ALFISTI CONQUERING MONZA
Spring has definitely arrived for Scuderia Del Portello 3rd event organised at the Temple of Speed - it was clear and sunny day welcoming the 560 Alfas officially registered along with the alfisti coming from 12 European countries and local visitors in their thousands, all celebrating Quadrifoglio’100th anniversary and Autodelta’s 60th.
A hall of fame of Alfa’s most notable products, with each car special in its own way. From the superstars like the various 8C and GTAm to the small but fierce Mitos, each Alfa in the Monza paddock area had something special about it, be it for its livery or trim, or just for the great love shown by its owner, love reflected in the stunning condition each Alfa presented.
And it wasn’t just us admiring the cars lined up: Jean-Philippe Imparato, complete with an Alfa jacket and cap was there too mixing it with the regular alfisti, looking at the details of the rarer Alfas, answering left and right and just enjoying the day.
Among this sea of who’s who in this Alfa representation a truck stood out: our friends at OKP Racing together with their Alfa Delta partners brought their new race trailer for a very practical reason: they deployed 5 cars: a rare TZ2, a striking yellow 155 SuperTurismo D2, along with a trio made up of a GTAm “Testa Stretta”, a GTAm Gr.5 and GTA 1600, all of which we’ll get to see in action in two weeks time at the first race of the 2023 season of the Alfa Revival Cup in Mugello.
To someone not familiar with what alfisti love doing best this might have seem like a show of beauty, but just as Scuderia del Portello pried itself to be a “dynamic museum”, all the Alfas registered took turns in lapping the Monza circuit, with alternating lap parades on both the historic circuit including the old banking and the current F1 circuit. We took to the track in a gorgeous Giulia TI, and it felt emblematic of the occasion: from the contemporary range, what could be more suitable for the job of parading among Monza’s circuit tricolore kerbs than the best current sports sedan bearing a gorgeous Verde Visconti dress? We weren’t there to set up the fastest lap time, so when a GTA 1300 Junior came up to our side, David gently made way. Or maybe it was just because he wanted to better hear the GTA’s bialbero roar as it was overtaking us.
The day concluded with Suderia Del Portello’s “Campioni Alfa Romeo” awards designation, with the hosts turning an appreciative gesture towards the people sharing the same passion for the House of the Biscione. Young and no so young anymore pilots, the clubs present for the day (like Alfa Dolomiti, the biggest club in Italy with its 700 members or Alfa Cagliari, whose members travelled from the biggest distance to be present for the day) and members of the press, among which I was humbled to be included, were all recognised.
A perfect day for all alfisti…
Photos by Luca Danilo Orsi
