MILLE MIGLIA 2016 Press Release for International presentation

Transcription

1 MILLE MIGLIA 2016 Press Release for International presentation Geneva, 2 March 2016: official presentation of the thirty fourth edition of the race described by Enzo Ferrari as "the only travelling museum in the world. The event, scheduled to take place from 19 to 22 May, is presented at the Geneva International Motor Show. Enormous enthusiasm and a great increase in participation requests. After a difficult selection phase assessing 663 requests from 40 countries, an official list of 440 starters, representing 36 nations from five continents, was drawn up. The Mille Miglia route varies slightly from the 2015 edition: there is a great expectation for the race which passes through the historical centres of the most fascinating towns in Italy. «When one celebrates the past one must ask if there is a reason. The Mille Miglia has been the image of technical, social and human progress; we do well to celebrate it, because reliving the past helps the future». Giannino Marzotto, winner of the Mille Miglia 1950 and 1953 Geneva was the obvious choice to unveil what has been defined "the most beautiful race in the world", today the best known event for vehicles of historical interest and one of the biggest motor vehicle shows, with almost six hundred cars taking part. The International Motor Show - traditionally a meeting place for different cultures and multi-ethnic dialogue is the ideal setting to present the new Mille Miglia to the press, in a spirit of increasing international friendship. The fever surrounding the most admired travelling museum in the world continues to thrill enthusiasts world wide; registrations for the 2016 edition of Mille Miglia have surpassed all expectations: despite the fact that the current economic crisis still has not abated, and this has affected the number of registrations in the last few years, the overall number of participants is greater than last year and the best for the four years of 1000 Miglia Srl management. During this time, on-line registration of teams and vehicles has increased to about 3.000; and this year, not including incomplete or non valid entries, the examining board have assessed 665 participants from 40 countries. Following an intense selection process, with the application of strict quality criteria, the Selection Committee has finally revealed the list of vehicles accepted, all of which are of high historic and sporting significance and are of excellent quality.

2 In order to extend the historical value of the unique selection of vintage cars that will take part in this event, this year, over and above those vehicles usually seen at the Red Arrow event, the committee has decided to also accept a further 25 vehicles, reaching a total 430 vehicles. These models fall within Mille Miglia characteristics but for various reasons they did not participate in the race during the crucial years. These vehicles will take part in the race in the same way as all the others but will be included in a Special List : the only difference being the non assignment of a coefficient of merit, in order for the winner to come from among those models that actually took part in the race from 1927 to A further ten vehicles in the Military Category will bring the number of cars participating in competition to numbers never seen before in any other event of this nature. These will be driven by officers from various branches of the Italian Armed Forces, echoing what occurred at the Mille Miglia race in These 440 masterpieces of design and mechanics, constructed before 1957, will take part in this automobile event without precedent, covering approximately km over Italian roads. The event will be even more fascinating with the participation of the remaining 150 automobiles - manufactured after taking part in the "Ferrari Tribute to Mille Miglia" and the Mercedes-Benz Mille Miglia Challenge, reserved for the more modern vehicles made by the two manufacturing houses. VALUED TREASURES FROM THE MANUFACTURERS MUSEUMS The many reasons that make the Mille Miglia a unique race include its refined, exclusive and prestigious nature, but it is also the most valued travelling museum in the history of the automobile. Once a year priceless treasures that have become intrinsically linked with wellloved memories of international motor sport, gather in Brescia. Museums sending their vehicles to Brescia include Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche. Among the vehicles belonging to private owners or to museums there will be over seventy cars that will once again come to Brescia after having raced in at least one edition of the Mille Miglia, from 1927 to One car that is worthy of special mention, is the Ferrari 340 with which Gigi Villoresi won the 1951 edition and an Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara, that was owned by Benito Mussolini, this car participated in the Mille Miglia in 1936, driven by Ercole Boratto, Il Duce s driver. The manufacturer with the most cars present remains Alfa Romeo with 46 cars (chosen from among the 61 entered), followed by FIAT with 39 (from among the 46 entered) and Mercedes-Benz with 33 (from among 57). These are followed by Lancia with 25 (42), Ferrari with 22 (23), Porsche with 21 (38), Jaguar with 20 (56) and Bugatti (21) both with 20 cars starting out and Aston Martin with 17 (32). The list of participants is completed by other names for a total of 71 manufacturers out of the 75 entered. Entries have been received from 40 countries on all the continents, and 36 teams were accepted from as many countries, with Italy continuing to be the country with the majority of participants, with 258 participants out of 347 entries. Registration requests are increasing from countries such as Germany, with 87 people (out of 161 entries), The Netherlands with 68 (out of 115), United Kingdom with 60 (out of 116), the United States, with 50 (out of 66), Switzerland with 35 (out of 65), Belgium with 30 (out of 58) and Argentina with 17 (out of 24). It must be mentioned that, as each year the number of teams consisting of people of different nationalities increases, these numbers concern individual people.

