110^th ALFA ROMEO: LANZA MOTORSPORT AND THE SCUDERIA DEL PORTELLO’S GENTLEMEN DRIVERS INTRODUCE THE FIRST RACING GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO FOR THE NÜRBURGRING 2020 24H

The day in which Alfa Romeo celebrates its 110 years and the Museo Storico in Arese reopens to the public after the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 emergency, Scuderia del Portello and its Gentlemen Drivers look to the future of the brand Alfa Romeo in the motorsport field by introducing, after almost 20 years, the only Alfa Romeo which will take part in the Nürburgring 24h 2020.

It is the first Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio in the world fitted for the races, realized by the preparers of Lanza Motorsport – a sports association born in Valmorea (Como) exactly 35 years ago – under the initiative of its President Mauro Simoncini, a Gentleman Driver of Scuderia del Portello, the association based in Arese which since 1982 has been representing the sports brand Alfa Romeo in the most prestigious events worldwide.

It will participate in the most famous endurance for Tourism and GT cars, the Nürburgring 24h (24-27 September 2020), on the legendary circuit of the Nordschleife, under the “colors” of Lanza Motorsport – Scuderia del Portello; the crew will be made up by Mauro Simoncini, Ugo Vicenzi, Alberto Carobbio and Bruno Barbaro, four Italian Gentlemen Drivers who, on that historic track and in several German races, have gained a big experience with different kinds of cars.

THE CAR

Prepared by: Lanza Motorsport

Team: Scuderia del Portello

Drivers: Mauro Simoncini, Ugo Vicenzi, Alberto Carobbio and Bruno Barbaro

The Giulia Quadrifoglio belongs to the high quality products of the “Biscione” brand as a super sports variation of the standard Giulia.

The preparation for this huge event was followed by the technician of Lanza Motorsport, which in its 35 years of intense competitive activities took part in 18 editions of the 24h with cars of different brands.

The huge power, which can be found also in the standard variation, for the rules and regulations of the race inserts the Giulia Quadrifoglio in the highest class SP8 T (turbo cars) with “Appendix 5” configuration:

• Engine: V6, 2891 c.c., petrol
• Power: 520 hp
• Weight: 1400 kilos
• Tank: 120 liters
• Acceleration: 0-100 km/hour in 3.2 seconds
• Maximum speed: 322 km/hour
• Traction: rear
• Gearbox: automatic, 8 speed
• Trim: NTP Eibach & Bilstein, model Nürburgring – Nordschleife
• Body further lightened with the reconstruction of some parts in carbon
• Rear spoiler in carbon reconstructed and modified according to the regulations of the race.

As far as the safety is concerned, there are a F.I.A. homologated rollbar, an unmovable fire extinguishing apparatus and belts with 6 fixed points.

The project stems from a private venture of Mauro Simoncini, owner of the car and driver member of Scuderia del Portello, who made his debut at the Nürburgring 24h exactly 20 years ago with an Alfa Romeo 155 V6. His competitive activity in the mortorsport field begun in 1979 and saw him busy, with important results, in any kind of races, on track and on the road, at the wheel of several kinds of cars, both historical and modern: single-seater ones, prototypes, Tourism and GT.

“We have decided to bring back to the Nürburgring circuit, in its most important race of the season, a car of an Italian brand, after taking part in our first 24h with an Alfa Romeo, and after that in other 17 editions with foreign brands; after 20 year, we chose once again the historical Alfa Romeo brand, which has always been important to us, with the current “top quality product” of the “Biscione”. In the latest editions and in several other races my team mate was my friend Arturo Merzario (among other things, he is the Honorary President of Scuderia del Portello), with whom I would love to share in the future the steering wheel of the Giulia Quadrifoglio on the Nürburgring race track”.

THE RACE AND THE PRECEDENTS OF SCUDERIA DEL PORTELLO WITH ALFA ROMEO CARS

Called The Green Hell, the historic German race track, which is more than 20 kilometers long, has been the field of the most spectacular and dangerous races in the world for more than 90 years – in 1976, in the F1 GP, Niki Lauda risked life with a Ferrari, and was saved from the burning car by Arturo Merzario. The legendary Nürburgring 24h has seen, since  1970, more than 160 Tourism and GT cars racing on the historical track of the Nordschleife, partially united with the current “GP” one, for an overall length of 25 kilometers.

