Modena, 09-12th of June 2021

The 21st Modena Cento Ore took crews over 1,000 kilometres from Rimini to Florence and Forte dei Marmi before they finally reaching Modena after 100 hours of driving. Along the way, nine special uphill stages explored the most beautiful roads through the Apennines in central and northern Italy, while nine average speed trials races kept competitors on their toes. Races were held at the Misano World Circuit, the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola, the Mugello Circuit, and the Modena Circuit - including a super-special stage.

Exceptional Cars
Some of the cars taking part in the Modena Cento Ore 2021 certainly deserve a mention for their wonderful past, often making history in sporting terms. Without a shadow of a doubt, the cars that drew the most admiring looks were the 1960 and 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competitions driven by Martin and Susanne Halusa and Adrian and Nicholas Beecroft. Not only do they rank among the most important collector's items in the world, they have both a history of racing and outstanding results. Seeing them compete in the competition section was a huge thrill for everyone. We can’t fail to mention that the 1960 250 GT SWB, chassis 2129GT, driven by crew n° 6, (Beecroft), is the car that won the Tour de France in 1961 and came second overall in the 1000 km of Montlhéry, as well as winning the GT class at the Rouen Grand Prix and finishing second overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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For their Modena Cento Ore debut, crew n° 29, Daniele Perfetti / Alan Scorcioni, brought the 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR, chassis 9114609051, which did the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976 with L'Ecurie Robert Buchet, winning the GT class and the Tour de France. Another remarkable Porsche was the 1975 911 Carrera RSR, chassis 9114600597, crew n° 30, Didier and Dominique Cazeaux, a former Kremer Racing Team car that competed in the 1975-1976 season wearing Camel livery.

Crew n° 57, Christian Chambord and Patrick Fourestie, drove the Alpine Renault A110 1800, chassis 18010, formerly an official racing car for the manufacturer which competed in the 1972 Tour Auto driven by J.P. Nicolas and J. Todt, and also competed in the Tour de Corse.

The Alfa Romeos included the remarkable 1970 1750 GTAm, chassis AR2438264, driven by crew n° 53 Michael Vos / Ludwig Yuergen, which won its class at the 1974 Giro d'Italia.

The only Stratos present at the 2021 edition was the 1975 Gr. 4, chassis 829ARO001936, driven by crew n° 28, Pierre Mellinger / Tommaso Gelmini, a former Jolly Club and Ferdinando Montaldo car.
As regards the cars that entered the regularity section, the 1952 Birch grey Jaguar C-Type, chassis XKC016 driven by crew n° 60, Joel and Alva Berg, took part in the Rallye Soleil - Cannes, the Montlhéry Autodrome Driver, and the Mille Miglia in 1953 with its first owner.

The 1956 Maserati 200 S, chassis 2405, driven by crew n° 61, Enzo and Federico Moroni, is equally impressive with its very special racing history. It was a Maserati racing team car and very likely took part in the Supercorte Maggiore Grand Prix in 1956 with Sir Stirling Moss followed by the Bari Grand Prix with Cesare Perdisa.

Remaining in the regularity section, there was also a veritable superstar for this type of car: the Ferrari 308 GTB driven by Oscar Brocades Zaalberg and Evan Chersberghen, crew n° 72, chassis 22409, which in its raced day in rallies driven by Harry Toivonen.

Finally, there was the noteworthy 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA, chassis number 613013, which raced with Nanni Galli behind the wheel in 1966, finishing second overall in the FISA Cup at Monza and was later prepared and used for racing by Angelo Roberto Chiapparini. It was driven at the Modena Cento Ore 2021 by crew n° 80, Alessandro and Chantal Van Hellenberg Hubar.

Day 1 - From Rimini to Misano
The cars had been lined up at the parc ferme organised in Rimini’s Parco Fellini, a marvellous sight for those passing by, many of who were taken absolutely by surprise by this unexpected spectacle. It was also great to see the support staff taking their time to look at their neighbours' cars, almost rubbernecking to check if almost two years of not being able to meet up had given the others time to find new ways of being more competitive.

After passing the starting line in Rimini, the first challenge was the drive up to San Marino, which immediately made it clear that all of the typical difficulties of the Modena Cento Ore were back and that if anyone had been hoping for an "easier" edition to get rid of any lockdown rust, they were clearly mistaken. San Marino welcomed the participants in the beautiful streets of its old town and after we left them behind, they were added to the pleasant memories of the journey that took the convoy to the start of the first Spino special stage. For the first time at the Modena Cento Ore, this year it was the cars in the regularity section that acted as the "0” cars on the first day of the race.

