05/04/2011 -
Back from the weekend in Navarra we have repeated to ourselves up to get tired: the lack of the success of this event shouldn’t be enquired into the formula which distinguishes itself, moreover, formerly tested with best results last autumn at Paul Ricard’s, but into the decision on its taking place on a circuit too new to draw some gentlemen drivers who are greedy for those emotions which can be only guaranteed by the temples of motor racing. Constructed among the gentle hills to the South of Pamplona, surrounded by cornfields growing as far as the eye can see, notwithstanding the good intentions of Navarra government, the circuit doesn’t provide any particularly interesting starting points; with its 3.933 m it looks like more a go-kart track than a circuit suitable for international events. Thus, in spite of the four envisaged categories, among which the new born CanAm Challenge Cup organized by Peter Scheifer (the Bavarian representative of Audi and Volkswagen keen on American big block), we have only seen about sixty cars on the track which has left some line-ups sadly empty. Patrik Peter himself must have noticed it, if it’s true that during the usual formal dinner on Saturday evening he skilfully avoided making comment, particularly towards those who had withdrawn their participation at the last minute: with the inclusion of some leaders of the well tested Classic Endurance Racing, where despite the first 50 entered drivers only 40 arrived in Navarra. If CER has not much appealed, the difficult situation of the other categories has forced the organizers to evaluate the last minute changes: taking into account only the 12 participants at the Sixties Endurance and the 6 ones at Trofeo Nastro Rosso, at the beginning they have opted limitedly to this event, for the union of the two categories, but in the end they chose to keep the integrity of the event, also because with a category less the down time would be longer between one session and the other.
After all successful events of the last few years, the Navarra Dix Mille Tours was a discordant note to Peter, one of those that take you by surprise in the middle of a nearly perfect work. However, we don’t have to forget that it was only the aperitif of the season of 2011 historic events and probably at the end of May, on the legendary circuit of Spa, we’ll breathe a quite different air…. or better, another symphony of engines.
CLASSIC ENDURANCE RACING
SIXTIES' ENDURANCE
TROFEO NASTRO ROSSO
CAN-AM CHALLENGE CUP