2012 Mille Miglia: Maranello

I was jolted out of bed somewhere between three and four this morning, when my bedroom began shaking violently from side to side. My first thought was “not again!” and my second was “I wish I hadn’t worn those sweatpants that are so old they are almost transparent to bed!” Just as I was about to put my shoes on, suddenly the tremor stopped and I breathed a sigh of relief. This was the kind of earthquake tremor that we had experienced here in Lodi earlier this January and we were not at the epicentre. I crawled back into bed and soon passed out, unaware that I had been near the origin of the earthquake only hours earlier.

When I awoke again, I turned on my computer to discover much to my horror that the 6. 3 magnitude earthquake had not only struck near the Emilia Romagna town of Modena, but that it had also killed at least three people. Apparently it is one of the largest earthquakes that the region has ever faced and my thoughts are with the victims and their families.

As some of you may already be aware, the historic Mille Miglia automobile race passed through both Modena and Maranello yesterday and I decided to travel to the home of Ferrari for what may be my last visit in a long time. As I reached my destination, I couldn’t help but think about all of the things that Ferrari means to me and also what my time living near Maranello has meant. Being able to keep a promise that I made to myself when I was a little girl, even if that promise seemed to be a little crazy has given me this wonderful sense of closure and also rekindled the feeling inside me that anything is possible.

When I arrived in the town, I headed immediately for my favourite spot overlooking the Fiorano circuit and after a few moments of contemplation, decided to make a trek around its perimeter. Fighting past overgrown grass as rain began to fall and being startled by random animal noises and abnormally healthy insects, I treated myself to some of Fiorano’s most spectacular views. I paused in particular in front of Enzo Ferrari’s old house and couldn’t help but laugh to think of the many times that I have tried to talk my way passed the security guards that protect the gates to Fiorano or wondered if I could somehow find a bush with a hole in it. I will miss this place and all of my random Maranello adventures. After a good hour spent admiring the track, I emerged from the long grass covered in dirt and certainly dishevelled looking. It’s like I always say, you know it’s been a good day out when you are caked in a layer of mud and sweat!

The Mille Miglia was scheduled to arrive in Maranello at around six in the evening but an hour before that, the Ferrari tribute to the race was set to pass through the historic front gates of the factory. The Mille Miglia race is important to Italian motorsport and to Modena’s motor valley in particular, but to Ferrari the race is of special significance. “The Mille Miglia arouses in me strong emotions, for this race epitomises long years of my life.” Enzo Ferrari wrote in his autobiography at the end of a chapter titled simply “Why?”. “I have been involved in it first as a competitor, then as the race organizer of the firm to which I belonged, Alfa Romeo; and, finally, as a car builder – always filled with admiration for the race itself and its champions. The Mille Miglia, in fact, was a competition that not only made a decisive contribution to the technical evolution of the cars themselves, but also revealed who were the real champions. No driver could call himself complete if his laurels did not include also a victory at Brescia.”

 In “My Terrible Joys” which is like a bible to tifosi like me, Ferrari continues to talk about the race with great fondness. He remembers funny stories such as the amusing incident when he observed Antonio Ascari’s mechanic, Sozzi, sweating profusely. Apparently Ascari had made him put pieces of led sheet in his pockets and shoes when he was found to be nine pounds under weight.

It seems as though Ferrari was even fond of some of the race’s strange regulations, such as one which forbid the use of horns. “Every mechanic carried with him a supply of hammers, bolts, old sparking plugs and other odds and ends that might be used as projectiles with which to signal to the driver in front- deafened by his engine- that he should make way for some one wishing to overtake him. Ah, those races of the heroic days of motoring.” He concluded.

Sadly for Ferrari, all of his memories of the event were not so pleasant. The Mille Miglia was banned in 1957 after two fatal crashes. The first crash involved Ferrari driver Alfonso de Portago and killed not only the driver and co-driver but also nine spectators, five of them children. Enzo Ferrari was blamed publically for the incident and although he was eventually cleared of charges that were lodged against him, it was a very difficult time for the Italian. Even after such tragedy, Ferrari’s support for the race and calls to have it reinstated continued.

In 1977, The Mille Miglia became the Mille Miglia Storica. Although its latest incarnation no longer showcases the latest technological advances or provides an arena for the world greatest drivers to do battle, the Mille Miglia still presents a challenge for both car and driver and is a fitting tribute to what was once one of the major events on the automotive calendar.

