08.12.2007 SCUDERIA FERRARI STARS IN THE MOTORSPORT ARENA IN BOLOGNA

LUCA BADOER - FERRARI F2007
LUCA BADOER - FERRARI F2007
LUCA BADOER - FERRARI F2007
LUCA BADOER - FERRARI F2007

Scuderia Ferrari took to the Shell Arena in Bologna on Friday for show's now-traditional 'Ferrari F1 Pit Stop', with test driver Luca Badoer driving an F2007 wowing the Tifosi in the packed grandstands.

Top class cars and big-name drivers are starring in the Shell Arena for the many and diverse motorsports fixtures of the 32nd edition of the Bologna Motor Show: from top Formula One and MotoGP champions to single brand category specialists, from expert rally drivers to cross bike demons.

The plethora of sports events in the Shell Arena really started in earnest on Friday when Scuderia Ferrari, the current Formula 1 Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ World title-holders took to the track for now-traditional 'Ferrari F1 Pit Stop', with factory test driver Luca Badoer driving an F2007 wowing the multitude of Tifosi in the packed grandstands with his car skills, performing donuts. burning rubber and other manoeuvres before the highly enthusiastic crowd.

This was followed by two motorcycling events, the Barclaycard Superbikers and the Eastpak Freestyle Show. The Superbikers included several Motorcycling World Championship competitors: from Randy De Puniet, who is competing as part of Lucio Cecchinello’s MotoGP team for the 2008 season, to Mattia Pasini, from Alex De Angelis to Alex Hoffman. The race also included Superbike experts such as Regis Laconi and Supersport riders David Checa and Fabien Foret.

As usual, one of the most spectacular events will be the Eastpak Freestyle Show, on the 8th and 9th December. The favourite in this discipline is the young Spanish phenomenon Dani Torres, winner of one of the three X-fighters contests – the world’s top competition for freestylers – however, he will have some stiff competition from Mc Elroy, Frenchman Troux, Japanese rider Sato and local idols Dal Farra and Minguzzi. On the same day, the Maserati MC12 Show will feature a display by MC12 Versione Corse, developed on the basis on a MC12 GT1 that has dominated the FIA GT continuously since 2005 and driven by Andrea Bertolini, FIA GT 2006 champion.

The 8th and 9th December will feature challenges between the drivers of the Nivea For Men Eurotouring event: with names the calibre of Nicola Larini, who came 6th overall in the 2007 World Touring Car Championship in his Chevrolet Lacetti, MotoGP rider Marco Melandri, who clinched fifth place in this year’s world championship, former Formula One driver Gabriele Tarquini at the wheel of his Seat Leon and Englishman James Thompson in an Alfa 156. The 8th December will also be dedicated to the two Renault single brand categories: Formula Renault 2.0 Italia and the Renault Clio Cup.

On 9th December, the Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Show will repeat last year’s success as new talent Sebastian Vettel, who stole a thrilling 4th place in the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, takes to the circuit. The other fixtures for Sunday 9th will be the Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy and Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy Shell Cup: the big names participating in the former include Niki Cadei, second place in the 2007 results table, Nicola Gianniberti, who came forth and Austrian Philipp Baron, who achieved fifth place. The Shell Cup will also star five of the 2007 season’s top six drivers: Nina Jerancic, Sandro Mucelli, Vanni Campari, Massimo Mantovani and Vincenzo Sauto.

On Monday 10th December, the Ferrari F430s that dominated this year’s Grand Touring Car Championship will once again compete against a Porsche 997 and Lamborghini Gallardo in the Shell Arena for the Bomb Boogie GT Challenge: the drivers competing will include the series’ Pavia-born champion Lorenzo Casè and the third place from Brescia, “Linoss”. The day will also feature three single brand events: as the Nissan 350z Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup Italia and Leon Supercopa Trophy Castrol Cup take to the circuit. The stars of the Nissan 350Z Challenge will include the top drivers of the 2007 season such as series winner Natale Calella and runner-up Raffaele Giannoni. The Porsche Carrera Cup Italia will be disputed by practically all of Italy’s best drivers at the wheels of their 400 HP Porsche Gt3 997s, such as Ravenna’s national runner up Gianluca De Lorenzi, who won the trophy at the 2006 Motor Show, the third place Roman driver Stefano Comandini and Luca Rangoni, who won the season’s last two races. The Leon Supercopa Castrol Cup race will star Carlo Galdini, Marco Cassera and Simone Pellegrinelli.

On Tuesday 11th December, the Superstars Trophy will involve a number of celebrity drivers, including the Audi RS4 driven by Dindo Capello, winner of the 2004 edition of the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours and former Formula One driver Gianni Morbidelli, series champion in 2007 with six wins in eight meets, against the BMW driven by former ski champion Cristian Ghedina, now a motor racing expert, and the BMW M5 of the former rally driver from Veneto Gianfranco Battaglin, one of the series’ top drivers in recent years. On the same day, the Pirelli Historic Challenge vehicles (which will also take part in the Emilio Lanzoni Memorial Pirelli Historic Parade) will allow spectators to relive the thrills of yesteryear, as they do every time they appear on racing circuits: from the Osella PA 9 of the Florentine driver who dominated the Italian Speed Hillclimb Championship David Baldi to the Alfa Romeo 1900 SS belonging to the Bologna-born discipline specialist Francesco Amante or the BMW 1600 of rival hillclimber Alvaro Bartoli.

