Published on: 08/10/2024 Updated on: 10/10/2024
From October 10 to 13 on the roads of Sicily is staged the historic car edition of the Targa Florio Classica. And Mafra is present with its ambassador Mario Passanante.
Of certain car races, just the name is enough to evoke memorable feats, heroic deeds, legendary champions. The Targa Florio is one of these. Born in 1906 at the behest of Don Vincenzo Florio, a Palermo entrepreneur, it has always been held on a long course around the Madonie Mountains, on narrow and dangerous roads, amidst villages and wings of enthusiastic spectators.
The Targa Florio 's roll of honor includes the names of all the great drivers, such as Varzi, Nuvolari, von Trips, and Moss. The last speed edition was held in 1977; after that, the race was replaced by a rally and the Targa Florio Classica, a regularity trial for historic cars.
The Targa Florio Classica, scheduled for October 10-13, is valid for the Italian Major Events Championship, whose ranking is headed by Mario Passanante, ambassador Mafra in the world of regularity races for historic cars.
Targa Florio, memories of the past
For Mario, the Targa Florio is a doubly important race. In addition to being decisive for victory in the Great Events Championship, in fact, the "cursa" has a special emotional value. "It is raced in my Sicily," he says, "so for me it is a competition with the flavor of home; I remember going to see it with my father to cheer for Vaccarella, our idol."
Nino Vaccarella was in fact a principal from Palermo, Italy, who alternated work in the school world with being a valuable driver. A great specialist in the Targa Florio, he won three editions of it with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, paired with champions such as Bandini, Hezemans and Merzario.
Of Vaccarella, Passanante has a special memory: "Once," he confides, "I did reconnaissance of the course with him and was impressed by how he knew every meter, every curve, every dip in the road, many, many years after the last speed race. And still, when he talked about it, his eyes sparkled with memories of those legendary races."
This is how the Targa Florio Classica is prepared.
Mario Passanante, who tackles the Targa Florio Classica together with his trusted navigator Alessandro Molgora, has carefully prepared for this decisive race for the Italian Major Events Championship, which he has already won in 2021 and 2023.
Fresh is, in fact, still the memory of the disappointment suffered at the Gran Premio Nuvolari, contested together with Francesco Di Florio, Head of Marketing & Communication Mafra, where he had to stop due to a broken steering arm of his 1937 Fiat 508 C.
"After that mishap," Mario explains, "I had the car taken to my trusted repair shop, Falanga of Palermo, where the steering arm was replaced, which had broken off, probably as a result of cracking due to component fatigue over time."
But the misadventures for Passanante were not over: "Once picked up, while I was driving back from Palermo to Campobello di Mazara del Vallo where I live, the car suddenly dumbed down and stopped: I quickly discovered that a wire from the alternator had detached and the battery had completely discharged...."
Winning test at the Cave of Cusa Trophy
As a result of these problems and with the intention of checking the reliability of the old Fiat, Passanante wanted to run a preparatory race before the Targa Florio Classica, the Cave di Cusa Trophy valid for the Italian Historic Car Regularity Championship. Although it was a kind of "training," Mario also won this competition, which turned out to be challenging: "There were 75 time trials scheduled over two days, and the competition was fierce," he says, "but after the problems that arose at the Nuvolari Grand Prix, my Fiat 508 C worked perfectly."
Mario's Fiat, which is powered by a 1,100 four-cylinder engine, has undergone additional inspections, particularly concerning the hardware, which must be tightened at all times to allow it to safely negotiate roads, potholes and bumps.
VIPs and celebrations at the Taga Florio Classica
Cars produced up to 1977 are admitted to the Targa Florio Classica; however, cars produced from 1978 to 1990, entered in the Targa Florio Legend, and GT road cars produced since 1991, which animate the Targa Florio Gran Turismo, can also take part in the event. Finally, in the Ferrari Tribute, Prancing Horse cars produced since 1991 can participate. In all, there are 230 registered crews from twenty different countries, a record number for this event.
Participants include such notables as chef Carlo Cracco, driving a Mercedes 230 SL; actor Erik Haugen, who starred in Michael Mann's film "Ferrari" and is gathering material for a film about Nuvolari, Varzi and Ferrari himself; and former Formula 1 driver Karl Wendlinger, driving a Mercedes "Gull's Wing."
Targa Florio 2024 also celebrates the centenary of the first victory achieved by Mercedes in 1924, a monumental two-liter painted red to blend in with its Italian rivals, and recalls the exploits of great Sicilian drivers, from Nino Vaccarella to Baron Antonio Pucci, who won the race sixty years ago.
The program of the Targa Florio Classica
This year's Targa Florio Classica includes two stages, totaling 685 kilometers. The program begins on Wednesday, October 9, at 3 p.m. with technical and sporting scrutineering and the distribution of road books.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., technical and sporting scrutineering continues, while at 6:30 p.m. the starting ceremony is scheduled in Palermo's Piazza Verdi, followed at 8:30 p.m. by the welcome dinner set up at the Palermo Tourist Port.
Friday, Oct. 11, at 8:30 a.m. the first leg, christened "On the Roads of the Salt Pans," gets underway; the lunch stop is scheduled at Cantine Florio in Marsala. The cars return to Palermo starting at 6:15 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 12, at 9 a.m. the second stage, called "Circuito delle Madonie," begins; the lunch stop is scheduled at the Palladium in Campofelice di Roccella. At 5:45 p.m., with the arrival of the first car in Palermo , the Targa Florio Classica concludes. In the evening, at 8 p.m., the crews attend the gala dinner, held at the Royal Palace. The program also includes a visit to the Palatine Chapel, the basilica located in the Norman Palace dating back to the 12th century.
On Sunday, Oct. 13, starting at 9:30 a.m., the 46.27-kilometer-long Monreale Trophy is staged.Participation for competitors is optional.The route includes a passage on the Bellolampo-Passo di Rigano track, which saw Vaccarella make his debut in the race.
At 12 noon, the event concludes with the awards ceremony and a light lunch at the Palermo Tourist Port.
Mafra follows the Targa Florio Classic with the passion it shares with all crews and its brand ambassador Mario Passanante.
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