To recoup, an al fresco lunch was organised in the beautiful shady gardens of Valenzano Castle. Afterwards, the crews set off again for the second special stage at Ponte alla Piera, before heading towards Anghiari, San Sepolcro and Città di Castello, the southernmost point of the entire route. The itinerary then took them to the third special stage at Bocca Serriola and the drive through Urbino’s picturesque city centre. Then came the drive back to the Adriatic coast for the first race on the track at Misano World Circuit, with two starting grids for the speed challenge and three timed laps for the regularity section.
The service crews had their work cut out for them at the Misano paddock to repair the signs of impacts inflicted during the special uphill stages and to get the cars ready for the laps on the track.

Day 2: From Imola Racetrack to Florence
Dawn broke all too soon in Rimini. When the night owls had just enough time for a change of clothes, work was already underway on the race cars parked up at Parco Fellini. The sounds of generators, compressors and the good old banging of hammers were a strange lullaby for those trying to get a few winks of sleep. The alarm clocks were generally set for 6 a.m. the next morning.

On day 2, it was the crews in the speed section who were the first to get their engines roaring ready for the hour-long drive to the circuit at Imola and the track waiting for them for the day’s races at Imola. The weather was behaving well for the moment, except for a light downpour en route from Rimini to Imola, and the rain tyres remained inside the service vans for now.

There is always a feeling of magic at Imola and it’s an emotional moment when you pass the gates and enter the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari. After the regularity section finished their trials on the track, lunch was held at the circuit. Halfway through the second day of the race, we started to get a sense of where the rankings were going.

The first impression was that three crews were in the race for the final victory and at the moment the top three positions were switching from one to the other. After the race at Imola, crew n° 33 Michael Stoschek / Tiago Mont was in first place in a 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera RS; in second place was crew n° 29 Daniele Perfetti / Alan Scorcioni in a 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS, and crew n° 58 Paolo Marzatico / Federico Ferrari was in third place in a 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS.

In the regularity section, crew n° 74 Philip Vlieghe / Oliver Laporte in a 1965 AC Shelby Cobra 427 had taken the lead followed by crew n°67 Axel Urban / Andrea Urban in a 1972 Porsche 911 T and crew n° 68 Ruben Maes / Aswin Pyck  in a 1970 Porsche 914/6. One of the nicest moments of the day was watching the 1952 Jaguar C-type driven by crew n° 60 Joel Berg / Alva Berg entering the paddock at Imola after completing their laps on the track: the father and daughter team were making their debut at the Modena Cento Ore and the expression on their faces, as they talked about the excitement of driving on this historic track, was marvellous.

Then the crews were off for the convoy through Imola city centre, the drive to the Monte Faggiola special stage, followed by the Sambuca special stage. Passo Colla awaited followed by the convoy at Castel del Rio, the time stamp at Scarperia opposite Palazzo dei Notari, and the evening arrival at the Mugello Circuit where the cars parked up for the night.

However, the Modena Cento Ore was as selective as ever and the demands it makes on men and machines have to be paid for in terms of mechanical reliability. To everyone's great regret, the vehicles forced to retire included the only participating car entered in the speed section, Albert Otten and Kurt Peter Muller’s 1939 BMW 328.

Afterwards, a gala dinner was held in pure Modena Cento Ore style at the cloisters of Santa Maria Novella in the heart of Florence, with a backdrop of frescoes and accompanied to music played by violins.

Day 3: From the Mugello Circuit to Forte dei Marmi
Could anyone fail to be moved by the beauty of Florence? Although the Modena Cento Ore is a competition dedicated to classic cars, visiting the Cloisters of Santa Maria Novella in the magical light of the setting sun made a noticeable impact on all the participants and deserves to be mentioned. After all, this is one of the most fascinating aspects of the Modena Cento Ore: its ability to bring together an apparently impossible combination, namely the adrenaline of the racetrack and the enthusiasm for the works of art of the Renaissance.

Day 2 was also very intense from the point of view of the competition and the results of the special stages held in the afternoon and of the race on the track at Imola resulted in some major shifts in the rankings, as did today’s events, with 2 special stages and the race on the track at Mugello.

