Event Preview: Franciacorta Historic 2015
Photography by Pierpaolo Romano
With hundreds of events to choose from each year, classic car owners can enter their machines into any form of competition, from historic rallies to full-blown concours judging on show fields around the world.
For a more laid-back atmosphere, however, there are a number of regional events that have been steadily growing in recent years due to their combination of location, smaller size, and often less frenetic demands on both drivers and vehicles.
On April 11, the two-day Franciacorta Historic rally begins at La Colombera Golf Resort in Castrezzato, Italy, and it just might be one of the best-kept secrets in vintage car events. Now in its 8th year, the Franciacorta Historic blends incredible scenery from the Franciacorta region of Italy with timed road and track sessions to both delight and challenge drivers.
Now with more than 100 entries, the event is open to vehicles built before 1968 as well as vehicles built before 1976…as long as it has special permission from the event organizers. In addition, all vehicles must have at least one valid certification document: an FIA Historic Technical Passport, FIA Historic Regularity Car Pass, or FIVA Identity Card.
The route winds through more than 70 miles (120 km) of countryside roads and open track sessions. A timed event, the organizers have devised a unique way of attracting older vehicles to the event: a rating system is applied to entries based on year of manufacture. Older vehicles gain an advantage, and newer ones don’t: only fair when newer classics are often much faster and more comfortable than their ancestors.
If this sounds appealing, don’t delay: entries close on April 5. And if you can’t make it to Italy in less than a month, the event organizers have set up both a live stream and real-time rankings—just visit their website or follow the #FranciacortaHistoric2015 on social media.
