Historic Minardi Day | Motors and Music meet at Imola

 “I planned the Historic Minardi Day on the format I would like to see in Formula 1. An “open door” F1 in direct contact with the public. At Imola all the enthusiasts and fans will be able to see and touch the racing cars, meet the drivers and their favourites but above all once again hear the historic sounds of the powerful Formula 1 cars. During the press conference for the Australian Grand Prix Chris Horner – Red Bull’s team principal– said that the most beautiful sound of the entire weekend in Melbourne came from a twelve year old car, a Minardi PS05 despite the fact that at the time it was not competitive. At Imola it will be possible to hear them once more.”

Gian Carlo Minardi.

The second edition of the Historic Minardi Day is coming together for the weekend of May 7 and 7 at Imola’s Dino and Enzo Ferrari Circuit. It is an event dedicated to drivers, fans, collectors and enthusiasts that want to relive the emotions tied to the history of Formula 1 and the team from Faenza founded by Gian Carlo Minardi.

After the success of last year’s first edition the Historic Minardi Day confirms the formula of having the paddock and boxes open to the fans that will be able to touch the cars and to meet the drivers and technicians. The gates of the Imola circuit will open and the motors of the powerful and historic F1, F2, F3 and GT cars will come alive beginning at 9.00am on Saturday May 6th and everything will close only at 6.30pm on Sunday 7th.

The cars on the track: F1, F2, F3 and GT
A forty year trip in time, thanks to a starting grid made up of more than twenty five Formula1 racing cars which will come back to roar around the 4.909 m of the track next to Imola’s Santerno River eleven years after Michael Schumacher’s win at the wheel of a Ferrari F248 F1. It will begin with Manuel Fangio’s Maserati 250F in 1957 up to the 2005 Minardi passing through the Minardi M1986 – protagonist of the 1986 F1 with Alessandro Nannini and Adrian Campos driving – the M189 with which Martini-Sala won 6 points in 1982, the Minardi M192with the Lamborghini motor of the pair Martini-Fittipaldi, the M198 of Tuero and Nakana, the 2000 Mo1 of Marc Genè and Gaston Mazzacane  and the Mo1 with which Fernando Alonso made his debut in the world championship.

Ferrari will not be missing with the 212B3 and 312B4 “snow sweeper” (1973), Clay Regazzoni’s 1974 Ferrari 314B4, the March 761, the 1972 Tecno F1, James Hunt’s 1979 Wolf WR7 and his historic rival Nikki Lauda, the 1980 world championship Williams FW07, the Alfa Romeo powered 1981 Osella FA1 and the Alfa Romeo 184 T. The 1990s will be represented by, amongst others, Jean Alesi and Gerard Berger’s B197 Benetton and the Fondmetal F1 and  Dallara 190.

Nearly thirty cars from Formula 2 and Formula 3 from the most important constructors with the Minardi 1982 F2 acting as host. On track there will be cars from the 60s, 70s and 80s such as the March-BMW, the Ralt F3000, the Tecno, Lola and Dallara. There are important numbers and will be joined by historic GT cars amongst which are the Alfa Romeo 33 TT3, Ferrari Berlinetta 250, Porsche Macan Turbo, Lotus and Dome Le Mans.

“I wish to thank all the collectors and drivers who accepted to participate actively in this feast of sport, in particular Paul and Graham North from Britain and Dutchman Frits Van Eerd who this year will be amongst the protagonists of the Le Mans 24 hour race with an LMP2 together with Rubens Barrichello and Jan Lammer. The Historic Minardi Day will be the opportunity to embrace all our friends from the Fan Clubs in Italy and around the world.”
Gian Carlo Minardi

Drivers and Technicians in the paddock

Fans will have the opportunity to meet drivers that wrote important pages of motor sport history and that of the team from Faenza such as Miguel Angel Guerra, Pierluigi Martini and Paolo Barilla who won the Le Mans 24 hours, Alessandro Nannini, Adrian Campos, Luis Perez Sala, Roberto Moreno, Luca Badoer, Tarso Marques, Jarno Trulli, Gaston Mazzacane, together with five times Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro, Riccardo Patrese  the 1992 Vice world champion with Williams, Andrea Montermini and the engineers Garbiele Tredozi who joined the team in 1988 and was its technical director from 2001 – 2005 and Aldo Costa who left Faenza to go to Brackley to the world championship winning Mercedes with Hamilton and Rosberg.

“We have created a varied programme. Not only will there be lots of action on the track with the Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and  GT cars but also the Live Music Show and the Minardi Classic which will visit some of the most beautiful medieval towns in the Romagna around Imola which will end at the Imola circuit, as well as a photographic competition.”
Gian Carlo Minardi

When the engines are turned off on Saturday May 6 the spotlights will come on in the paddock for the Live Music Show (beginning at 9.00pm) which will see on the Minardi Live Stage Dedo and the Megaphones and the exceptional guest star will be Max Gazzè, a great artist and excellent driver. Tickets are already one sale at the circuit and TicketOne together with the two day passes.

Together with C.R.A.M.E. (the Historic Auto and motor Club of Romagna), whose president Bruno Brusa owns a GM75 Minardi, on the day of Saturday May 6 more than 40 classic and vintage road cars such as the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider Zagato will wind around the wonderful local hills stopping at magnificent medieval towns and cities of art before making their entrance in the Imola circuit in the late afternoon. The vehicles of the Minardi Classic will remain on show in the paddock for the rest of the event.

The prologue to the event will occur on Friday May 5 with the feast of Golf which begins at 2.00pm at Faenza’s “Le Cicogne” Golf course with drivers, sporting personalities and VIPs who will take part in a challenge that all enthusiasts will be able to witness at the club. Entry is free.

There is also room for photography. Beginning at 9.00am on Saturday 6 until noon on Sunday May 7 all the enthusiasts will be able to take part in a photo competition. Entries went will be examined by a judging panel led by Angelo Orsi, the famous reporter of the Formula 1 world championship. The panel’s decision will be final. The author of the winning photo will have the privilege of experiencing a lap of the Imola circuit at the side of a professional driver.

On the occasion, the display “Imola Formula 1 1963-2006: History continues” set up within the circuit’s “Checco Costa” museum will be enriched by many cars constructed by Gian Carlo Minardi for a trip through the most beautiful and important racing cars of the formula 1 world championship that raced around  the Imola circuit.

There will be no lack of street food with food vans where the public will be able to sample the flavours of the famed cuisine of the Romagna region and also a corner dedicated to a gaming area with challenges on simulators.