At the end of the third leg, crew n° 29 Daniele Perfetti / Alan Scorcioni in a 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS were in first place, crew n°46 Andrew Siddal / Seb Garcia Perez in a 1975 Ford Escort RS 1800 were in second place, and crew n°24 Thomas Kern / Stephan Peyer in a 1965 Jaguar E-type were third.
In the regularity section, crew n° 74 Philip Vlieghe / Oliver Laporte in a 1965 AC Shelby Cobra 427 had taken the lead followed by crew n° 67 Axel Urban / Andrea Urban in a 1972 Porsche 911 T and crew n° 68 Ruben Maes / Aswin Pyck  in a 1970 Porsche 914/6.

As always, the cream was rising to the top at the Modena Cento Ore, and the efforts made by the mechanics during the first two days of competition were starting to give results. Several cars were showing signs of close contact with other competitors or with obstacles encountered along the way. However, this is never enough to dampen the indomitable spirit of the participants who are always determined to complete the rally.

After leaving Florence in the magical light of dawn, it was time for the long-awaited races at the Mugello Circuit, a track that is establishing itself as one of the most beautiful and legendary in the world. There again, Formula 1 driver Louis Hamilton was particularly impressed by the Arrabbiata One and Two double right-hander and said it ranks among the most beautiful in the world of motor racing.

Once the competition on the track was over, a short stretch of motorway took the crews to Pistoia and its old town centre ahead of Montecatini Terme, where the cars parked up for a well-deserved lunch break. The afternoon was set aside for the Renaio and Careggine Special Stages, with their lovely narrow, winding roads that are a joy for drivers and passengers, and a time stamp at Castelnuovo Garfagnana.

The crews entered Forte dei Marmi in the late afternoon and the cars parked up on display in Piazza Marconi. As evening fell, everyone met on the beach to admire the sunset.

Day 4: From Forte dei Marmi to Modena
The departure from Forte dei Marmi got off to a slower start than usual. The previous, long day of driving and the evening event that stretched on meant that the alarm clocks went off far too early for everyone this morning. The service crews had worked late into the night to fix engines and body work, and most of the cars were ready to get back on the road by the morning.

The drive up to the first special stage on a spectacular, winding road and pleasantly cool weather gave the engines time to warm up and the espressos consumed by the drivers time to kick in. So everyone was perfectly ready when the marshals started the countdown for the start of the uphill special stage.
San Rocco and Passo delle Radici were quite complex special stages: long, steep and narrow, offsetting the advantage that the bigger and more powerful cars had enjoyed on the fast tracks at Mugello and Imola. After the lunch break at Pavullo and the time stamp at Vignola, the crews entered Modena Race Track for the Super Special Test on the circuit, their last chance to make an impression on the rankings. Modena Circuit was celebrating its 10th anniversary on the actual day, and the Modena Cento Ore 2021 was an integral part of the celebrations.

From there, the crews drove in convoy into the centre of Modena, for a time stamp in Piazza Roma opposite the famous Military Academy and the passage on the stage in Piazza Grande, where Luigi Orlandini waved the chequered flag in the shadow of the Ghirlandina tower.

After the chequered flag, the crews waited with poorly disguised indifference for the final rankings to be announced to see who would step up onto the podium.

Epilogue
Canossa Events once again reaffirmed its environmentally-friendly approach as it continues to apply the CarbonZero protocol at its events, and will fully offset the residual CO2 emissions produced by the Modena Cento Ore 2021 by planting new trees in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. The Modena Cento Ore remains the only “zero emissions” event of its kind.

The success of the Modena Cento Ore was made possible by than 600 personnel involved, including the organisers, staff, sports personnel, timekeepers, photographers, cameramen. Of equally great importance were of course superb partners like Blackfin, who designed an exclusive model of eye-wear for the crews; RM-Sotheby’s, the world-leading auction house for classic cars; Brose, Brandoli, and I Greppi.

As the event drew to a close, Luigi Orlandini, President and CEO of Canossa Events, had this to say: “I’m so happy that we were able to run the event with not too many restrictions, just a little sad for all the friends from the UK and other countries that could not join us, but we’ll be waiting for them next year.
The grids were full of exceptional cars. Behind the wheel or reading out the pacenotes, so many nice and determined ladies and gentlemen who helped our team creating the unique atmosphere of challenge and camaraderie that the Modena Cento Ore is all about.
Thank you to all the competitors and mechanics, all our collaborators, ACI Sport, the circuits of Misano, Imola, Mugello and Modena, all the cities involved and in particular Rimini, Florence, Forte dei Marmi and Modena.
I really hope that this has been the last edition in Covid times, and that next year we’ll be allowed to hug and party again!”.