Every year the event welcomes hundreds of thousands of viewers who, from the beginning of the week, usually “settle down” in the several campsites scattered along the whole circuit, located in Rhineland Palatinate; together with the several events connected to the manifestation, they generate an atmosphere full of music, lights and shows that makes this race one of its kind. Scuderia del Portello, which for forty years has been officially representing the Alfa Romeo sports brand in the most prestigious events worldwide, took part in this race for the first time in 1992, with an Alfa Romeo 75 3000 V6 – the only car of the “Biscione” participating in that edition.

In 2001 it lined up four modern cars – a 147 Super Produzione and three 156 Gruppo N –with a total of 16 Gentlemen Drivers coming from different countries, 18 mechanics, 3 trucks and the hospitality stand.

To see the latest Alfa Romeo at the starting grid of the Nürburgring 24h, we have to go back to the last participation of Scuderia del Portello (2003) with an Alfa Romeo 156 Super Produzione.

“We are very glad when our driver members conceive such important ventures to continue the history of the Alfa Romeo sports brand – said the President Marco Cajani. It is an exceptional event; I took part in several editions, in which Scuderia del Portello has always been the only team with Alfa Romeo cars. When the new Giulia ‘was born’, we suggested the brand a team made up of 3 cars with drivers and journalists coming from different countries, with street standard cars prepared and adjusted in order to meet the rules and regulations of the race. We wanted them to reach on road the German circuit having Arese as a starting point; then, they would have taken part in the endurance and, after that, they would have returned to Arese on street. This had the aim to demonstrate the reliability of this car and to show the link with the historical slogan ‘the family car that wins races’. Unfortunately our proposal was not put into action. Therefore I enthusiastically welcomed the personal venture of our driver member Mauro Simoncini: his Giulia Quadrifoglio ‘Nürburgring 24H’ is the first istant classic car becoming part of the Scuderia del Portello’s Museo Dinamico and being  inserted in its Catalogo Alfa Romeo storiche da competizione …e la storia continua!”

24hNürburgring 1992: ALFA 75 3000 V6 Scuderia del Portello

24hNürburgring 1992: ALFA 75 3000 V6 Scuderia del Portello

24hNürburgring 2000: ALFA 155 2500 V6 Lanza Motorsport

24hNürburgring 2001: ALFA 147 Super Produzione  Scuderia del Portello

24hNürburgring 2003: ALFA 156 Super Produzione  Scuderia del Portello

THE DRIVERS

 MAURO  SIMONCINI

Valmorea (CO) 21/2/1957. He begun his competitive activity in the motorsport field in 1979 with his debut in Formula Monza, taking then part also in rallies with an Alfa Romeo Alfasud. So far he participated in 670 races – speed races on tracks, rallies and hill climb races – with different kinds of cars, obtaining several victories, both overall and in his class. He took part in 3 editions of the 1000 km di Monza with a victory in GT3 on a Porsche 993 in 1998.  In 2001 he raced, as an official TVR driver, the French GT championship. In 2000 took place his debut at the Nürburgring 24h with an Alfa Romeo 155 v6; later, so far he raced in other 15 editions – in 4 of them, his team mate was the friend Arturo Merzario. He is currently the first Italian driver in the hall of fame for the victories obtained in his class in the 2 championships on the Nürburgring – Nordschleife. In 2019, again at the Nürburgring, he was the vice-champion RCN-LIGHT with a BMW Z4 (7 overall victories). With historic cars, he races in the Campionato Italiano and in the Alfa Revival Cup with an Alfa GTAm and with a GT Group2 with Scuderia del Portello.

UGO VICENZI

Milano 16/1/1958. He participated in more than  40 endurances for the VLN championship Nürburgring – Nordschleife and in 8 editions of the Nürburgring 24h, with 2 podiums gained driving several cars – BMW, Renault Clio Rs, Porsche Cayman, Audi and Volkswagen.

ALBERTO CAROBBIO

Ponte Nossa (BG) 23/6/1962. He raced in rallies from  1984 to 1986. In 2008 he started again his activity for the KIA RIO trophy. He participated in 7 editions of the  24 Ore di Adria. In 2011 he begun his experience at the Nürburgring in the VLN championship, taking also part in 4 editions of the 24h. He has been racing in the Campionato Green Scout Cup with a KIA Venga since 2011 – the year in which he took part in the last edition of the Giro Automobilistico d’Italia.

BRUNO BARBARO

Milano 29/10/1956. A Gentleman Driver fond of endurances, he raced with Tourism and GT cars all around the world. In 2002 he participated in the FIA GT World Cup with a Porsche 996 GT2. He took part in several editions of the Dubai 24h and of the  Nürburgring 24h, where he raced for many years in the VLN championship with a Toyota GT 86.

Photo credit: Massimo Campi

24 June 2020

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