Monza Racetrack - March 3, 2013

After the first meeting, which was supposed to take place on Sunday, February 17th, was postponed due to snow, the meeting on March 3rd was marked by good weather, so much so that we all could drive around with the tops down.

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The meeting took place as scheduled at the entrance to the racetrack, and it's always a pleasure for those organizing a rally to see members coming from far away, perhaps having woken up before dawn (like members Cecchetto from Veneto and Margoniner from Piedmont) or having set out from home alone, driving 400 kilometers, loading and unloading their MG (a 1934 PA) from a first-model Ford Transit (also vintage), all alone: I'm talking about member Vincenzo Contini, truly legendary! While this "sacrifice" is understandable when the rally lasts at least a day, it's a little less so when it essentially consists of 30 minutes of laps on the track: but Monza is Monza, and the lure of one of the most famous circuits in the world is so strong that even these sacrifices are accepted. Also because the best thing was that for those 30 minutes the Monza track was all to ourselves, without the presence of any other cars other than the MGs registered with our Club.
There were about twenty entrants, all lined up in front of the track entrance gate, waiting for the signal to enter. Then, into the pit lane and from there onto the track itself. The second, third, and fourth gears are a bit of a drag, but you're soon at the entrance to Variante 1, two almost hairpin bends that are so slow they force you to downshift to second. Then, Curva Grande (or Curva Biassono), a very gentle right-leaning curve, a straight in full fourth gear to reach Variante 2, a left-right, accelerating out to tackle the short straight that leads to Variante 1, which immediately connects to Variante 2: they say these are challenging corners... and indeed they are!
From there, a straight downhill and then uphill passing under a small bridge (the Serraglio) that takes you to the last of Monza's chicanes: the Ascari. We're nearing the end of the first lap: after a fairly long straight, you tackle the Parabolica and are back on the pit straight.
At our speed, the half-hour on the track passes quickly: after a few laps, the checkered flag arrives, inviting us to leave. Everyone is happy, no problems (neither mechanicals nor any excessive driving off the track), so we put the cars on display in the designated area in the Paddock, preparing for the outdoor aperitif and the customary photos.
Let's not fool ourselves: if we felt we were going fast, the spectators didn't have the same impression. Partly because our cars aren't racing cars, and partly (let's face it...) because each of us cares about our own MG, which we pushed but didn't overdo: that, too, is love.
Ernesto Meloscia

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