Here we go again - Mille Miglia 2012
05/17/2012
One of the two absolute annual highlights in historic motorsport starts again tonight. From Brescia to Rome and back again. The Mille Miglia means 1,600 km in one go. No longer completely non-stop, but still with little sleep.
The vehicles and teams will be presented today from 10 a.m. in Piazza Paolo Vl in Brescia. The start in the direction of Ferrara is this evening at 18.45 in V. le Venezia.
On Friday, the unique parade of vehicles will roll towards Rome, from where it will thunder back to the finish in Brescia in one go on Saturday.
The stages are extremely long and exhausting for man and machine. If you are on the road without a support team, you hardly get any sleep. Once the intermediate destination is finally reached, the vehicle still has to be prepared for the next stage. By the time the bus finally arrives at the hotel, there's just enough time for a refreshing shower and then it's back on the road again.
But now comes the big Abe that makes you forget all the effort. Nowhere else in the world do you ride 1,600 km in a crowd of so many enthusiastic spectators.
The sleepless nights are forgotten when you see the children screaming and waving at the side of the road. There is no end to the enthusiasm.
Thousands line the roadside. Similar to the Tour de France, you are cheered on and constantly hear the two words: "Bella Machina"!
At the end, a glass of champagne and once again through the roaring crowd towards the hotel where, after three days and two nights, the body can finally fall into a horizontal position.
