October 11, 2022: The penultimate round of this year’s Alfa Revival Cup, the series aimed at “Biscione” enthusiasts and organised by Canossa Racing, was heavily influenced by the capricious weather. Held at the Varano de’ Melegari Circuit, the event saw driving rain on the Friday followed by clear skies and bright summery sunshine on the Saturday, the day given over to the free practice sessions and the race itself. This change in the weather made it difficult, if not impossible, for the fourteen cars taking part to use, in their timed laps, the references and settings from the free practice sessions, even though it was immediately clear from the times recorded on the Friday what level of competition would be seen the following day on the field.
On the Saturday, after the briefing by the Race Director, the pit lane was opened, signaling the start of the qualifying rounds. The fastest lap of 1’19’’059 recorded by Modenese pair Panini and Raimondi in a GTAm earned them first position, beating Crescenti and Guerra’s best time (1’19’166) by a few hundredths of a second. Third position went to the Italo-Swiss team Bachofen and Restelli. Notably, sixth place on the grid went to the red GTAm, specially prepared to participate in the Alfa Revival Cup, driven by a new team, Barbieri and Giovesi, the latter with a very respectable record in the open-wheel categories and several victories in the F3 European Championship under his belt. Other “weighty” new entries were Andrea Dalmazzini, an established rally driver with a preference for dirt roads, who shared a GT Veloce with Spallanzani, and Barbolini Cionini and Brandoli in a Giulia Super, the latter a well-known pair in the track world, but here making their absolute debut in the ARC. These important appearances confirm that the ARC series is attracting more and more attention from fans of this historic Italian brand.
The race, which got under way punctually on the Saturday afternoon in scorching sunshine, saw various penalties assigned by the stewards, several breakdowns — Nives Arvetti, in particular, was forced to withdraw after a few laps —, and mechanical problems promptly dealt with in the pits, allowing the cars in question, such as those driven by Petrone – Barri and Giacon – Rangoni, to cross the finish line in any case. After immediately taking the lead, Panini was overtaken by Antonio Crescenti who, together with Marco Guerra, managed to hold off repeated challenges, staying in first position right to the finish. The fierce battle that broke out behind them saw Sabatini slip back to seventh place, while Serio – Mischis managed to grab the third place on the podium behind Panini – Raimondi.
Like the others in the series, this race at the “Riccardo Paletti” circuit in Varano, offered constant excitement and position swapping, as the competitors battled tooth and nail over 42 thrilling laps on what is one of Italy’s most famous and challenging circuits.
As things stand with just one race left to go, at the Misano World Circuit on 22 and 23 October, the general classification is jointly headed by Renzo and Riccardo Raimondi on 61.5 points, followed by Crescenti on 56, and Petrone and Barri each on 52.5. Guerra is in fourth place on 51, followed by Mischis on 48.5, and Raffaele Raimondi on 47. Looking at these figures, and considering the points still up for grabs, the “Simoncelli” circuit can look forward to welcoming the decisive round of the Alfa Revival Cup 2022. As well as deciding the overall winner, out of four potential contenders, it will also give us the final podium positions of the series and the winners of the different categories.
A show that simply can’t be missed!
For more information, visit: https://alfarevivalcup.canossa.com
Or write to: deborah.lanzi@canossa.com | +39 344 3441268
Click on the following link to download a selection of photos from the even: https://we.tl/t-FfyMHmd1ab
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Canossa Events
