1000 kilometres and 100 hours to mark the 20th anniversary. These are the numbers of the 2020 edition of the Modena Cento Ore, that had the crews competing along an itinerary from Rome to Modena.
3 circuits with races held on the racetrack: Autodromo dell’Umbria at Magione, the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit at Imola, and the Mugello Circuit.
11 special stages uphill on the most beautiful roads climbing up through the Apennines in central and northern Italy
11 average speed trials
11 car manufacturers represented
4 cities where the legs of the race arrived
99% of foreign participants with people coming from England, Hong Kong, United States, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Belgium, Ireland, Austria, and Canada
0 residual emissions of C02
More than 600 people involved in the event, including the organisers, staff, sports personnel, timekeepers, photographers, cameramen…
Although the pandemic caused a few organisational headaches, leading to turmoil in the logistics “on the go”, the participants were able to truly enjoy a few days of “driving freedom”.
Winners of the overall rankings for the speed section for pre-1965 cars were Swiss crew T. Kerne and S. Peyer in a Jaguar E-Type, British crew J Kennedy and L. Kennedy in a Lancia Aurelia B20 GT, and Swiss crew A. Meyer and M. Meyer in a Ferrari 250 GT SWB SEFAC.
The winner of the overall rankings for the speed section for post 1965 cars was Belgian crew G. Janssens and T. De Geetere in a Porsche 911 SC, followed by British team A. Siddali and S. Perez in a Ford Escort RS 1800, and British team P.L. Kadoorie and D. Wells in a Porsche 911 3.0 RS.
The Index of Performance Rankings went to the British pair J. Kennedy and L. Kennedy in a Lancia Aurelia B20GT, followed by T. Kern and S. Peyer from Switzerland in a Jaguar E-Type, and A. Meyer and M. Meyer also from Switzerland in a Ferrari 250 GT SWB SEFAC.
For the Regularity section, first place went to the German crew S. Rohleder and N. Hahn driving for the Bad Boys Racing team in a Porsche 911 2.4T, followed by Belgian crew C. De Buck and W. De Buck in a Porsche 911 Carrera Coupé, and British crew A. Martin and A. Martin in a Ford Mustang GT.
The Best Ferrari Restoration special prize offered by Carrozzeria Brandoli went to the Ferrari 250 SWB Berlinetta SEFAC.
As usual, the prize for the support staff that gave us the most incredible “Technical Miracle” was met with the loudest standing ovation of all. The challenge is reaching very high levels, and miracles are made hot on the heels of one another. This year’s standing ovation went to the British team K. Jones and L. Jones supporting the 1976 Ford Escort 1600 RS.
The “In Memory of Sir Stirling Moss” prize for the crew that delivered the best performance on the road trials from Florence to Bologna went to crew A. Martin and A. Martin.
The “Spirit of MCO” prize for the crew that stood out for their sheer determination to take part, compete, and cross the finishing line, at whatever cost, went to crew R. Evans and J Faux in an Iso Rivolta IR 300 GT.
Winner of a fire extinguisher (in perfect working order), the ultimate symbol of the “Fireworks” award, was crew B. Gill and D. Didcock in the Ford Escort RS 1600, and we don’t think we need to explain why…
As per tradition, part of the proceeds of the Modena Cento Ore was donated to the Panathlon Club of Modena to help support sports projects for disabled children.
As always, the Cento Ore is the only green event in the industry. Canossa Events also confirmed its environmentally friendly approach as it continues to apply the CarbonZero protocol at its events, and will fully offset the residual CO2 emissions produced by the Modena Cento Ore 2020 by planting new trees in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. The Modena Cento Ore remains the only “zero emissions” event of its kind.
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“The success of the Modena Cento Ore is also possible thanks to the support of such superb partners as RM-Sotheby’s, the world leading auction house for this industry; Blackfin, who designed an exclusive model of eye-wear for the crews; Amalgam, I Greppi, Brandoli, Noberasco, and Cantina di Vicobarone.
As always, the main focus of the Modena Cento Ore was the very high level of the cars taking part in the rally. A well-deserved mention should definitely go to the Ferrari 250 SWB Berlinetta SEFAC, the Ferrari 212 Berlinetta Touring, the Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAM “Facetti”, the Aston Martin DB4 GT, the Shelby American Mustang GT 350, the Lamborghini Countach 25 Anniversario, the Jaguar E-Type Semi-Lightweight, and the Porsche Carrera 911 3.0 RS. Speaking with the participants, the first thing they mentioned was how they truly admired the organisers for having believed in their dream and for all their hard work in making the Modena Cento Ore happen in 2020; how lovely it was at the Imola Circuit, whose gentle itinerary proved the perfect match for classic cars, the always exciting challenge of the hill climbs; and the thrill of the parade through the centre of Rome, an absolutely unique and extraordinary experience.
Listening to what they had to say, it was also clear that the Cento Ore was also something of a challenge, and that everyone found themselves facing some kind of mechanical hiccup. We would like to round this off with the comments passed by Luigi Orlandini, CEO of Canossa Events and Patron of the event: “There is no doubt that this was the most difficult edition from an organisational point of view. I have my team to thank for their commitment and for their prompt action when faced with the never-ending changes in the regulations, as well as the authorities and the motor vehicle manufacturers based in the Motor Valley for their advice and support. But the biggest thanks of all go to all the participants who decided to come and join this 20th anniversary.”
Report by canossa.com
Photos by Courtesy of Canossa Events
