Dave Brassington followed all the action from last weekend’s 35th Mille Miglia. (For additional photos or for hi-res copies click here)
Winners of the 35th Mille Miglia was Crew no. 74 made up of Andrea Vesco and Andrea Guerini in their 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport winning for the second consecutive year. The winning Alfa Romeo took part in the Mille Miglia of 1933, a race won by the legendary Tazio Nuvolari.
Second place was Luca Patron and Massimo Casale (crew number 5) onboard a 1925 O.M. 665 Sport Superba 2000, they challenged the winners with a last minute dash to the end. Luca Patron was ranked second in 2016 as well. Completing the podium, was the Spanish crew of Giordano Mozzi and Stefania Biacca on board an Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 GS Zagato some 2000 points behind the winning crew.
Amongst the British crews, first home was the 1928 Bugatti Type 37A in 34th place piloted by Simon and Frederica Kirkpatrick, behind them in 40th position was Raymond Jennings in a 1925 Bugatti Type 35A and third Brit car home in 76th position was Justin Kennedy and David Long in a 1935 Aston Martin Ulster. Jodie Kidd and Ian Robertson were just behind in 78th position in the 1937 BMW 328.
In the final standings, four Argentine crews were the first, fourth, Juan Tononology and Guillermo Berisso (winners in 2015) who also took third place on their Bugatti Type 40 in 1927.
Maria and Luigia Gaburri won the Cup of the Ladies reserved for the first women’s qualifying in the final standings (133th overall). They are respectively daughter and wife of Roberto Gaburri, founder and first president of 1000 Miglia (race organiser company). The winners were driving an Abarth 750 GT Zagato 1957 with the number 414.
“For Mille Miglia this is a memorable day, because it marks the end of the exciting celebrations for the 90-year Red Arrow” Commented Alberto Piantoni, CEO of 1000 Miglia Srl -” Mille Miglia is today, more than ever not just an important event for Italian motorsport, but also an international advertisement for this beautiful country. I want to thank all the people involved in the organisation, all of which are indispensable for the success of the event and sponsors who share our passion.”
The 4 day event saw plenty of sunshine but also regularity trials in the rain, 40 hours at the wheel with short breaks for lunch, crossing 200 municipalities, 7 regions and the Republic of San Marino. Over 60 cars retired from the field including former Arturo Merzario on the arrival of Brescia where his car was pushed on stage. A record of registration requests were received this year, 705 entries to participate in the thirty-five re-enactment of the Mille Miglia, but only 450 were accepted cars, with drivers from all over the world (39 countries).
The charm of the Mille Miglia captured a variety of famous faces and vintage enthusiasts among them Joe Bastianich, the Italian-American restaurateur who became famous thanks to Masterchef, after having stationed around the 70th position he finished at 277th place. Marc Andrew Newson, one of the most important international designers with his wife Charlotte, finished at 227th place. Toto Wolff, Mercedes’s main team, along with Aldo Costa, has ranked at the 85th place.
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The rally departed from Brescia, on Thursday 18 May, touched the shores of Lake Garda, the city of love Verona, Vicenza, Palladio and UNESCO heritage to conclude Padua the first stage. On Friday, May 19th, noble ladies went on the Via Veneto walkway for the usual nightly tour in the heart of Urbe, after a dive of culture in the cities of art of Ferrara, Ravenna, San Marino, Urbino, Gubbio, Perugia and Terni. On Saturday, 20, the route has touched Ronciglione, Viterbo, Radicofani and Siena, with the spectacle of Piazza del Campo. From here, the Red Arrow has climbed to the north through Montecatini Terme and Pistoia, passing the Apennines along the Passo dell’Abetone, then going down the plain from Reggio Emilia to Modena. The third stage ended in Parma and finally through the Po Valley, passing through Cremona and Mantova, the closure to Brescia.
Full results can be found here.
