Sudden Snowfall

It’s snowing and I’m not talking about the kind of snow that is more like rain and melts the moment that it hits the ground. This snow is thick and seems to be lingering on the street outside my window. The weather turned icy today and according to the locals this cold snap could be here to stay for quite some time. Normally I love snow, in fact for me it doesn’t quite feel like winter until the trees sparkle with frost and children throw snowballs at one another in the streets. This year, however, I would have preferred it to stay away for just one week longer. Although I will most likely be out and about tomorrow morning snapping pictures and enjoying Lodi in the snow, this sudden flurry has me worried about the planned shake down of the new Ferrari on Friday.

For those of you who don’t remember, the shake down (or promotional filming as it is sometimes referred to because of restrictions on testing) of Ferrari’s 2010 single-seater the F10 was cancelled due to bad weather which included snow and ice. Obviously this precedent has given me cause for concern.

Thankfully my friend Alex, who is an avid McLaren fan and Formula 1 enthusiast, was able to bring a smile to my face when she reminded me of the birth of Enzo Ferrari. It was 1898 and there was a snow storm in Modena on that February day. Legend has it the snowfall was so bad that Enzo’s father Alfredo was unable to leave his house and thus Enzo Ferrari’s birth was registered on February 20^th instead of February 18^th. Keeping this in mind, maybe the snow will be a good omen for Ferrari after all.

I looked at the long range forecast for Maranello this weekend and both snow and below freezing temperatures are expected for Friday and Saturday. It seems as though Mother Nature is determined to pay tribute to Enzo Ferrari in the only way that she can. I guess that all there is left to do now is keep my fingers crossed and hope that whatever the weather, the team decides to give the tifosi, who will surely show up in hoards this Friday, a glimpse of their latest championship contender. In addition to this, I will be sure to wear my warmest winter jacket along with several sweaters! Until then I’ve decided to make the most out of this snow, however long it lasts.