3 At the time of going to press, out of the members of the 665 teams and vehicles registered, the nationalities and identities of 203 people have not yet been revealed. Cars that have been selected, of which at least one model was registered for the Mille Miglia speed race, in the years from 1927 to 1957, in one of the models included in the list of eligible vehicles published on our website. In order to be selected the entered vehicles must have at least one of the following documents: Fiche ACI-CSAI (Commissione Sportiva Automobilistica Italiana), Htp FIA (Historic technical passport issued by the Fédération Internationale de l'automobile) or ID FIVA (Identity Card from the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens). Registered automobiles are selected by a special committee consisting of experts appointed by 1000 Miglia Srl and international technical inspectors, coordinated by our Operations Committee. A BREATHTAKING RIDE THROUGH HISTORICAL CENTRES AND NATURE RESERVES The thirty fourth edition of Mille Miglia, the most famous road race of all time, will be held from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 May The date, in keeping with tradition, is one week before the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. For the fourth year running 1000 Miglia srl will be responsible for organising this great automobile race. The company is fully owned by Automobile Club Brescia and was created by the same company in The management of the race by 1000 Miglia Srl for the last three years has resulted in new standards, both in terms of sports results and concerning financial returns. In keeping with the traditions dating back to 1927, the route will begin and end in Brescia, and will travel across half of Italy, with Rome being the point of return. Each year there are changes to the route, in order to allow Mille Miglia to pass through towns it has not visited for some years. In 2016, with this in mind, some changes have been made to the route. In 2016, Mille Miglia will cover four stages, in four days. The first stage will leave in the early afternoon of Thursday 19 May, after passing through the Sigurtà di Valeggio sul Mincio Garden Park, Ravenna and Ferrara, it will end in Rimini. The second stage, the day after, on Friday 20 May, will have a stopover in Macerata for lunch and in Fermo for events reserved for the modern Ferrari and Mercedes -Benz. As is traditional, the evening of the second stage, a Friday, will see participants arrive in Rome, and as the Jubilee will be running concurrently, some changes will be made to the customary nighttime drive in the city centre. On Saturday 16, the route will leave the capital and will be unchanged up to Tuscany, with a break in Poggibonsi. Following checks in Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence, and to fulfil the request of the many supporters who have always loved to see the cars perform on the bends, waiving and cheering them on, Mille Miglia 2016 will once again tackle the Futa and Raticosa Passes, where epic undertakings were performed by the masters of the steering wheel. The third stage will again end in Parma, which last year gave the participants a particularly warm welcome. From here, the next morning, the participants will return to Brescia, arriving once again at lunch time, as was the schedule last year, since we have seen that this has been very successful in the last two years.

