From June 17 to 19, the 21st Vernasca Silver Flag will be held in the Italian province of Piacenza on the former hill climb route from Castell' Arquato to Vernasca. The event is based on an exciting and very old tradition, as real hill climb races were held on the same route between 1953 and 1972.
In honor of Alfa Romeo
The 2016 event will be held in honor of one of Italy's greatest and most legendary car brands - Alfa Romeo. Tazio Nuvolari, Giuseppe Campari and Achille Varzi in the 1930s, as well as Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1950s, were all great champions and contributed to the worldwide status of Alfa Romeo with their legendary performances in motorsport.
To celebrate Alfa Romeo, over 70 racing cars from the Milanese brand will be taking part, including Alfa Romeo's first racing model, the RLTF from Great Britain. But there will also be cars from the pre-war years, including a 1500 GS, a 1750 GS Kompressor and a 2300. The 50s and 60s will be represented by great vehicles such as the 1900 Superleggera, the Giulietta Sprint and the Zagato. Many of these vehicles come from the Alfa Romeo Museum collection.
Lots of celebrities and rare vehicles
In addition, some of the best Alfa Romeo drivers of all time will be taking part in the hill climb. These include Arturo Merzario in the Giulietta Zagato in which he began his career and Sandro Munari, driving the Lancia Stratos Alitalia in which he won four editions of the Rally of Monte Carlo. In addition, the daughter of the famous F1 driver Clay Regazzoni will compete in the Tecno F2 in which her father won the European F2 Championship.
But that's not all, in addition to Alfa Romeo, over 30 brands are represented at the event, including Abarth with models up to the large 3000 Sports Prototype. From the UK, many drivers from Cooper, Lotus, Brabham, Ford, Allard, Avis, MG and many more will be attending the event. From France, the Matra Museum has registered two exceptional vehicles, the MS 630 and the F3. And Germany will be represented by a rare Veritas and various Porsche prototypes from the 1960s.
Warm-up as early as June 16
In order to enjoy the unique atmosphere surrounding the classic cars and the joy of the fans for even longer, the event will last four days for the first time this year. For the first time, there will be a "warm-up" on Thursday, to which all participants are invited, before the 21st Vernasca Silver Flag starts on Friday in Castell'Arquato. The program promises a great show and four days full of passion and friendship, to which everyone is welcome.
Over 300 entries were received, from which the 200 most spectacular and rarest vehicles were selected. Another highlight of the program will be the "Dynamic Restoration and Conservation Concours", where an expert jury will have the difficult task of selecting the "Best Restored" and the "Most Original" vehicle.
You can find all the important information about the eventon the website.
