The Vallelunga-Classic meeting was the fourth and second-last rendezvous of the 2021 series Peter Auto season. It attracted more than 170 racing cars some of which were at the finish of the Tour Auto a week earlier.
We left them on the red carpet in Nice triumphant, but in need of a rest and found them ready for the off again five days later on the black asphalt of the Vallelunga circuit. “They” included Christophe Van Riet and his Shelby Cobra victorious in the latest Tour Auto Optic 2000 and now in the lead in Sixties’ Endurance after their success this weekend in Italy! The Belgian driver remained completely unruffled on Saturday evening when, after 90 minutes racing, a violent storm hit the Rome region flooding the track in a few seconds and leading to the premature interruption of the meeting.
The Gipi Motor team wasn’t the only one to string together both events as the runner-up in the Tour Auto, the Classic Garage team, had also brought Sébastien Berchon’s E-Type Jaguar to the Italian track. “We had already done two races in seven days, but never after an event as demanding as the Tour Auto,” said Jérémy da Rocha’s car’s tuner on Thursday. “We arrived in Paris on Monday morning and the transporter was supposed to set off again the next day, which gave us only a few hours to check everything. So we concentrated on the safety elements and the fluids, which we replaced. There was still a lot to do, but that’s the way it worked out.” They did a good job as car and driver finished the race in 26th place.
Of course, in the land of the Tifosi all eyes were focused on the 20 or so Italian cars racing in the different grids. There were models from prestigious brands like Alfa Romeo (Giulia TZ, Giulietta SZ, 1600 GTA), De Tomaso (Pantera Gr VI), Ferrari (250 GT SWB, 512 BBLM, F430 GTC), Maserati (3500 GT) and also cars from lesser-known constructors like Bizzarrini (5300 GT), Iso (Grifo A3C), Olmas (GLT 200) and Osella (PA5). And finally, there was a newcomer in CER 2, the BMW M1 Pro-Car driven by Marc Surer (Team BMW Schweiz) in 1979.
Rendezvous in a month’s time at Estoril Classics for the final of the series Peter Auto that will conclude with a prize-giving ceremony. Note that the Portuguese round will be broadcast in live streaming on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th October.
