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3.7.06
100 competitors travelled a thousand kilometres in an all new itinerary which comprised 10 special timed stages and 3 racing track stages. As in the previous editions the event included breathtaking Italian scenery along with beautiful piazzas, small towns and cities as well as three main race tracks at Fiorano, Mugello and Misano and on their way between Emilia and Tuscany the participants were "zigzagging" through the many special trials. Apart from the participants themselves, the event's prestige was assured by the standing of its main sponsors, Credit Suisse and Porsche, who once again linked their logos to the Cento Ore this year. Naturally Modena has always been associated with automobile racing. Generations who have grown up throughout Italy's Emilia Romagna Region have naturally absorbed these values from their environment. Here, the dream of owning a historic car has never meant acquiring a status symbol: it is simply the full expression of a local birthright. The organisers of the Modena Cento Ore Classic want the event to be a tribute to the town itself, not merely as a physical entity but rather for the emotional value it has inspired over the years, with its engineering firms.phpiring to mechanical perfection in their cars, without forgetting impeccably elegant design. This makes the race meeting a truly great event. The old saying that no man is a prophet in his own country definitely applies in this case: in all the editions, more than 70% of the participants have always been foreigners, raising the event's international profile and making it one of the world's ten most important events. The "All Inclusive" package provided further reassurances that participants were able to enjoy the event to the full. The beautiful and rather hot weather in Northern Italy has contributed remarkably to the success of this year’s manifestation. As usual a careful selection of the cars was done by the organizer's commitee with the purpose of keeping a high quality level of the racing cars, and for the other categories it was a must to have a car with a sporting history. Being one of the top events of this old continent, good traditional cooking and comfortable accommodation was also guaranteed in order to make the exhibition complete and unique. The choice between the speed and regularity section left an open chance to participate also to those who are not prone to adrenaline release and allowed them to drive their gems. Once the sporting and technical scrutineering had been completed at Modena’s Novi Sad Park lunch was served at the La Meridiana Club in Formigine. Two special trial runs followed. In the evening everyone proceeded to Mario Righini’s legendary Castle-Museum in Panzano di Castelfrano Emilia, where dinner was offered in a surreal setting surrounded by last century’s queens of car racing and motorcycle racing. Sunday morning the competitors drove to Riccione (near Rimini) but before completing the 250 kms two special trails had to be conducted, before reaching Misano, where the Santa Monica race circuit was waiting. On Monday morning the convoy departed from Misano to the next important destination, the beautiful Ferrari-owned Mugello racetrack in Tuscany. This was clearly one of the highlights of the event and there waited more special trials to be completed, before turning many laps on the Mugello circuit. To recover from the day the participants then drove to Porretta Terme where they enjoyed the ancient spa town. On Tuesday the last leg of the journey began with the destination Modena again. Three special trials had to be completed and then everyone proceeded to the temple, Ferrari's race circuit of Fiorano. Here they experienced a once-in-a-lifetime thrill: the privilege of driving on the same.phphalt, of navigating the same curves and breathing the same air as the champions, usually an off-limits area accessible only by the selected few. A delicious final dinner and gala awards ceremony followed in the Baluardo della Cittadella Park. A wide variety of interesting historic cars was observed during this four day event: hordes of AC Cobras and Porsches, but also Corvette Stingrays, Mercedes Benz 300 SLs, Lancia Aurelias, Lotus Elans and Jaguars, Frazer Nash, a sensational Porsche Abarth, a stunning and super-scarce Alfa TZ2, and Alfa Romeo Montreal and many GTAMs, Ford Mustangs and the like. Naturally there were also Ferraris, nine in total. The oldest had come from Switzerland, it was a light grey 250 Mille Miglia with Pinin Farina Berlinetta body, one of only 18 units built. This car has French racing history. From England came a red 250 GT SWB Berlinetta and the incredible 250 GTO Series II owned by Anthony Bamford, driven by his son Joe. Among the UK participants was also the team of Sally and Dudley Mason-Styrron who had brought their dark blue Daytona Berlinetta, RHD and with a freshly restored leather interior by Luppi. Another Daytona, but a race version was the one of Bruno Zambelli of Bologna. It is well known that Ferrari’s type 275 GTB is now extremely popular and no fewer than three units showed up. One was an awesome 275 GTB/6C painted a deep burgundy color. Two other 275s had come from England and Switzerland. The four-day race meeting included serious competition, extremely important
machinery, super-friendly and very charming Modenese hospitality and
a most generous organizer with an enthusiastic family and crew. This
guaranteed that each participant left Modena with a deep and warm memory
of this extraordinary region. Each year the Modena Cento Ore Classic
is a dream 100 hours long.
Click here for a list of all of the Ferraris present. © Marcel Massini 03/07/06 Click here to return to the Ferrari Happenings page.
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