The first surprise was the new spelling of the traditional event: instead of "Mille Miglia", it is now spelled "1000 Miglia". But this was not to be the only change. But first things first.
Andrea Vesco and Fabio Salvinelli (starting number 43) emerge as the winners of the traditional 1000 Miglia 2021: After almost 1800 km through some of Italy's most beautiful cities, they won the rally in the 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sport.
Andrea Vesco already has three victories to his name, all with the same vehicle. After the successes with Andrea Guerini, last year with his father Roberto, he now won together with his co-driver Fabio Salvinelli: "It is always a great satisfaction to stand on the top step of the podium, especially here in Brescia, my home town," says the driver with emotion. "A lot of credit for this important result goes to the car, which has now accompanied us for the fourth year on the stages of the most beautiful rally in the world. This year, the rally was only decided on the very last stages, where we managed to beat the leading crew by just three points in the end. A big compliment to our opponents, because they put up a great fight and made this year's race incredibly close and exciting. Special thanks go to my father, who helped us from afar to repair our Alfa Romeo during the most difficult moment with a phone call.
This year's edition, which was characterized by very good weather, was sometimes pushed to the limit by the summer heat and by a challenging route, including the three passes of Cisa, Futa and Raticosa, which were driven in their entirety for the first time. A special feature that satisfied all the teams in the race, but was also extremely challenging.
Second place went to Andrea Luigi Belometti and Gianluca Bergomi, with their 1929 Lancia Lambda Spider Casaro (starting number 41). Belometti: "Now I'll pretend to be happy about my second place ... Seriously, that's how rallies are and we have to accept the final result. We all know the winner, Andrea Vesco, it's good to know how strong he is, so it's okay. We stayed competitive over all four days and that's the most important thing for us. See you at the next 1000 Miglia".
Third place went to Gianmario Fontanella and Anna Maria Covelli, also in a 1927 Lancia Lambda Casaro (starting number 24), confirming their position from 2020. "Last year we drove well, this year was a fantastic race, even if it was much more difficult. We are very happy with the position we have achieved."
Women's winner
Over 45 hours of driving through almost 200 Italian cities enabled Silvia Marini and Lucia Filippelli to win the "Coppa delle Dame 2021" once again: The pair, who drove the 1929 Bugatti T40 (starting number 40), finished 23rd overall.
The other podium places in the Coppa delle Dame were taken by Maria and Benedetta Gaburri in the 1957 Abarth Fiat 750 GT Zagato (starting number 305) and by Silvia Maria Antonietta Oberti and Caterina Vagliani in a 1951 S.I.A.T.A 300 BC.
Dutchmen John and Chelly Houtkamp were the first foreigners to win the Nations Cup. The duo took eighth place in a 1929 Alfa Romeo 1750 Super Sport (starting number 44).
International field
Of the 375 cars that started, 341 crossed the finish line in the end.
There was once again a strong international presence: after Italy, most of the participants came from the Netherlands (146), followed by the Germans (80). Alfa Romeo was the most strongly represented brand, with more than 50 cars taking part and a visionary driver: John Elkann, President and Managing Director of Stellantis, who crossed the finish line in Brescia in a 1956 Alfa Romeo 1900 C Super Sprint, accompanied by his wife Lavinia Borromeo. "Crossing the Future", the slogan of the 2021 edition of the 1000 Miglia, expressed the original spirit of the brand, combining tradition and the future of the automobile by bringing together classic cars and electric cars such as Jaguar I Pace, Mercedes EQA and Porsche Taycan in the "1000 Miglia Green Competition".
Guest starter with starting number 1000
To enjoy the incredible travel experience that the most beautiful rally in the world offers its participants, TV presenter Camila Raznovich, in the cockpit of the 1954 Alfa Romeo Sport Spider with the number 1000, driven by Roberto Giolito, Head of Heritage at FCA, opened all the stages of the competition.
"It was a wonderful, but also very exhausting experience. Taking part in the 1000 Miglia should be on everyone's list of things to do in life," commented Camila Raznovich.
Fast on the road - Ferrari Tribute 1000 Miglia
The Ferrari Tribute 1000 Miglia, the accompanying event dedicated to the 1000 Miglia by the prestigious international brand, symbol of Italian excellence in the world, was also a great success. Alberto Ghelfi and Giordano Mozzi won with a Ferrari 488 Pista from 2020.
The award ceremony took place at the Mille Miglia Museum in Brescia, in the presence of the institutions, local authorities and law enforcement agencies.
During the event, the Minister for Affari Regionali e le Autonomie, Mariastella Gelmini, congratulated the organization: "This is a very special edition of the competition. We are coming out of a very difficult year and the 1000 Miglia fills our hearts with confidence for the future. Thanks to the vaccinations, the country is responding really well and today shows its total will to restart. We thank all the organizers for the enormous work behind this event, which makes us proud of Brescia."
Made in Italy
"The 1000 Miglia is an event that is not only strongly linked to the territory of Brescia, but also reaches the whole world as an ambassador of the "Made in Italy" label. For this reason, today more than ever, we want to continue on the path that the Automobile Club of Brescia, in collaboration with the Municipality of Brescia and the Regione Lombardia, has taken to obtain UNESCO recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Our goal is to improve every year," explained "Il Presidente".
"The warmth of the public along the entire route of the 1000 Miglia made this edition very special," added Franco Gussalli Beretta, President of the 1000 Miglia. "The crews experienced an exciting race with several innovations, such as the counter-clockwise direction, and showed a competitive racing spirit by fighting for the podium until the last kilometer. The gap between first and second was really minimal and I would like to congratulate all the competitors for overcoming great difficulties along the way."
Visions for the future
"This year, above all, we wanted to show the link between tradition and a projection into the future," says Alberto Piantoni, Managing Director of the 1000 Miglia.
"'Crossing the future' was the theme of the 1000 Miglia 2021 and we wanted to take up the challenge of putting the vintage cars alongside the electric cars of the "1000 Miglia Green", which covered the entire route without difficulty, maintaining constant times in relation to the different performance requirements.
We thought about including them as a test bed beforehand and today we have confirmation that innovation in the world of mobility is feasible. The 1000 Miglia once again confirms itself as the window to the future of the automobile, just as the whole world used to be able to admire the result of cutting-edge engine technology on Italian roads."
