Elizabeth, when did you realize you were actually participating in the 1000 Miles?
We had very little time to prepare, but when we arrived in Brescia and, together with the other participants, we started to customize the car, putting the official stickers on, we realized that we would really participate. You're talking plural. Who have you shared this experience with? This experience was also great for the fact that I shared it with MarcoMy husband, who accompanied me as far as Rome, then had to leave me due to previous work commitments. We knew he wouldn't be able to participate for the whole race, so Zagato proposed me to do the return with Klaus Busse (Editor's note: Head of Design Fiat, Abarth, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Maserati at FCA Fiat Chrysler Automobiles). I was a bit worried, it was a question of sharing the cockpit for dozens of hours, under stress and pressure, but meeting Klaus was one of the great surprises of this adventure. We both have a great competitive spirit and we got on well with the aim of achieving a good result. But, what did you feel in the seconds before the start, when you were waiting for the start on the platform? I was trembling a little bit, I was very excited because taking part in a race with an epic story, the most beautiful race in the world, is something that when seen from the outside is exciting, experienced from the inside is upsetting. It was wonderful to bring with me what I believe in: the story of this brand, my family and my family's company. My father was at the start, for me it was a beautiful gift, because he came all the way there just to make me feel his closeness. I am happy to have also felt the affection of Laura Defendi, always by my side in the important moments A story of beauty, of engines, but in the end it's a story of Love... Yes! It is incredible how many people welcomed our passage with greetings, applause, little flags, as if they wanted to cheer us on, celebrating these emotions. There were so many people with the 1000Miglia flag and so many Alfa Romeo flags. Everyone was shouting "That's the SZ, it's beautiful, it's "the monster". The thing that struck me most was that in several villages we heard people who had visited the Museum cheering us on. They had come on purpose to the stage to greet us! I would pass by and they would say "Hi Elisabetta, we've been to your Museum". This was incredible, it made me feel a wonderful affection and positive energy. Something sincere, the way to be close to someone, something humanly unique.Winning the thirty-seventh historical re-enactment of the 1000 Miglia is the crew number 59 composed by Giovanni Moceri and Daniele Bonetti aboard an Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 SS.
To complete the podium of the "most beautiful race in the world", the crew made up of Andrea Vesco and Andrea Guerini on board the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS Zagato car, while the third position is occupied by the Bugatti Type 40 of Juan Tonconogy and Barbara Ruffini.
To win the Coppa delle Dame, reserved for the first female crew, the Aston Martin 2 litre Speed Model car with Silvia Marini and Ruggeri Francesca on board.
THE NUMBERS OF THE 1000MILES 2019 430 cars (of which 53 withdrawn), 1801 kilometres, 4 days of driving, 40 hours at the wheel, 200 municipalities, 7 regions. And more, 16 Time Controls, 112 time trials, 7 average tax and 28 Stamp Controls. 71 manufacturers 4 stages: from Brescia to Cervia-Milano Marittima, from Cervia-Milano Marittima to Rome, from Rome to Bologna and then from Bologna to Brescia. 5 cars belonging to the Military category, driven by representatives of the Italian Armed Forces (present for the 6th consecutive year) 130 modern cars for the side events: Zagato 100, Ferrari Tribute to 1000 Miglia and Mercedes Benz 1000 Miglia Challenge. 425 registered crews 32 countries from all 5 continents. 98 cars that have participated in at least one of the 24 editions of the 1000 Miglia race held from 1927 to 1957.The most represented country continues to be Italy with 36% of participants admitted. The Netherlands is in second place, with 15% of those accepted, followed by Germany (10%) and the United Kingdom (9%). The most represented brand will be Alfa Romeo with 39 cars, followed by Jaguar with 36, Fiat with 31 and Mercedes-Benz and Lancia with 29 each.