Motor Legend Festival will take place from 20-22 April at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. It is the first Italian exhibition to host hundreds of racecars that have made history in the realm of world motor racing.

The idea grew out of the passion and experience of Vito Piarulli, organiser of Rally Legend, and Andrea Gallignani, historically tied to motorsports, Formula 1 in particular, who wanted to fill a gap by replicating the success of Rally Legend in the circuit racing sector: to treat fans to a motorsport experience in close contact with the champions of today and of the recent past and watch track exhibitions of racing cars that made world motorsport history by winning races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the Targa Florio and various Formula 1 Grand Prix.

For three days, Motor Legend Festival will thus become a must-see international event for both those who have witnessed the epic classics and those, like young people, who have never had a chance to see cars that are part of the collective imagination in action.

Created with the support of the Ministry for Sport and the Ministry for Tourism of the Republic of San Marino and of Motor Valley and in conjunction with FAMS (Federaione Auto Motoristica Sammarinese, the San Marino Car Federation) and the FIA Master Historic Formula One.

FCA Heritage, the organisation founded in 2015 to develop a range of services for collectors and fans of the cars of the Italian brands of FCA, among others will join the Motor Legend Festival, bringing the Alfa Romeo 33/2 Daytona, an authentic motorsport legend that took the first three spots in the two-litre category in 1968 edition of the gruelling race it was named after and went on to win the World Sports Prototype Championship the same year.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the remarkable achievements of that glorious 1968, when the car also finished on top in Targa Florio, at the Nürburgring, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the "Imola 500 km" driven by Teodoro Zeccoli and Nino Vaccarella.

Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Daytona (1968)

After the experience of the Giulia TZ and TZ2, Alfa Romeo was excited to return to racing in the two-litre Sport car category that in the sixties was becoming very popular and had been chosen as playing field by many major manufacturers.

The design of a new vehicle was started in 1964 by Alfa Romeo Design under Orazio Satta Puliga's guidance and was developed in particular by Giuseppe Busso. The chassis consisted of three large aluminium alloy pipes arranged to form an asymmetrical "H". A tubular chassis made of a single magnesium casing was fixed to the front end, while two "arms", also made of magnesium, was connected to rear. Rubber fuel tanks were accommodated inside the chassis tubes. The structure weighed just 55 kilograms, for a kerb weight in full running order of 580 kilograms.

The two-litre, aluminium alloy V8 had four overhead camshafts, injection fuel feed with mechanical pump and twin ignition. The definitive version delivered 270 HP. The top speed of the car varied from 260 to 300 km/h according to the aerodynamic configuration.

However, in January 1966, before the engine designed and built in Alfa Romeo was even started for the first time on a rig, the design of the 33 (with the type code 105.33) was given by Giuseppe Luraghi to Autodelta, much to the discontent of Alfa Romeo engineers. Meanwhile, tests on a finished car fitted with a provisional engine (the 1600 twin cam engine of the TZ2) started in Balocco in the winter of 1965.

The creation of the 33 was long and complicated, particularly because of its innovative chassis and 1967, the year of its debut, ended by winning the Fléron hillclimb in Belgium. The following year the 33, now with a new closed body, took fifteen overall victories and six category victories, amongst which were the previously mentioned Daytona and Le Mans 24 Hour races.

The San Marino GP makes a comeback with the FIA Masters Historic Championship

The 1st San Marino Historic Formula One Grand Prix of San Marino was presented last Thursday (12 April) at the San Marino Stadium Service Tower, the first round of the FIA Masters Historic Championship which will take place from& April 20 to 22 at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari racetrack as part of the first edition of Motor Legend Festival.

This is the official return, after a 12 year absence, of F1 racing, albeit historic, in Imola under the banner of the Repubblica del Titano.

The races will take place over Saturday and Sunday and will see the presence of over thirty F1 single-seaters from the ’70s and’ 80s powered by the Cosworth DFV engines and will include former stars of the world championship.

During the presentation of the event last week the Secretary of State for Education and Sport, Marco Podeschi, underlined the close relationship between San Marino, the racetrack and the organisers of the event: “For us, that we have engines in the blood, is an important opportunity to restart a history and reinforce the collaboration that will allow us to continue to be a point of reference in the world of motorsport.

“We tried already this year to bring part of these cars and their drivers on our roads for a fashion show but technical times were lacking,” he continued. “The appointment is only postponed to the next edition of MotorLegend Festival because I believe that this event, as already happened with Rally Legend, is able to involve a large number of fans and tourists in our Republic. We must not forget that we are inside the Motor Valley, where there is the world excellence of the motorsports. For this reason, we are convinced that the 1st Grand Prix Historic Formula One of San Marino and MotorLegend Festival can help even more to transmit the values and culture of motorsport.”

From Niki Lauda to Jacques Villeneuve: many stars will join Motor Legend

The MotorLegend Festival will not be limited to competition alone. Every day there will be ‘Legendary Moments’ featuring motor racing champions at the wheel of cars that shaped an era. Jacques Villeneuve will get into the cockpit of the Ferrari 312T4, thanks to which his father Gilles became a legend in the 1979 season. Niki Lauda will drive a Mercedes from the museum of the carmaker sporting the three-pointed star logo.

Tributes will be paid to Ayrton Senna, 30 years after he won his first world championship, and the legendary Jim Clark, the great Scottish champion who changed the rules in F1, becoming the preferred driver of Colin Chapman’s revolutionary Lotuses.

Motor Legend Festival will also commemorate the 50 years of Martini Racing, whose colours shone bright in both endurance racing and F1 and rallies.

F1 and GT exhibitions by Ferrari Corse Clienti

Thanks to the support of Ferrari Corse Clienti, spectators at the circuit will be able to enjoy an exhibition of Formula 1 single seaters bearing the prancing horse logo as well as the cars of the XX programmes, such as the FXX K, boasting a power of over 1000 hp and Formula 1-derived hybrid technology.

Remembering the 200-mile motorcycle race with Giacomo Agostini

Giacomo Agostini will take part in the re-enactment of the Imola 200-mile race, which will see motorcycles that were protagonists in that unforgettable event parading around the track.

Photos: Alfa Romeo 33/2 'Daytona'