Enzo Ferrari was notorious for not wishing to look back but only to the future of his cars. In fact, he would often scrap old race cars after they had ceased to be of use to the team. I’m not sure what he would have thought of the modern-day Mille Miglia but for someone like me, who was not around for the dawn of motor racing, it is a unique opportunity to see historic cars being driven as they were intended to be, not collecting dust in a museum.

As the time for the arrival of the Mille Miglia approached, a crowd of fans congregated in front of the factory gates with cameras in hand. I heard many different languages and accents amongst them; there were the Germans, an elderly British couple and of course the ever-present tifosi. Some, I discovered, had been following the cars since they left Brescia on Thursday. One Italian man standing next to me explained that he follows the Mille Miglia every year and hopes one day to be able to even participate.

Present too were the paparazzi, who jostled for position in front of the barriers that had been erected to block off the street and keep spectators at bay. Several were extremely aggressive, shouting at one another in Italian. “Hey, you’re blocking my shot!” one of them exclaimed. “I’m just doing my job.” was the slightly frazzled photographer’s response. “No you’re not, you’re just being an ass!” the first paparazzo hissed with venom.

After observing the Ferrari tribute parade of mostly modern Ferraris pass through the gates of Maranello for quite some time, suddenly the first historic cars appeared. These were cars that I have only ever seen stationary before or in books filled with black and white photos, so to observe them passing right before my eyes in full living colour brought a huge grin to my face. In addition to the cars, some of the drivers even sported classic racing goggles and other gear from an era long gone. One by one, the cars made their way passed the crowd, waving and taking various pictures of their own.

One especially interesting entry was a 1952 Jaguar C-Type which was piloted by none other than Williams Grand Prix Engineering’s Patrick Head. He appeared to be enjoying the attention as his entry passed by where I was standing and the crowd gave him a big cheer as he was recognised. Stirling Moss fans may recognise this particular Jaguar as the car that the legendary driver used in the 1952 Mille Miglia. In fact, sixty years later, Sir Stirling Moss and former Jaguar chief development engineer, Norman Dewis, were reunited once more and drove the car during the race's first leg in Brescia. At the ages of 82 and 91 years old, the pair showed that their passion is as strong as ever.

After several hours of watching beautiful cars from several different positions near the historic factory gates, I happened to look at my watch and realised that it was very late. I asked a nearby police officer when the last bus left for Modena and where I could catch it and was informed that the last bus had in fact left. Faced with the sudden issue of how to get home, I left the Mille Miglia Storica and wandered into the city centre to find a taxi or perhaps book a hotel room for the night.

In all honesty, I was freaking out a little bit since I had on me only ten Euros and was not relishing the prospect of hitch hiking or sleeping in a field! Luckily for me as I passed several shops I noticed a bus stop where several people were waiting. One of the women told me that the last bus was due to arrive in two minutes and just as the words came out of her mouth, the large blue bus rolled around the corner.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief and assumed position on the left side; I wanted to see Maranello one more time. As the sun set, the bus took an unusual route through the town. It wound its way behind the Ferrari factory where employees usually enter the complex, it passed by people carrying Ferrari banners as the remaining Mille Miglia Storica cars arrived and it drove up the hill that overlooks the Fiorano circuit.

As I looked out the window at the miniature cars circulating around the track below, I felt a huge sense of gratitude for everything that I have experienced because of Ferrari. Without a doubt I was sad to leave once again, but I know in my heart that I will be back one day.

Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport Announces that Alonso is a Wizard

Maybe it’s just me, but the atmosphere in Lodi today is simply electric. People are walking around with an extra bounce in their step and Ferrari’s thrilling victory in Malaysia is on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

I happened to bump into a friend of mine who used to work for Ferrari while on the way to purchase today’s Gazzetta dello Sport. Although she no longer is with the team, she still is very passionate about them and always speaks extremely fondly of her time in Maranello. She beamed at me broadly when she saw me wearing my Ferrari piquet polo shirt and we proceeded to chat excitedly about the race. She had been on the edge of her seat cheering on Fernando Alonso, just as I was and was very happy for the team. When I asked her about Felipe Massa, she replied that she couldn’t see him being replaced before the end of the season. Apparently Massa is very well liked at Ferrari and even though he is not performing, he still has many friends within the team.

After our very interesting conversation, I grabbed myself a copy of the Gazzetta dello Sport and anxiously rushed home to read it. For those of you who have never heard of the Gazzetta, it is Italy’s favourite daily sports newspaper and often publishes articles about Ferrari that range from celebratory to inflammatory within its light pink pages. Want to know what most Italian tifosi are talking about? Pick up an issue of the Gazzetta dello Sport and read about it.

