Tuesday 2nd February 1954
Enrico Plate (45), Argentine motor racing driver and team manager, died. A decent, but not overwhelming driver in both pre- and post-war Grands Prix, Enrico Plate then became a significant and influential figure in post-war grand prix and early Formula One racing as a team owner running Maseratis for notable drivers such as Prince ‘Bira’ Harry Schell, Toulo de Graffenried and notably Tazio Nuvolari, providing the car the Italian legend scored his final victory in the 1946 Albi Grand Prix. He was killed a few days after his 55th birthday in a tragic accident during the 1954 Argentine GP, when Jorge Daponte lost control of his A6GCM and ran into the signalling area where Plate was preparing the pit board for his driver Prince ‘Bira’.