08.05.2004 Yesterday's tough route from Lazio through Tuscany & Emilia Romanga has been a stern test for the vintage cars taking part in the Mille Miglia re-run

The crews reaching the finish line in Viale Venezia yesterday, the second full day, showed contained joy. Likewise the applause for the winners and for the competitors were low-key because of the crash during the last part of the third lap.

On the way back to Brescia many of the vintage cars suffered technical troubles. The difficult route between Lazio, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna was a stern test of the competing car's reliability.

Valseriati’s Riley suffered an engine failure, losing the strong third position it moved into after Viterbo. Massimo Natali and Nathalie Claodnazzo’s 1952 Jaguar XK120 had problems at the propshaft. This year, “the showbiz-stars escort” did not have any illusions of winning, he was in 304th position in Rome.

Finnish double F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen, piloting a Mercedes 300 Sl Prototype ended the second full day in 223rd. His Mille Miglia debut has been greeted by great enthusiasm from the specators.

Oliviero Toscani and Lucio Dalla in 1956 Porsche 356 A are probably the most applauded VIPs.  “The MM enables us to think about the communication processes, the peoples’ mobility nowadays and the importance of our means of transport. People are not using their cars to enjoy the beautiful Italian landscapes any more, while we’d better discover a new way of sharing our emotions.”

Franca Boni and Monica Barziza are on course to claim their ninth Ladies’ Cup. There only serious rivals, now distant due to timing problems during the ability trials, are Countess Cica Lurani and Iria Cornaggia Medici, both daughters of well-known speed MM racers.

Brescians Elena Ravelli and Maria Bonera, driving a 1935 Balilla 508 S, are happy to have reached their home town holding 91st position.

New entries have joined the “Mille Miglia regulars”, the industrialists and the time-keeping specialists. Those less known racers have got their glorious week-end.

The landscape is so wonderful that Emanuele Dora e Pietro Di Sabato, along with many other racers, wish they could have stopped for a while to take some pictures or to shake their hands with the audience, just as the VIPs normally do during the event. They declare that they are quite unused not to being in the spotlights. “We have gathered so many hats from the followers that could be enough to make all children in the world smile.”