Record edition for the eighth Historic Minardi Day, over 17,000 attendees over the two days, which confirms itself as a reference event both for the calendar of the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, and for the enthusiasts who filled, with great enthusiasm and passion, the paddock, garages and terrace to experience as protagonists over 36 years of Formula 1 World Championships and almost 50 years of Motorsport.
A success also certified by the number of cars present – over 560 – which include 36 historic Formula 1 cars, in addition to two single-seaters kindly provided by Racing Bulls in static versions, one of which is dedicated to pit-stop testing.
The eighth edition was inaugurated by Gian Carlo Minardi’s lap of the track aboard the 1968 Ginetta G4 driven by Roberto Farneti, paving the way for the fifteen daily sessions that saw extraordinary F.Junior, F. Abarth, F. Italia, F2, F3, F4, GP3, GP2, F3000, Prototypes, Historic GTs, GTSs alternating on the track – thanks also to the participation of Scuderia del Portello, Scuderia Tazio Nuvolari and Registro Italiano Alfa Romeo RIAR – and Supercars and Hypercars Pagani Huayra Roadster BC, Lamborghini – Urus, Huracan Tacnica and Revuelto, Dallara Stradale and Pambuffetti PJ-01. The paddock was also embellished by the presence of the Pagani Zonda S, Pagani Zonda F and Pagani Utopia.
Record attendance for the historic Formula 1 cars that warmed the hearts of the fans both in the pits and during the five sessions on the track starting from the Embassy Hill GH2 – one of a kind in the world – from 1975 up to the two Williams FW33s from 2011 ex Pastor Maldonado and Rubens Barrichello, passing through the Ensign, March 761, Tyrrel P34/02 and P34/05, Shadow DN8, Theodore TR1, Wolf WR7, Merzario F1A3, Shadow DN12, Ferrari 312 T5, Ensign MN 180B, Osella FA1E, Alfa Romeo 184T-2, Arrows A10, Ferrari 126 C4, McLaren Mp4/3, Minardi M189, Williams FW 12C, Monteverdi F1, Fondmetal Fomet 1, BMS Dallara 190 and 192, Ferrari F92A, Lotus 107 of 1993, Ferrari 412 T1, McLaren MP4/09, Jordan 197, Williams FW21, McLaren MP4/15 (replica), Minardi PS02 and Minardi PS04/B.
Historic Minardi Day
Photo by: Historic Minardi Day
Despite the coincidence with the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Holland, the participation of the characters who have written important pages of world motorsport and who have always been linked to the Minardi world was conspicuous, not failing to be present at the Historic Minardi Day: the ACI President Angelo Sticchi Damiani, the Engineers Aldo Costa, Gabriele Tredozi, the CEO Aprilia Massimo Rivola, Andrea Levy, Arturio Merzario, Benito Battilani, Beppe Gabbiani, Fabio Babini, Francesco Bergami, Frits Vaan Eerd, Fulvio Maria Ballabio, Gabriele Lancieri, Gianni Giudici, Giorgio Francia, Giovanni Lavaggi, Lamberto Leoni, Luca Badoer, Marco Antonelli, Marco Apicella, Massimo Ciccozzi, Miguel Angel Guerra, Pietro Corredig and Sonia Borghese, Nicolò Piancastelli, Pierluigi Martini, Paolo Delle Piane, Raffaele Giammaria, Riccardo Patrese,
Roberto Farneti, Roberto Ravaglia, Sergio Campana, Siegfried Stohr and Thierry Boutsen. Among the protagonists also the famous illustrator and cartoonist “Matitaccia” Giorgio Serra and Brando Badoer.
There were many emotional moments, including the delivery of the 3rd “Nando Minardi” Memorial to Frits Vaan Eerd, friend and major collector of Minardi F1 cars; to the Minardi Clubs Bertinoro, San Francisco, Montreal and Lauria for their continued support; Club Motori Modena – Scuderia Modena Corse for their active support in the days following the 2023 flood through intervention with vehicles and cultural initiatives to help the population of Faenza. Arturo Merzario returned to the wheel of the Lucchini Alfa Romeo (Scuderia del Portello); Pierluigi Martini took turns at the wheel of the Tyrrell P34/02 and P34/05, Minardi M189 on Saturday and the F3 Ralt with which he won the European Championship in 1983; Miguel Angel Guerra, at the wheel of Pierluigi Martini’s M189, made his debut with a Minardi F1 in addition to having driven the March 761; Thierry Boutsen took to the track on Sunday afternoon to drive Alain Prost’s number 1 McLaren MP4/03.
Historic Minardi Day
Photo by: Historic Minardi Day
There was also intense activity in the paddock with the “augmented reality” areas, thanks to the IMOLA VR EXPERIENCE and “pit-stop” together with the presence of the big screen for the Formula 1 GP and the screening of the docu-series dedicated to Roland Ratzenberger, created by the German director Peter Levay.
As per tradition, the two-day Historic Minardi Day concluded with the 123 historic cars that were the protagonists of the Raduno Terre di Romagna within the ACI Storico Festival, a day entirely dedicated to passion, culture and the territory organized by AC Ravenna, in collaboration with ACI Storico. Starting from the Imola racetrack, the convoy crossed the Romagna countryside, passing through Faenza, Errano, Brisighella and Riolo Terme before returning to the track for the closing parade of the event.
Gian Carlo Minardi: “This edition of the Historic Minardi Day has exceeded all expectations and I thank my brother Giuseppe and my niece Elena, together with the entire Formula Imola team, for the great work done in recent months. It was unthinkable to imagine such exponential growth, both in terms of cars, public and specialists in the sector, compared to the previous edition which already represented an excellent result. I was extremely pleased to see the new generations also enthusiastic, because there were many young people present who snooped around the pits and admired the many cars that have written the history of motorsport. This result is also a good sign in terms of the economic spin-off generated in the area, with the accommodation facilities that have benefited from the sold-out crowd in Imola and the surrounding area. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the municipal administration, starting with the mayor of Imola Marco Panieri, and the President of Con.Ami Fabio Bacchilega for the constant support, together with the President of ACI Angelo Sticchi Damiani, whose presence and compliments have given me great pleasure. Now all that remains is to get to work on the 2025 edition, with the aim of moving the date to mid-September, on the weekend of 13-14
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