Qui Me Comitat Vincebit
Giro di Sicilia & Targa Florio
(The
report on the RIAR rally is after this one)
They said it was hot at the Canadian Grand Prix - they should have tried the FIVA 600 miles Giro di Sicilia regularity rally, followed by the Targa Florio Storica. A 9 pm start in great style from the centre of Palermo added to the sense of occasion and left the drivers with something else to think about as many old cars with dynamos can't really run electric fans - an absolute essential in the heat - at the same time as headlights. This night run was followed by five days of serious heat wave with temperatures of 40 and 45 degrees, with flash fires starting, entrants suffering from heat exhaustion and cafés and garages running out of bottled water. Nevertheless, the show went on with amazing perseverance as engines boiled and competitors drove furiously in order to have time within the Time Controls to dip in the sea. One Ferrari driver complained that no one was sympathetic that the heater in his car would not turn off - frankly, it made very little difference.
The VCC P attracted 120 entries from 9 countries with an eclectic mix of cars ranging from 1907 to 1974. The largest contingent was from Germany this year. The main attraction for the press were Clay Regazzoni and the stalwart Hoppens team in their 1907 Peugeot from Germany. Amongst the usual crop of Fiats, Lancias, Austin Healeys and Jaguars, some exceptional cars were also seen, such as two Maserati A6 GCS, a beautiful Zagato-bodied Alfa Romeo 1900, the Drogo Ferrari 250, a very original unrestored Castagna Alfa 1750, able to have its hood up against the fierce sun, a couple of Bentley's, some Grand Prix Bugattis running with minimal road equipment and some hooligans. The newest car was a 1964 V12 E-type.
The rally, organised by Eduardo Vetri of the Veteran Car Club Panormus, is basically three and a half days and half a night running round the perimeter of Sicily, a total of about 600 miles. The roads range from pretty good to decidedly rough and there were various 'special stages' and several hill climbs. The scenery was varied and spectacular.
Even Omega stop watches failed to prevent most of the competitors, who were not using modern timing computers, from being disqualified before the end of the event, but, if anything, this led to more enjoyment as they rushed through the countryside on well-chosen, traffic-free routes, which included a hill climb covered in sand during a night stint, various 'fool the competitor' directions and a magnificent tour of the beautiful island.
The spectators gave bundles of oranges, lemons, olives, roses, wine and, God forbid, chocolates, to the ebullient competitors who desperately tried to find room under their knees for all the goodies. One of the highlights was the opportunity to "race" round the old Syracuse GP circuit - no chicanes, long sweeping bends - a real delight, and way back beyond the expanse of long grass was some rusty armco.
The Trisha Pilkington organised TOPS Team of sports racing cars, sponsored by SNAI, the service provider for all the Italian betting shops, did reasonably well at the beginning but had succumbed to long rehydration stops by the end of the event.
Can you imagine the frustration, during an unseasonable Sicilian heat wave, of finding hotel swimming pools were not due to open for another week? Humour prevailed, a few fences were climbed to swim in uncleaned pools and some hose pipes were put to use.
Hotels were adequate, the problem in Sicily being the lack of large international hotels outside the cities, hospitality was good and there were various cabarets of mixed quality and an impressive fireworks display. Organisation was much improved on last year, but there is still room for more improvement.
Four days of time checks around the island were followed by two laps of the Targa Florio circuit, totalling 147 km. "The roads will be closed - except when they aren't" proved an accurate description as the cars hurtled round what was officially called a time trial. Of course, speed restrictions in villages were seriously observed, and many found time for a snack and coffee en route. Much of the road had been re-surfaced and most of the seriously sharp corners were obvious because of the huge crowds which gathered at these points and whose enthusiasm was so contagious.
But, it was hot. Everything sizzled, drivers in open cars had to wrap their hands in order to hold on to steering wheels, even a pen could not be held - everyone survived the heat, but one German Alfa Romeo 1750 destroyed its engine in a massive rod throwing session. It was fun - but please not in June next time.
P.G.P
Sicily September 2000 - R.I.A.R.
Four cars from TOPS attended the Alfa Rally 2000 in Sicily, celebrating something or other, and paid for by the factory in what must have been spadefuls of Lire: Richard and Trisha Pilkington in their 8C Monza, George Daniels and Alex Boswell in his long chassis 8C Le Mans car, Kirk and Alannah Rylands in Trisha Pilkington's 1750 SS four seater Alfa Romeo GP winner and Nick Rossi in his newly restored 1750GS with special body – all looked fantastic and were by far the oldest cars on the rally. If you were into hot weather, a diet from the sea (especially anything with tentacles), jolting roads, unspoilt scenery, this was the place to be.
The rally began with 60 Alfa Romeos leaving for a run round the Targa Florio course, and at lunchtime local legend Nino Vaccarella was on hand to tell all what the course had been like to race and win in the 1960s. He said that he knew every centimetre of the 72 km circuit, and drove all his Targas flat out. His favourite win was in the Ferrari 512. After lunch George Daniels took journalist Ian Fraser for a run in his 8C, leaving Bos to snatch lifts back to the hotel as best he may. Fate, however, squared the injustice: George handed Ian a 50,000 lira note to pay for a motorway toll, and Ian placed the change (all paper) in his shirt pocket. Within a few minutes of the Alfa reaching 90mph the change had all blown away. Several hours were spent trying to sort the Rylands car. Kirk was convinced that Pilk had fitted it with a five cylinder engine… that is until it dropped onto four - eventually a new coil sorted the problem.
