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The San Marino Grand Prix is the home of Ferrari, Imola is the home
of the Tifosi and the track is named after Enzo`s son Dino. So is it
any wonder that its fanatical following is swathed in red with the
Cavalino motif for all to see. The track has been described as a
miniature Nurburgring because of it`s wooded areas, variety of
curves and corners, and its wonderful undulating terrain. It`s not a
sophisticated circuit; it`s just a great racetrack, the San Marino
Grand Prix is a venue every driver and team wants to win.
Few circuits inspire the same adoration for motorsport as Imola.
The circuit lies in the heart of Ferrari country and is a stone's
throw from both
Modena and Maranello. It is the home of the tifosi and a place
of pilgrimage for any fan of Italian motorsport. The track has seen
some memorable races over the years and although it is in Italy, the
circuit plays host to the San Marino Grand Prix.
Built in 1950 by a group of motor enthusiasts, the track was
simply a collection of new roads joining up existing public
highways. It was not until 1954 that the first car race took place
on the track. In 1963, however, the organisers collected a large
purse and asked the Formula One teams if they would run in a
non-championship event between the Pau and Pescara races. Most
agreed, although Ferrari was notable by its absence.
The Imola Council decided to rename the circuit in honour of Enzo
Ferrari's son Dino who had died in 1956. The renaming led to a
loyalty from Enzo and the Circuit Dino Ferrari soon raised enough
money to turn the track into a permanent closed circuit. When the
great man died, the circuit was renamed, Circuit Enzo e Dino
Ferrari.
1979 saw Formula One return to the track with the running of
another non-championship event. In 1980, Imola hosted the Italian
Grand Prix, the first and only time it would do so. 1981 saw the
return of the Italian Grand Prix to Monza, but so popular was Imola
that the San Marino Grand Prix was launched to make use of the
circuit.
1982 saw one of the most legendary races in Formula One history.
Having crashed at the corner which would later bear his name in
1981, Gilles Villeneuve returned to Imola determined to win.
However, after a titanic battle his team mate at Ferrari, Didier
Pironi, took the lead and won the race. Villeneuve was incensed as
he claimed Pironi had broken team orders. He swore never to speak to
him again. He never would. At the next race in Zolder, Villeneuve
was killed in a horrifying accident in qualifying.
In 1983 Villeneuve's friend Patrick Tambay raced at Imola for
Ferrari. He took Villeneuve's number 27 to victory. It was a most
unlikely win, and legend says that Tambay recalled the car doing
things he was not asking it to do. He said it was as if Gilles had
been in the car with him. The magic of Imola was born.
In 1987 and 1989 Nelson Piquet and Gerhard Berger had big
accidents at the high speed Tamburello corner. They emerged
relatively unscathed, but in 1994 the corner claimed the life of one
of Formula One's greatest drivers, Ayrton Senna. In one of the
sport's darkest weekends Rubens Barrichello was knocked unconscious
on Friday morning. Roland Ratzenberger, the much loved Austrian
rookie, was tragically killed on Saturday with minutes of qualifying
left. The race itself saw collisions, stray tyres in the pit lane,
and, most tragically, the death of Senna.
Despite the events of 1994, Imola has retained some of its magic.
It is still a marvellous circuit with corners such as Acque Minerale
providing real challenges for the modern Formula One driver. The
atmosphere created by the tifosi is unlike anything on earth. They
live and breathe Ferrari and give Imola a special type of magic you
won't find anywhere else.
Imola can be easily reached from any part of Italy. Just 35km
from
Bologna, it is served by the A14 Bologna-Bari motorway and the
S9 state road. Alternatively it is served by rail as the town lies
on the mainline to Ancona. The circuit is a decent walk,
approximately 1,500 metres, from the local train station.
If you're flying in, the nearest international airport to Imola
is the Guglielmo Marconi airport in Bologna, which operates
most European routes.
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