The Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti is confirming the predictions. The event is highly attractive for motor enthusiasts and tourist and, at the same time, is an engaging and spectacular race. The sports performances of the competitors animate the very exciting Classic Regularity challenge. Epoca Championship Italian Grandi Eventi Championship ACI Sport, promoted by ACI Storico, starts with the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti which, from the first kilometres, reveals to be an uncommon trial.
The first day of the Dolomites race wasn’t “physical”, as we may expect from a 250,99 km track. The Dolomite passes, the “hard” ones, were present and they were faced in a row, regularly even despite the rain that slowed down the action for the players on board. The forty-six precision time trials, in addition to the four mean trials, made it very technical and challenging. The first stage was recognized to be funny and full of rhythm from the competitors. The Coppa d’Oro starts with an unexpected plot twist: Andrea Vesco and Romano Bacci left the game. The crew from the Team UBI Banca signs the first time trial on Passo Tre Croci, then the performances became fluctuating. The unprecedented crew on board of the Fiat 508 S Balilla Sport is not convincing, just sparely highlights himself, tries the recovery, but the time is running and the end of the stage at Cortina close the race.
Ezio Sala and Mara Massa, instead, express themselves at best on the first “tubes” and gain the head of the absolute rank, after them Sergio Sisti on his Lancia Aprilia for the Classic Team, Giovanni Moceri with the Fiat 508C of the Scuderia Targa Florio, then Nino Margiotta with the Volvo Pv444 for the Volvo Club and Gian Mario Fontanella driving a 1939 Lancia Aprilia. Some difficulties for Alessandro Gamberini with the Alfa Romeo 6C and Tiberio Cavallari, who has to stop his race for the break of an engine bearing of the Fiat Balilla Spider C from the 1932.
When half day is gone, just before the rainstorm, after the trials of Misurina, Moceri is on the top. The Palermitan, first champion of the Italian Grandi Eventi Championship in 2017, well guided by his navigator, the wife Valeria Dicembre, doesn’t miss a “tube” and gains a consistent gap from the others, taking home the victory of the first stage. “It was a beautiful day, all things considered, I felt comfortable, despite the effort made from our car”. At the end of the day, the Sicilian is 38 penalties ahead of Fontanella and Annamaria Covelli from Piacenza, in the second place but close to Margiotta and Valentina La Chiana, third with the Volvo, placement that, taking into account the coefficients, became the fourth place, after Sala and Massa on the Lancia Aprilia Emmebi ’70.
Sisti and Anna Gualnadi are fifth, after them Zanasi and Bertini, then a nice seventh place for the “canoe world champion” Andrea Giacoppo, with Grillone Teciolu Daniela on the “comfortable” Mercedes Benz 230 SL of the ’65. Eighth place for Leonardo Fabbri from Ferrara with the Volvo PV 544, ninth for Maurizio Magnoni with the 1949 Peugeot 203 Classic Lions and tenth for Giovanni Prandelli on the Corvette Sting Ray from the 1964. Alessandro Marzotto reaches the arrival with his whole family on the Lancia Lamba Cesaro 1929, while the first among the foreigners is the Swiss crew composed by Stefano Valente and Charlotte Magaraggia with the 1950 Jaguar XH120 Roadster, well placed also the Japanese Kenji Hakara and Kohei Hayashida, just before Al Rifai Hajjo and Giuliana Vecchi.
Today the program of the second and last day has the start scheduled at 9:00 from Corso Italia, Cortina d’Ampezzo; at 16:30 the arrival of the first car at Cortina d’Ampezzo – Stadio del Ghiaccio; 16:45 arrival of the first car – Corso Italia, after 45 time trials and 2 mean trials. Tomorrow, Sunday 21st July, at 9:00 Tour dei Sestieri, at 11:00 the award ceremony in A. Dibona square (Shell).