I joined the rally late. After negotiating planes, coaches and local buses, I caught up with the rally in Caltanisetta, a large mining town in the centre of Sicily. There I found the TOPS contingent on excellent form after several days rally preparation viewing mosaics, ruins and catacombs. Some doubt, however, existed over the health of Nick Rossi, my driver, whom, I was told, had retired to bed with suspected broken ribs after attempting an unsuccessful scaling of the catacomb entrance gates – was the prospect of my arrival so horrific that he preferred the option of joining the decayed inhabitants in their tombs?
Our organizer Stefano d’Amico had been lent the Arese factory 2000 Sportiva and his son drove a Giulietta Zagato, both beautiful and fast cars. I had my first experience of many police escorts, as they made their noisy way through crowded Sicilian streets with much revving and screeching – one of the great sights of the rally was following behind a police rider as he gesticulated madly at the oncoming traffic, his indecently tight trousers showing a well honed behind! Other sights included a brief illegal, quick round of the Pergusa circuit (my driver got very excited here but was somewhat crestfallen to be overtaken by a modern Renault patrol car) and a visit to the ancient Greek ruins at Morgantina.
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I was constantly amazed at how lovely Sicily was. As the rally wound its way to the island’s southeast corner our view of the scenery changed from intensive agriculture, to rolling hills with vineyards and then to long sandy beaches. Tuna fishing has been, until recently, one of the island’s major sources of income and its legacy pervades everywhere. After a visit to the caves of Ispica we had a lunch (speciality tuna roe pasta) at a once busy fishing village called Marzameni where we were shown the skeletal carcasses of huge tuna boats in a wooden building the size of a cathedral. Like many others we saw, this was a village that had had a much more affluent past, judging by its grand but tumbling pre Baroque arches.
Until this point the cars had gone pretty well – although the Rylands 1750 had had problems with its rear spring retaining clamps failing in Syracuse - a small problem to sort out with so many enthusiastic helpers! After early morning fettling we left for the longest most attractive drive of the rally, including the lovely road which curves around the side of Mt Etna. Half way up the mountain there were fuel starvation type coughs and we pulled in to the side of the road. Nick didn’t really seem to know what actually was the matter – Fuel starvation? Blocked somethings? Punctured float chamber? The possibilities were endless! Out came the tool kit, out came my paints and a very peaceful morning was spent besides the road!
After this the car developed a Jekyl and Hyde personality. It positively sang as it made its way up mountain passes, relishing the curves and bends; but show it a straight, or worse still a motorway and it sulked. We did however finally and very late (in the dark and without lights) make it to our destination at Tonnara di Bonagia where all troubles evaporated when we won a bottle of vintage Marsala - a prize for those showing the greatest endurance in the face of difficulty!
As Friday, the final day of the rally dawned, the weather that had been so benign disintegrated. From the first (as we drove through the swill coming from a canning factory) I was drenched: the car had no mudguards and everything landed straight in my lap. The morning was spent in Erice, a hill top village of great beauty with views which would have been magnificent if we could have seen them. All we saw however was a horizontal cloudburst, which soaked all to the skin as we sort refuge in the beautiful 14th C church where we found ourselves in the middle of a wedding! After lunch the organizers led a skilled evacuation via shuttle minibuses and coaches back down the mountain. Disaster struck again as we arrived back at our cars. The storm intensified, flooding the area around the cars and making them so wet that none of them would start. It seems that Alfas were never intended for rainstorms, let alone the four inches which fell on us that morning. Nick lost a vital bolt (as well as his rag!) and for some reason all the fuel had drained out of the car. Tempers all round got a bit frayed but the organizers once again came into their own and a local garage was found with a sheltering archway where we could push the cars and dry them out. Even the rain eventually stopped and we could make our way on the final leg of our journey into Palermo although it was sad to have to forgo our visit to the Doric temple at Segesta.
By this time the car was really very sick, hating the motorway and sulking dreadfully. We had no lights and the final half an hour on the motorway in darkness was pretty hairy with the patient Rylands following us closely acting as our rear lights. The real fun started as we entered Palermo during rush hour. With the end in sight both Nick and Alfa got a new lease of life and to cries of ‘I’ve lived in Rome for two years and know how to cope with traffic like this’ we swerved, plunged and screeched our way across the city – I thought my end had come as we went up a bus lane in the wrong direction! We finally arrived at the hotel just in time to see everyone else dressed up and leaving for the evening’s gala dinner! I staggered to the bar to be greeted by the largest and strongest gin and tonic and the news that my suitcase was lost again - now you know what rallying in Sicily is all about!
The routes were well chosen and some of the private houses and palaces we
visited were utterly amazing, Six days of superb scenery, long lunches and even
longer dinners, education unlimited and all in wonderful Italian cars guarded
by fully armed Carabinieri - no mere town police for the organisers of the Registro
Italiano Alfa Romeo.
J.B.
TOPS © all photographs and reports
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