4 Travelling from Parma, the long convoy of the Freccia Rossa (Red Arrow) will cross Cremona, continuing northwards. Mille Miglia will once again organise tests to be held in the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (National Circuit of Monza), as this was highly appreciated by the teams and the many spectators. From this circuit, designed and founded in 1922 by Arturo Mercanti, the cars in the race will cross Bergamo and journey through Franciacorta, continuing in their promotion of the area. Unlike previous years, the participants will be served lunch shortly before their arrival, a few kilometres from Brescia: in Gussago. Everyone will be able to taste the local speciality, characteristic meat on the skewer alla bresciana. From 14h00 onwards, once again Viale Venezia will see the chequered flag fly on the Freccia Rossa (Red Arrow), as it did in THE NOVELTIES OF THE THIRTY FOURTH EDITION The novelties of the 2016 edition include the new coefficients that will be applied to the scores obtained by each car in the race, calculated taking into account the era and sporting nature of the over nine hundred models of cars registered for the Mille Miglia, i.e. those that have participated in at least one edition of the race for speed, in the years going from 1927 to The new coefficients, that will be published on the website have been completely recalculated with the aim of rewarding the more sporty models, those that have played such a large part in automobile competitions. Another effect of the new coefficients will be to reduce the divide between pre-war models and the sports cars of the post-war years, which, until last year, were virtually excluded from a place on the podium. Lastly, with the aim of promoting those models of cars that were the protagonists of the Mille Miglia from 1927 to 1957, two points bonuses were introduced: the first is the same one adopted until two years ago, attributed to those models (chassis number) that have a certified participation in at least one edition. The only difference is the value of 5%, versus the 10% of the recent past. The second bonus, always of 5%, will be assigned to all those models of cars that, in the twenty four editions of the speed race won their class or category. This change in the coefficients adopted until last year, and which came into effect in 2008, aims at rewarding the vintage cars with a more glorious past, further increasing the historical and sporting value of a collection of cars that has no equal, and an automobile event that has no equal. With its ability to merge tradition, innovation, creativity, elegance, beautiful landscapes and the lifestyle found in our country, Mille Miglia will continue, also in 2016, to be a symbol of Italian excellence in the world. STATEMENTS FROM THE ORGANISERS Piergiorgio Vittorini, Chairman of Automobile Club Brescia, has stated that Mille Miglia is currently one of the most successful Italian brands in the world, attracting to Brescia participants from throughout the world, adding that: «Following three years of excellent results, proven by very satisfactory financial results, for Mille Miglia 2016 there will be a new cycle, with the aim of making the Red Arrow even more well known throughout the world, thanks to the sponsors who support us and the management skills of our city.».

5 The Chairman of 1000 Miglia Srl, Aldo Bonomi, mentioned that «In June 2012, we decided to set up 1000 Miglia Srl: three years later, the financial results confirm that this idea has brought increased financial resources to Automobile Club Brescia. Now it is time for a new cycle: the merger of many traditions - sporting, historical, cultural and human - of the Red Arrow and modern management encompassing international talent will form a formidable base from which the ongoing future success of our Brescia race - the Mille Miglia - can launch. We are returning to Geneva after three years. Mille Miglia has grown a lot since then: the balance sheet data confirm the good work done by management, showing excellent growth in the first three years of operation». Franco Gussalli Beretta, Vice Chairman of 1000 Miglia Srl, mentioned a few technical aspects of the race, stating that: «The last balance sheet closed with a turnover of 8 million, 85 thousand Euro, an increase of 34% compared to The gross operating result passed from 788 thousand to 1 million 740 thousand Euro, showing a growth of 814% compared to 190 thousand in the first financial year. The net profits as of 30 June 2015 rose to 1 million 195 thousand Euro, compared to 507 thousand in 2014, an increase of 1657% compared to the 68 thousand Euro recorded on the same date at the closure of the 2013 balance sheet. The decision to set up 1000 Miglia S.r.l. was therefore a successful one as it allowed the company and the shareholder to maximise the marginal profit. We based our decision on a long term strategy and healthy management, with the firm support of all those involved: employees, collaborators, participants and with the essential support of our sponsors. This is definitely a group we are very proud of and to whom we offer our heartfelt thanks today». Giuseppe Cherubini, route curator, in his presentation of the 2016 route to the journalists in Geneva, stated: «In their journey from Brescia to Rimini, to Rome, to Parma and then again to Brescia, the participants will see a scenario of art and history that can be offered only by the piazzas of some of the most beautiful cities in Italy. The landscapes outside the cities are equally as beautiful. The natural beauty of the Italian countryside in the loveliest regions will be admired during the journey. There will also be un unforgettable trip through the smallest Republic in the world, San Marino, with its majestic Fortress. Mille Miglia 2016 will be able to offer an exclusive mixture in a long breathtaking ride: on the one hand emphasising the ancient centres of the real Italy, marked by history; on the other areas of unsurpassed charm, through natural parks and unspoilt locations». To receive press releases in digital format, please contact the press Office: pressoffice@1000miglia.it For information and to download pictures in the press area (prior to registration):