The Historic Minardi Day celebrated its tenth edition at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in front of 20.000 fans. Four decades of Formula 1 machinery shared the track with prototypes, historic GT cars and modern hypercars, for a full weekend of on-track action, paddock visits and familiar faces.
Four decades of Formula 1
The Formula 1 line-up ran from the 1971 Ferrari 312 B2 to the 2013 Toro Rosso STR8 raced by Jean-Éric Vergne. In between came the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34/2, the Shadow DN1 once raced by Graham Hill, the Ferrari 312 T5, 126 C4 and 412 T1, the Lotus 94T and the Minardi M189 and PS04B. Arturo Merzario took the Alfa Romeo 179 on track, while the Monteverdi, Andrea Moda S921 and Fondmetal GR01 offered rarer sights for the connoisseurs.
Fondmetal also brought along an Aston Martin Formula 1 show car, marking its return to Formula 1 as a wheel supplier. The story comes full circle: in 2000, Fondmetal left Formula 1 alongside Minardi, with Fernando Alonso as test driver. 26 years later, Alonso races for Aston Martin.
Formula Junior, Formula Abarth, Formula Italia, Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 4, GP3, GP2 and Formula 3000 cars completed the single-seater programme.
Prototypes, GTs and hypercars
Sports cars had their moment from the very first lap. Gian Carlo Minardi opened the weekend with his traditional lap of the circuit, this year aboard a 1956 Lotus Eleven sports racer with Coventry Climax power, driven by Roberto Farneti.
Prototypes, historic GT cars and GTS cars took turns on track throughout the weekend, with support from the Scuderia del Portello, the Scuderia Nuvolari Italia and the Motori Modena “Scuderia Modena Corse” Club.
Modern machinery was never far away either. The Pagani Huayra R and Utopia Roadster, the Dallara Stradale and EXP and the Lamborghini Revuelto and Temerario appeared both on track and in the paddock, alongside the Mazda MX-5 and cars from Lotus.
Familiar faces
Riccardo Patrese, Thierry Boutsen, Pierluigi Martini, Gabriele Tarquini, Bruno Giacomelli, Luca Badoer and Giovanna Amati were among the drivers in the paddock, alongside engineers Aldo Costa, Gabriele Tredozi and Nigel Cowperthwaite. Massimo Campodoni received the fifth Ferdinando Minardi Memorial Award, while the Checco Costa Museum hosted book launches and talks surrounded by the Minardi M185, M189, M192 and M193 and two Racing Bulls cars.
“Seeing the younger generations intrigued and captivated by cars from different periods that they have not seen firsthand is, I believe, one of the best outcomes of this event,” said Gian Carlo Minardi at the closing of yet another successful day to celebrate his team’s heritage.
Photos by Luca Ferrarini
