|
Top class
cars and big-name drivers are starring in the Shell
Arena for the many and diverse motorsports fixtures of
the 32nd edition of the Bologna Motor Show: from top
Formula One and MotoGP champions to single brand
category specialists, from expert rally drivers to cross
bike demons.
The plethora of
sports events in the Shell Arena really started in earnest
on Friday when Scuderia Ferrari, the current Formula 1
Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ World title-holders took to the
track for now-traditional 'Ferrari F1 Pit Stop', with
factory test driver Luca Badoer driving an F2007 wowing the
multitude of Tifosi in the packed grandstands with
his car skills, performing donuts. burning rubber and other
manoeuvres before the highly enthusiastic crowd.
This was
followed by two motorcycling events, the Barclaycard
Superbikers and the Eastpak Freestyle Show. The Superbikers
included several Motorcycling World Championship
competitors: from Randy De Puniet, who is competing as part
of Lucio Cecchinello’s MotoGP team for the 2008 season, to
Mattia Pasini, from Alex De Angelis to Alex Hoffman. The
race also included Superbike experts such as Regis Laconi
and Supersport riders David Checa and Fabien Foret.
As usual, one of
the most spectacular events will be the Eastpak Freestyle
Show, on the 8th and 9th December. The favourite in this
discipline is the young Spanish phenomenon Dani Torres,
winner of one of the three X-fighters contests – the world’s
top competition for freestylers – however, he will have some
stiff competition from Mc Elroy, Frenchman Troux, Japanese
rider Sato and local idols Dal Farra and Minguzzi. On the
same day, the Maserati MC12 Show will feature a display by
MC12 Versione Corse, developed on the basis on a MC12 GT1
that has dominated the FIA GT continuously since 2005 and
driven by Andrea Bertolini, FIA GT 2006 champion.
The 8th and 9th
December will feature challenges between the drivers of the
Nivea For Men Eurotouring event: with names the calibre of
Nicola Larini, who came 6th overall in the 2007 World
Touring Car Championship in his Chevrolet Lacetti, MotoGP
rider Marco Melandri, who clinched fifth place in this
year’s world championship, former Formula One driver
Gabriele Tarquini at the wheel of his Seat Leon and
Englishman James Thompson in an Alfa 156. The 8th December
will also be dedicated to the two Renault single brand
categories: Formula Renault 2.0 Italia and the Renault Clio
Cup.
On 9th December,
the Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Show will repeat last year’s
success as new talent Sebastian Vettel, who stole a
thrilling 4th place in the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, takes to
the circuit. The other fixtures for Sunday 9th will be the
Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy and Ferrari Challenge
Pirelli Trophy Shell Cup: the big names participating in the
former include Niki Cadei, second place in the 2007 results
table, Nicola Gianniberti, who came forth and Austrian
Philipp Baron, who achieved fifth place. The Shell Cup will
also star five of the 2007 season’s top six drivers: Nina
Jerancic, Sandro Mucelli, Vanni Campari, Massimo Mantovani
and Vincenzo Sauto.
On Monday 10th
December, the Ferrari F430s that dominated this year’s Grand
Touring Car Championship will once again compete against a
Porsche 997 and Lamborghini Gallardo in the Shell Arena for
the Bomb Boogie GT Challenge: the drivers competing will
include the series’ Pavia-born champion Lorenzo Casè and the
third place from Brescia, “Linoss”. The day will also
feature three single brand events: as the Nissan 350z
Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup Italia and Leon Supercopa
Trophy Castrol Cup take to the circuit. The stars of the
Nissan 350Z Challenge will include the top drivers of the
2007 season such as series winner Natale Calella and
runner-up Raffaele Giannoni. The Porsche Carrera Cup Italia
will be disputed by practically all of Italy’s best drivers
at the wheels of their 400 HP Porsche Gt3 997s, such as
Ravenna’s national runner up Gianluca De Lorenzi, who won
the trophy at the 2006 Motor Show, the third place Roman
driver Stefano Comandini and Luca Rangoni, who won the
season’s last two races. The Leon Supercopa Castrol Cup race
will star Carlo Galdini, Marco Cassera and Simone
Pellegrinelli.
On Tuesday 11th
December, the Superstars Trophy will involve a number of
celebrity drivers, including the Audi RS4 driven by Dindo
Capello, winner of the 2004 edition of the legendary Le Mans
24 Hours and former Formula One driver Gianni Morbidelli,
series champion in 2007 with six wins in eight meets,
against the BMW driven by former ski champion Cristian
Ghedina, now a motor racing expert, and the BMW M5 of the
former rally driver from Veneto Gianfranco Battaglin, one of
the series’ top drivers in recent years. On the same day,
the Pirelli Historic Challenge vehicles (which will also
take part in the Emilio Lanzoni Memorial Pirelli Historic
Parade) will allow spectators to relive the thrills of
yesteryear, as they do every time they appear on racing
circuits: from the Osella PA 9 of the Florentine driver who
dominated the Italian Speed Hillclimb Championship David
Baldi to the Alfa Romeo 1900 SS belonging to the
Bologna-born discipline specialist Francesco Amante or the
BMW 1600 of rival hillclimber Alvaro Bartoli.