 

 

An interesting fact about the Gazzetta is that one Enzo Ferrari even published an article for the newspaper in his youth. After his initial dream of becoming a famous opera singer failed as Enzo simply did not have the talent for the profession, the passionate Ferrari founder began perusing a career in sports journalism. At the tender age of sixteen, he wrote an article titled “Inter Milan-Modena 7:1” which was published in the famous newspaper. In addition to this, in 1924 Ferrari’s love of journalism saw him become one of the founders of the sporting newspaper Corriere dello Sport in Bologna. I am always amazed and inspired when I think about Enzo Ferrari’s many accomplishments, he was truly a remarkable person.

Back to the Gazzetta dello Sport, today’s headlines were naturally written in a triumphant tone. “Mago Alonso” or “Wizard Alonso” proclaimed the front page with a picture of a jubilant Alonso celebrating on the podium. Inside the newspaper, amongst the race analysis was an article about Sergio Perez’s remarkable drive. “Il Futuro è suo” it read, “The Future is his”.

When Perez turned around to look at the Mexican flag as it was being raised on the podium yesterday and then looked out at the crowd with an innocent smile, I couldn’t help but wonder what the future has in store for this talented young man. It seems almost certain that he will be wearing red sometime soon and it is my hope that his drive in Malaysia is just the first of many trips to the podium that he will be taking this year.

As for today’s newspaper, I plan on keeping it as a memento of this victory. It now joins my pile of old newspapers that includes headlines such as Jacques Villeneuve’s World championship in 1997 and Rubens Barrichello’s maiden win in 2000. I know that one day I will take it out, dust it off and smile when I relive this wonderful day. Forza Ferrari!

Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari: Pictures

Here are some more pictures from the opening day at the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari.

Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari: Grand Opening

As I reported yesterday evening, today marked the grand opening of the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari (Enzo Ferrari Museum) in Modena and I made my way to the city especially to partake in the event.

I left Lodi late in the morning simply because the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari was not scheduled to open until five in the afternoon and although I also planned on heading to Maranello for a few hours, I didn’t want to arrive too early. The train that I boarded was travelling all the way down to Rome and seemed to stop at every station along the way to Modena. As I settled into my chair, a group of teenaged boys took seats nearby and began to talk loudly amongst one another. It seemed that they were also on their way to the Enzo Ferrari Museum for the day and I began to get excited listening to them discussing it. According to the boys the museum was expected to draw thousands of visitors on the first day and there would be no admission charge for those in attendance. As I looked out the window, I smiled secretively; this was going to be an epic experience!

When the train pulled up to the Modena train station, I immediately made my way to the main bus terminal nearby. While the area is usually busy, today it was insane and bustling with people. Buses were departing for Maranello as often as every five minutes and I crammed my way onto one of them quickly. When I arrived at the little town thirty minutes later I was surprised to find it incredibly empty.

While it is true that I enjoy Maranello during the week, when it is full of visitors, I think that I prefer it on the weekends when it is quiet and peaceful. On days like today, I will usually spend an hour or more at my favourite spot, which overlooks Fiorano, just thinking about Ferrari and life in general. This afternoon as I stared out pensively onto the empty circuit my thoughts turned to Melbourne and the approaching Grand Prix. Although pre-season testing and all of the comments that have come out of Maranello recently have left me worried, I still have faith in Ferrari and especially in the spirit of its employees. If any team can triumph over adversity it is them and before I boarded the bus back to Modena, I took a moment to send my positive thoughts their way…Forza Ferrari!

Once back in Modena, I set out to find the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari. I had written down some vague directions that I had discovered on the internet, but as I neared the area where the museum is located (very near the train station) it became immediately obvious that I would not need them. The path to the museum had been marked by an army of yellow banners which all had a picture of Enzo Ferrari’s famous sunglasses on them along with one of his most quoted sayings. “Se lo poi sognare lo poi fare.” They stated, or “If you can dream it, you can do it” in English.