As tradition would have it, from 12th December, the Shell Arena will be transformed into a true rally track, with a mixed tarmac-off-road circuit. The rally events will kick-off with the Super 1600 Challenge, whose drivers will include winner of the Super 1600 category in the Italian Rally Championship Ivan Paire, youngster Andrea Cortinovis and winner of the Tarmac Rally Trophy Marco Blanc – all behind the wheels of their respective Renault Clios - and Andrea Zivian on his Fiat Punto Abarth. Events on Wednesday 12th will also include the GT Rally trophy, the new Italian rally category introduced in 2007, which will bring to the Shell Arena Aldo Calabrini and Gianni Martellucci in a Porsche Cayman S, Marco Cristoforetti in a Porsche 997 GT3, Antonio Forato in a Ferrari F43 and Stefano D’Aste in a Lotus Exige.

On Thursday 13th December, it will be time for the big names competing in the Super N Trophy, with Tuscany veteran Paolo Andreucci, who, at the wheel of his Mitsubishi, won the Ciocco, Targa Florio and San Crispino rallies, alongside the Manufacturer’s other official Italian driver, the young Bergamo-born competitor, Matteo Gamba. They will be up against Russian Eugeny Novikov, in his Lancer Evo IX. Subaru has already confirmed the presence of its two official drivers, Andrea Aghini and Piero Longhi, who won the 2007 San Marino and Emerald Coast rallies. In the single brand Mitsubishi Colt Cup, Campagna—born champion Antonio Pascale, winner of the 2006 edition, will defend his title from challengers Laura Rovagnati, Federico Tagliapietra and Gabriele Cogni.

The WRC Italia Trophy drivers will be the stars of the show on Friday 14th December behind the wheels of the World Rally Cars that have dominated the scene in recent years. The big names will include the winner of the most recent edition of the Tarmac Rally Trophy, Marco Silva from Como, and fellow-expert Michele Gregis who lives in Bergamo, who clinched a number of victories in the 2007 season. In the Pirelli Historic Rally Show (which will continue with the finals the following day, 15th December), the drivers on the track will include Totò Riolo, champion of the 2007 Rally Legend, Gabriele Noberasco, Federico Ormezzano, Tonino Tognana and, on a Group B 4x4 turbo, Marco Gramenzi, GT group winner in the Italian Speed Hillclimb Championship. The day’s schedule will feature two single brand events: the Castrol Evo Cup and the Subaru Impreza Cup. The competitors of the former, which is dedicated to Mitsubishi vehicles, will include Modena-born champion Alan Scorcioni and runner-up Stefano Bizzarri. The Subaru race (which will continue with the final races on Saturday 15th) will involve Bruno Bentivogli from Romagna, Giovanni Manfrinato from Veneto and Russian Eugeny Aksakov.

The grand finale will be held on the Exhibition’s closing weekend, Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th December, with the super classic Barclaycard Bettega Memorial (the same divers will take to the track on the evening of Saturday 15th for the Barclaycard Dante Salvay Cup), the Bomb Boogie Xtreme Supermotard and the Baja Buggy Show. The favourites for the Bettega Memorial are two regular World rally circuit drivers, Tony Gardemeister, who won last year’s Salvay Cup, and Jan Kopecky of the Czech republic. They will be up against Frenchman Francois Duval and two big Italian promises, Alessandro Bettega, son of Attilio, who recently made his début in the WRC series, and Simone Campedelli, who recently won the off-road Rally Trophy 2007.

The Bomb Boogie Xtreme Supermotard will give the Shell Arena public the chance to admire the battle between two cross bike giants Mickael Pichon and Stefan Everts, ten-times world champion who won the event in 2006 with a stunt that remains part of the history of the Shell Arena. In the past, the Belgian and the Frenchman fought for victory in a number of Grand Prixs, writing some of the sport’s most beautiful pages, and now that they have both retired from professional competition, this will be one of the very few chances to see them back on the saddle. However, they will be up against the 2007 S2 World Champion, Gerald Delepine and the legendary Eddy Seel. Other riders will include Robert Baraccani, Spaniards Angel Grau and David Gimenez and French cross bike specialists Yves Demaria, MX3 World Champion and Pascal Leuret.

Last but not least, the undisputed star of the Baja Buggy Show will be Armin Schwarz, former world rally car driver, who will take to the Shell Arena making his European début on his 700 HP two-seater Class 1 Buggy with which he has competed in North America’s most famous rally-raids.
 

© 2007 Interfuture Media/Italiaspeed