As tradition
would have it, from 12th December, the Shell Arena will be
transformed into a true rally track, with a mixed
tarmac-off-road circuit. The rally events will kick-off with
the Super 1600 Challenge, whose drivers will include winner
of the Super 1600 category in the Italian Rally Championship
Ivan Paire, youngster Andrea Cortinovis and winner of the
Tarmac Rally Trophy Marco Blanc – all behind the wheels of
their respective Renault Clios - and Andrea Zivian on his
Fiat Punto Abarth. Events on Wednesday 12th will also
include the GT Rally trophy, the new Italian rally category
introduced in 2007, which will bring to the Shell Arena Aldo
Calabrini and Gianni Martellucci in a Porsche Cayman S,
Marco Cristoforetti in a Porsche 997 GT3, Antonio Forato in
a Ferrari F43 and Stefano D’Aste in a Lotus Exige.
On Thursday 13th
December, it will be time for the big names competing in the
Super N Trophy, with Tuscany veteran Paolo Andreucci, who,
at the wheel of his Mitsubishi, won the Ciocco, Targa Florio
and San Crispino rallies, alongside the Manufacturer’s other
official Italian driver, the young Bergamo-born competitor,
Matteo Gamba. They will be up against Russian Eugeny Novikov,
in his Lancer Evo IX. Subaru has already confirmed the
presence of its two official drivers, Andrea Aghini and
Piero Longhi, who won the 2007 San Marino and Emerald Coast
rallies. In the single brand Mitsubishi Colt Cup, Campagna—born
champion Antonio Pascale, winner of the 2006 edition, will
defend his title from challengers Laura Rovagnati, Federico
Tagliapietra and Gabriele Cogni.
The WRC Italia
Trophy drivers will be the stars of the show on Friday 14th
December behind the wheels of the World Rally Cars that have
dominated the scene in recent years. The big names will
include the winner of the most recent edition of the Tarmac
Rally Trophy, Marco Silva from Como, and fellow-expert
Michele Gregis who lives in Bergamo, who clinched a number
of victories in the 2007 season. In the Pirelli Historic
Rally Show (which will continue with the finals the
following day, 15th December), the drivers on the track will
include Totò Riolo, champion of the 2007 Rally Legend,
Gabriele Noberasco, Federico Ormezzano, Tonino Tognana and,
on a Group B 4x4 turbo, Marco Gramenzi, GT group winner in
the Italian Speed Hillclimb Championship. The day’s schedule
will feature two single brand events: the Castrol Evo Cup
and the Subaru Impreza Cup. The competitors of the former,
which is dedicated to Mitsubishi vehicles, will include
Modena-born champion Alan Scorcioni and runner-up Stefano
Bizzarri. The Subaru race (which will continue with the
final races on Saturday 15th) will involve Bruno Bentivogli
from Romagna, Giovanni Manfrinato from Veneto and Russian
Eugeny Aksakov.
The grand finale
will be held on the Exhibition’s closing weekend, Saturday
15th and Sunday 16th December, with the super classic
Barclaycard Bettega Memorial (the same divers will take to
the track on the evening of Saturday 15th for the
Barclaycard Dante Salvay Cup), the Bomb Boogie Xtreme
Supermotard and the Baja Buggy Show. The favourites for the
Bettega Memorial are two regular World rally circuit
drivers, Tony Gardemeister, who won last year’s Salvay Cup,
and Jan Kopecky of the Czech republic. They will be up
against Frenchman Francois Duval and two big Italian
promises, Alessandro Bettega, son of Attilio, who recently
made his début in the WRC series, and Simone Campedelli, who
recently won the off-road Rally Trophy 2007.
The Bomb Boogie
Xtreme Supermotard will give the Shell Arena public the
chance to admire the battle between two cross bike giants
Mickael Pichon and Stefan Everts, ten-times world champion
who won the event in 2006 with a stunt that remains part of
the history of the Shell Arena. In the past, the Belgian and
the Frenchman fought for victory in a number of Grand Prixs,
writing some of the sport’s most beautiful pages, and now
that they have both retired from professional competition,
this will be one of the very few chances to see them back on
the saddle. However, they will be up against the 2007 S2
World Champion, Gerald Delepine and the legendary Eddy Seel.
Other riders will include Robert Baraccani, Spaniards Angel
Grau and David Gimenez and French cross bike specialists
Yves Demaria, MX3 World Champion and Pascal Leuret.
Last but not
least, the undisputed star of the Baja Buggy Show will be
Armin Schwarz, former world rally car driver, who will take
to the Shell Arena making his European début on his 700 HP
two-seater Class 1 Buggy with which he has competed in North
America’s most famous rally-raids.
|
