Party Time At Monza
24.10.01

The annual end-of-season Ferrari gathering took place at Monza with an astonishing display of everything that was best about the world of Ferrari.

The many events included the finals of the various 360 championships from around the world and some intensive racing was seen. At stake were not only the regional championships but also the qualification for the Superfinal to decide the title of Challenge World Champion.

The Shell Historics were also at play. The first race for the disc-braked cars had seen victory go to Peter Hardman in his Ferrari 246 P. At the start, Frederico Della Noche took the lead with his 250 LM, but he was soon passed by Jean Guikas in his 512 S. On lap four, Guikas spun, leaving the way clear for Hardman, who crossed the line ahead of Kroymans (275 GTO), Gaye (250 GT Berlinetta), Della Noche and Piper (250 LM).

In the race for cars with drum brakes there were some very hard fought battles. Irvine Laidlaw (Maserati 250S) made a great getaway, but was soon passed by his rival Burkhard Von Schenk (Maserati 300S.) The duel between these two played into the hands of third placed Bernd Hahne (Maserati 450 S) who, making the most of an exciting moment, managed to snatch the lead, which he kept to the chequered flag.

Rain ruined the party for the single seaters, however, and the race had to be stopped because of a torrential downpour which hit the track.

Demonstration laps were performed by some of the single seaters which make up the history of Scuderia Ferrari. Among the many tipos were the 500 F2 which won two championships with Alberto Ascari, the 1975 312 T and the T2 from 1976 -1977 (three Constructors' titles and two Drivers' came Ferrari's way with these cars), the 126 C4 of the late Michele Alboreto (1984), the F1-89 used by Nigel Mansell (the first car to use a paddle gear shift on the steering wheel), finally ending up with the F399 which Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine and Mika Salo took to the Constructors' title in 1999.

The world final for the 360 Championship category was run in torrential rain. In contention for the title of World Champion, were Sandro Montani on pole, with Andrea Belluzzi alongside him, with Linos and Blancardi on the second row. Just two laps into the race, Belluzzi made the most of a mistake from Montani to take the lead, but on the same lap drama unfolded. France's Barde hit Dario Caso at the first Lesmo and the latter's car began to leak fluid, making the track very slippery. Several cars ended up spinning off and that meant the safety car had to be brought out. But no sooner was the race under way again, than the rain came down again in a complete deluge. It was so bad that the cars had to be sent back to the pits to fit rain tyres and the final classification was made up by adding up the times from the two legs.

The Shell Historic racers then came out again.The first race was for single seaters. Von Schenk (Maserati 250 F) started from pole and finished by retiring in the gravel trap at the Parabolica. The fight for the win therefore came down to a duel between Corrado Cupellini (Ferrari Dino F2) and Irvine Laidlaw (Maserati 6 CM.) The Maserati driver, even though he was at a performance disadvantage, made life difficult for his opponent, but in the end he had to give best, surviving a spin in the final stages. Victory therefore went to Cupellini, ahead of Heuberger (Maserati 250 F) and Fink (Alfa Romeo Type B.)

The race for cars with drum brakes saw Trident bearing cars fill all the top three places, with Bernd Hahne winning (Maserati 450 S) from Von Schenk (Maserati 300 S) and Laidlaw (250 S.) The first Ferrari home was a 250 MM, which took fourth place in the hands of Christian Traber.

The final appearance of the historic cars was the race for those with disc brakes. Success in this event went to Jean Guikas at the wheel of a Ferrari 512 S, which had a clear lead over the Ferrari 246 P of Peter Hardman and the Ferrari 250 LM of David Piper.

The highpoint of the weekend was the demonstration of the title-winning F2001s.On track were Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Luca Badoer, putting on a great show. All three did a few laps and stopped for a pit stop. The grand finale of the demonstration was the most spectacular moment with burnouts, spins and doughnuts in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Afterwards, Luca di Montezemolo, Jean Todt and the drivers all saluted and waved to the crowds, thanking them for their support over the past few triumphant years.

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