 
Living legends from the years 1927 - 1957
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Mille Miglia Storica 2003 ante portas!
The all-time list of Mille Miglia winners recorded a sixth place of Rudolf Caracciola at the wheel of an SSK as early as 1930, and the first overall victory of a Mercedes-Benz car - an SSKL, again driven by Rudolf Caracciola - in 1931. In 1952, the teams of Kling/Klenk and Caracciola/Kurrle, driving 300 SL prototypes, finished in places two and four overall; Moss/Jenkinson (300 SLR) won in a new record time in 1955. In that year, Juan Manuel Fangio completed the entire race without a navigator in his 300 SLR and still finished as runner-up. The American/German team of Fitch/Gesell (300 SL) won the GT class above 1.6 liters, and Retter/Lacher (180 D) won the diesel class. In the Mille Miglia Storica staged since 1977, too, Mercedes-Benz continues a long-standing tradition: in 1986 Schildbach/Netzer drove their 1929 SSK to first place in the overall rankings; the overall winner of the 1989 and 1997 races was the Italian Valseriati together with co-pilot Favero in a 300 SL (1955) and with Sabbadini in a 300 SL prototype of 1952, respectively. 370 participants from 19 nations lining up at the start in cars of 58 brands The respectable lineup of participants with more than 370 registered cars recruits from 19 nations this year, among them Argentina, Australia, the UK, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa and the USA. This alone is an indicator of the unbroken power of attraction of this Italian classic motor sport festival. It goes without saying that the Italian hosting country provides the largest number of 142 cars, followed in 2003 by Germany (87), the USA (33), Japan (23) and the UK (20). As many as 58 different brands with names steeped in tradition will make up a colorful array in scrutineering on Piazza della Vittoria in Brescia and in the lineup for the start in Viale Venezia in the evening. With 37 cars, Mercedes-Benz will be the strongest brand, followed by Ferrari (34), Alfa Romeo (30), Fiat (26), Porsche (25) and Bugatti (23). Other brand logos like Amilcar, Bizzarini, Cysitalia, Maserati, Osca, Rile, Talbot Lago, Veritas and others equally conjure up memories of the grand old times of the original Mille Miglia. This year again, Mercedes-Benz Classic will support the Mille Miglia as the main sponsor and enter eight cars itself: a supercharged 710 SS of 1929, four 300 SL, a 300 SLR, a 300 SL prototype and a 180 D sedan, all from the 1950s. Another familiar face will be that of ex-racing driver Jochen Mass who will drive the 300 SLR this year. The 180 D will be made available to the editors of Motor Klassik, who will give the passenger seat to the winner of a readers' competition in their classic car journal. Historical motor sport fascination on traditional ground The program and schedule of the 2003 Mille Miglia 2003 will again be oriented to the original's historical routes, though in slightly modified form as every year. In spite of being some 100 kilometers shorter this time, the 1,000 mile route will still live up to its name, Mille Miglia, being 1452.74 kilometers long and again divided into three stages:
First stage: Thursday, May 22,
2003:
Second stage: Friday, May 23,
2003:
Third stage: Saturday, May 24,
2003:
Winners' ceremony, Sunday, May 25,
2003: * * * Fascination begins even before the start in the evening All involved are stylishly tuned in to the classic motor sport event, the Brescia - Rome - Brescia Mille Miglia, by the scrutineering of the cars on Thursday, from 9:00 until 18:00 hours on Piazza della Vittoria in the historical center of Brescia. Some 370 racing legends will assemble there, waiting to obtain their start permit. Hundreds of onlookers watch the scrutineering with competent comments. The lucky ones are those who get hold of a front-row seat or a table in one of the near-by cafés. They not only have a perfect view of this intriguing scenario but also the chance of a close-up encounter with one or the other legendary racing driver. Thus tuned in, there's no restraining the Mediterranean enthusiasm for historical motor sport in general and the Mille Miglia in particular, be that at the start in the evening, at the turning point in Rome, at the finish in Brescia and along the diversified routes through the Apennines. Thousands of enthusiastic tifosi and foreign fans watch the mobile motor racing museum rolling past at the most interesting points, paying their respect to the witnesses of glorious motor sport eras with thundering applause. Even before the start, a large number of fans line up along the most interesting stretches of the route, for instance in Ferrara, San Marino and the historical mountain village of Radicofani. They also line the streets in the cities of Ravenna and Florence, as well as the two roads over the Futa and Raticosa passes. But there's one thing they never miss, and that's the unforgettable spectacle of the competitors' arrival in Brescia in the evening.
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From May 22 until
25, 2003, the historical Mille Miglia will be brought back to noisily pulsating
life for the 21st time in Brescia in northern Italy. For a short
time, this will also revive the discussions as to whether the original Mille
Miglia between 1927 and 1957 was more intriguing than its historical counterpart
staged since 1977. And this time again, discussions will cease at the very
latest when the engines of the 370 cars registered for the race will be started
to warm up and set the tone for the 21st Mille Miglia Storica.
Intimate connoisseurs of the most famous classic long-distance race and its
history have been knowing it all along, and newcomers will find out now that
the Mercedes-Benz brand has been closely associated with the Mille Miglia
organized since 1927 from the early stages onwards, as proved by outstanding
class and overall victories.