After only a few short minutes of walking, I joined a rather large crowd that had congregated in front of a big, glossy, yellow gate which stood between us and the long driveway leading up to the museum. In the distance I could see Alfredo Ferrari’s old factory as well as many police officers preparing for the first visitors. The crowd was filled with local Italians as well as a few people who had gone a little bit overboard with their wardrobe selections. One man in particular made me laugh. He was standing directly in front of me wearing every piece of Ferrari gear imaginable and was also carrying a large flag puzzlingly enough. I came close on several occasions to asking him exactly what he planned on doing with a flag inside a museum but decided that it was probably best to just keep quiet on this point.

As more people joined the crowd, the minutes ticked down and suddenly at a few minutes before five o’clock, the big, yellow gate began to slowly open. I found myself amongst several people who were at the very front of the line and decided that I would attempt to become one of the museum’s first public visitors. Walking at a brisk pace, I managed to pass a few of the slow movers and ended up in a small group of about fifteen people who had the honour of being the very first members of the public to see the museum. The media took several photographs of our group and of the official first visitor in particular. She was kitted out in Ferrari gear and was a very fitting representative of the type of people all over the world who will be anxious to see the inside of the museum.

The tour guide explained in Italian that we would have to stay with him and walk through the museum quickly, only taking several photos. I decided that this plan was not to my liking and after signing the guest book on page number one, I drifted back a little bit and pretended not to understand the language.

The inside of the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari was absolutely stunning. I loved the open concept and its modern feel. There were a whole variety of classic race cars in the main building, from Alfa Romeos to Maseratis. My only real complaint was that parts of the museum had been sectioned off for the opening. It would have been nice to read a little bit more about the cars and the history that I was looking at. Still, the displays were beautiful and the architecture was awe inspiring.

After spending a lot longer than I was supposed to in the new area, I made my way to the building that used to be Alfredo Ferrari’s factory. This was the part of the museum that I had been anticipating the most as it is a physical part of Ferrari’s history. The outside of it was pretty interesting and when I looked at the reconstructed façade I was able to imagine what Enzo Ferrari’s life was like when he was a boy. Unfortunately the inside of the house was not at all what I had expected. I had hoped for a large quantity of memorabilia from Ferrari’s childhood and even the recreation of parts of the inside of the factory. Instead, there were several videos playing on the white walls and a few Ferrari magazines and model cars. One item that I did enjoy, however, was Enzo Ferrari’s trademark accessory. I am of course talking about the dark sunglasses that he never took off, even when inside. He claimed that he wore them for medical reasons but I like to think that he realised that he was creating his own legend.

As I neared the exit of Alfredo Ferrari’s factory, I noticed that there was another display of cars and other memorabilia that had been sectioned off from the public. I wasn’t able to get a good look at it because a security officer ushered me away before I could take any photographs and told me that it would be viewable starting from tomorrow. Perhaps because the museum was free to visitors today, the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari decided to keep some of its best displays under wraps.

No visit to any museum would be complete without a trip to the gift shop and the purchase of a souvenir. After browsing the selection of goods that were on offer, I picked up a yellow Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari T-shirt which had been made in limited numbers especially for the opening. Clutching my trophy, I walked back towards the yellow front gates and was immediately thankful that I had been one of the museum’s initial visitors and had not shown up later. The line stretched all the way down the driveway and did not look like it was moving particularly fast at all.

Overall I think that the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari is extremely promising. The space is gorgeous and I’m sure that designer Jan Kaplický would be very proud of it had he lived to see this day. The cars that are currently on display are well worth seeing and I am sure that in the coming months, the museum’s collection will continue to expand. My only suggestion would be for the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari to create some displays that visitors can interact with like they have in Maranello’s Museo Ferrari. That and to display more racing memorabilia that would add to the overall picture of the history of motorsport in Modena. Like I said above, however, I am sure that what I saw today is only a part of what the museum has to offer and that the best is yet to come.

I am, in fact, already aware of one exhibit that will draw me back to the museum’s gates in the near future. From May 8^th to June 10^th the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari will be home to part of a giant exhibition dedicated to the late Gilles Villeneuve. The majority of the exhibition, which honours the great Canadian racer thirty years after his death, will be displayed at the Foro Boario exhibition centre in Modena. http://www.modenaterradimotori.com/en/modules/mastop_publish/?tac=mostra The historic Mille Miglia race will also pass through Modena during this time period and so look out for the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari to honour its significance to the area in some way as well.

If today was any indication of the museum’s popularity, it will surely become a must-see venue for tifosi who visit the area. Maybe in the years to come I will be able to wear my yellow t-shirt with pride and retell the story of how I was the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari’s fifth public visitor. After all, it isn’t every day that I get to have an experience like that!