaced by a Mercedes SSK the following year and later by an ex-Achlle Varzi Bugatti, with which he won the Argentine sports car championship. In 1949, despite not finishing in a race at Cordoba, he took second at Mar del Plata and then raced an old 2.3-litre supercharged Alfa Romeo to victory at Rosario, in the support race for the Argentine Grand Prix. Giuseppe Farina and Alberto Ascari were impressed and suggested he should race in Europe and he was invited to join fellow countrymen Juan Manuel Fangio and Jose Froilan Gonzalez on a trip there. Subsidised by their national motor club, they took part in several international races and his best result was fourth place in the Circuit des Nations in Geneva in a Maserati 4CLT-48.
After returning to Argentina, the following year saw him race a Jaguar XK120 plus he won with an Alfa Romeo at Mar del Plata and in 1952 he was second and fourth in National races at Buenos Aires with a Bugatti.
In 1953 he returned to Europe after being recruited by Gordini to replace the injured Jean Behra and made his World Championship debut at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. He retired at Zandvoort and from the following French round through took a sixth place at the Italian GP at Monza, plus had a fourth place in a non championship Albi GP. He took second and third place finishes with the Gordini T15S at the GP Roubaix and GP Caen plus was sixth at the Superrtemaggiore at Merano in a Ferrari 225 S. He was teamed with J.Behra at Le Mans and A.Guelfi at the 12 Hours Reims race, though they retired from both.
At the end of the season he placed an order for a new Maserati 250F but after delivery was delayed by several months, the factory provided him with a year-old A6GCM model, updated with the 1954 engine. Racing the car in its national colours of blue and white, he took second place in his home Buenos Aires Grand Prix, followed by third at Pau and fourth in the International Trophy at Silverstone. He was burnt on the opening lap of the Belgian GP when fuel leaked and caught fire, causing him to slam on the brakes and jump from the car. Following this his Maserati 250F arrived in time for the German GP and results immediately improved, going on to finish fourth in the Swiss and Spanish GPs. Endurance events that year included a drive in an Aston Martin DB3S at the 1000Km Buenos Aires (with Tomasi) and an OSCA MT4 at the Carrera Panamericana, though he retired from both events. After finishing sixth in 1954’s British GP at Silverstone he was invited to join the works Maserati team, alongside Stirling Moss and Luigi Musso. He went on to take fourth place finishes in Switzerland and Spain, which led to Maserati retaining him for the following season, partnering Luigi Musso and Jean Behra.
In 1955, despite his strong finishes in the non-championship races, taking second in Turin and third at Pau and Bordeaux, he was not as successful in the championship races. He finished fourth in Holland (and achieved fastest lap at Zandvoort) and seventh at Monza in the last race of his grand prix career. One of his finest performances came in the British GP, at Aintree, where his Maserati 250F succeeded in splitting the four cars of the all-conquering Mercedes-Benz team, and he was leading Piero Taruffi until having to retire with engine failure.
He contested sports car events with a Maserati 300S, and though there was a retirement at Le Mans (with Cesare Perdisa) and the GP Bari, he was third at Monza’s Supercortemaggiore, fourth at the 10 Hour Messina, fifth in the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod and sixth at the GP Venezuela (with Luigi Villoresi in a Maserati 200S).
He retired at the end of the season to look after his business interests, which included being appointed South American distributor for Peugeot, plus pursue his interest in sailing. Although retired from F1, he continued to compete occasionally in sports car races until 1963 and in 1957 he and Ninian Sanderson raced Ecurie Ecosse’s Jaguar D-Type to fourth place in the 1000km Buenos Aires. In the following year’s Buenos Aires race he was fifth (and 1500cc class winner) with Edgar Barth and Count Anton von Dory in a Porsche 550RS followed by thirteenth in the Cuban GP. This was the infamous race where Juan Manuel Fangio was kidnapped prior to the race by Cuban revolutionaries. Sadly, the race itself was marred by a tragic accident, in which a car crashed and killed seven spectators and left forty injured and was red flagged after six laps.
Racing with Pedro von Dory and Anton von Dory, they retired their Porsche 718 from 1959’s Sebring 12 Hours (due to a broken camshaft) though he and Anton later won the USAC-sanctioned Daytona 1000Kms. The race was a part of the Road Racing Championship and it was the first endurance race at the newly opened Daytona International Speedway. He returned to Sebring in 1960 to contest the 12 Hours event with Anton and Pedro von Dory though they retired from the race.
During this period, Roberto had returned to yachting and went on to represent Argentina in the 1960 Olympic Games. He competed against fellow former driver, Prince Bira in the Star class, beating him by finishing 17th and Roberto is one of only seven people who have competed in both the Formula One World Championships and the Olympics.
He was still active and enjoying sailing into the late 1990s, with his attitude admirably summed up by his stating, “why be normal”. Roberto retired to a ranch in Uruguay, living there for 30 years until he sadly passed away at the age of 87 in January 2012.
Gallery F1
