Published on: 09/01/2017 Updated on: 20/02/2025
The 29th Winter Marathon heats up the engines and once again MAFRA is present as main sponsor but also directly deploying the official team with two cars piloted by brothers Marco and Massimiliano Mattioli, owners of the company. The best way to experience a true passion and be in tune with the classic car environment
The warm greeting of the large crowd embracing the competitors along the main street of Madonna di Campiglio greeting their departure. The roar of the engine that breaks the silence of the night announcing the arrival of the competitors. The flash of the headlights piercing the darkness illuminating the snowflakes as if they were myriads of shooting stars. The nighttime arrival in the striking scenery of Madonna di Campiglio, silent and illuminated by a thousand little lights that are so postcard-like. And finally, the dancing on the frozen pond twirling to win the coveted trophy. This is the magical atmosphere that will be back on stage in the beautiful Dolomite amphitheater on the third weekend of January, from the 19th to the 22nd, for the 29th edition of the Winter Marathon. The most important winter event for historic cars in the calendar ACI Sport, reserved for front- or rear-wheel drive cars built before 1968, to which will be added a selection of cars of special historical and collector interest produced up to 1976.
Passion and profession
And of course, MAFRA will be there. For the fifth time. As main sponsor, but above all for passion. As witnessed by the two official crews lined up by the Milanese company "led," and that's not to say, by the two owner brothers: Marco and Massimiliano Mattioli, respectively at the wheel of a 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Abarth Rally and a 1968 Lancia Fulvia 1300, flanked by the faithful Mario Pensotti and Remigio Busso. Theirs is a true passion, one that drives them to increasingly assiduous attendance at classic car events. For pure fun, because this is how they can let off steam in driving their cars, and certainly out of a spirit of competition, with a desire to improve at every opportunity. But also by profession, because only in this way, living it from the inside, can they get in tune with the environment and the enthusiasts, sensing and listening to what enthusiasts want in order to take the best care of their beloved four-wheelers.
Test bench
That's right, because events are both an important showcase, where one can put one's products on display but more importantly make them available to participants, and a proving ground, where one can test enthusiasts' appreciation for the latest additions to the range and test new ones. Especially if the race takes place in often extreme conditions, such as the Winter Marathon: with very cold temperatures, snow or the mush that forms as a result of the anti-icing treatment on the roads with salt (sodium chloride), which is certainly not good for the bodywork. Therefore, the Trentino race is the ideal testing ground to put products such as the protective wax and sealant "Carlux", which protects the bodywork by creating a real barrier against water, impurities and atmospheric or chemical agents. Just as "#Aquavelox" from the division #Labocosmetica, which spread beforehand on the windshield facilitates the sliding of drops or the veil of water, greatly improving visibility. But also the de-icer "Not Ice", ideal for quickly ridding the windshield of frost after each stop. E "Idrostop", which sprayed after cleaning the canvas canopy with a degreasing product such as "HP12", improves the impermeability of the surface by facilitating the sliding, but it would be more correct to say rolling, of water droplets, thus preventing stagnation and the deposit of resinous residues from trees, weathering or chemical road surface treatment.
A step forward
And it is pleasing to note that the participants appreciate, making great use of it in the field, the kit of MAFRA products offered to them at the checks. The best stimulus to refine even more the research and optimization of specific products for the treatment and care of their cars down to the smallest details. It is precisely this increasingly focused research that has given rise to the latest addition to the MAFRA house, the #Labocosmetics for Detailing division. Not surprisingly, MAFRA has reserved a complete Detailing treatment for the winners of the first timed stage . While the MA-FRA Trophy, reserved for all pre-war uncovered cars, will be held Saturday afternoon on the frozen pond. The race, on the other hand, starting at 2 p.m. Friday from Madonna di Campiglio and arriving again in the Dolomite town at 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, will take place over a 400-kilometer route through new alpine passes (9) and with new time trials that will see competitors engaged in about 12 hours of driving.
All that remains is to warm up our engines and in the meantime enjoy what the Winter Marathon has given us in 2016
