The 2024 Alfa Revival Cup hit its mid-point at a sun-drenched Vallelunga Circuit near Rome on September 16, 2024. Organised by Canossa Events, the multi-class Historic racing series is open to classic Alfa Romeos built between 1947 and 1981.
The duo of Emilio Petrone and Giacomo Barri of the OKP Alfa Delta Racing Team claimed the win and fastest lap in their Giulia 1750 GTAm in the final laps.
Petrone and Barri’s round-four victory was preceded by a dominant performance during Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session that saw them set the fastest time. Their achievement, however, was short-lived, as an infringement saw their number 50 car relegated to the 26th and final grid slot come race day. Consequently it was Niccolò Mercatali and Walter Ben’s Scuderia Clemente Biondetti entry that started from pole on race day.
Barri and Petrone claimed a memorable win from last place on the grid, with Bertinelli finishing in an agonisingly close second place
Davide Bertinelli made a great start to Sunday’s one-hour race, snatching the lead from second on the grid with an opportunistic move through the Curvone right-hander. The 1750 GTAm of Bernhard Laber and Lukas Stojetz, meanwhile, moved from third to second place, while Ambrogio Perfetti advanced from fifth to third.
Emilio Petrone immediately began to make amends for Saturday’s penalty by scything through the field to reach 11th place by the end of the first lap. At the same time a fierce multi-car duel was unfolding in the H1 T 2000 class, with positions being traded between the GT Veloce 2000s of Fausto Amendolagine and Gianluca Bardelli (Scuderia Capannone Garage), Carlo Fabbrini, Edoardo Acciai and Fabio Gimignani (Scuderia Clemente Biondetti).
Raimondi and Cionini’s GTAm stubbornly held onto fourth for the Circolo della Biella team, as Petrone ascended to ninth position by lap five. On lap seven, Ambrogio Perfetti snatched second place from Bernhard Laber. Massimo Guerra and Giovanni Serio of the Carrera Team were also making progress and reached the middle-of-the-pack by this stage of the race in their Giulia Sprint GTA.
The field stabilised briefly until the pit window opened 20 minutes in, reshuffling the order. Walter Ben was the first of the front-runners to pit, and he relinquished driving duties to teammate Mercatali, who re-emerged in 14th position. Just a couple of minutes later it was Petrone’s turn to switch seats with his team-mate Barri after diving into the pits from eighth place. By this stage, Francesco Pantaleo and Antonio Crescenti’s Carrera Team car was occupying 13th, while Stefano Barbieri and Kevin Giovesi’s AMG RS car was in 19th.
Barri continued his team-mate’s impressive run through the field by reaching third and reeling in second-place man Perfetti by lap 19. Barri then ruthlessly despatched his rival at the Semaforo Corner on the following lap to take second. While all this was going on, Mercatali continued his team’s recovery drive to reach ninth place as Caponi moved up to sixth after some intense battling with rival cars.
Lap 21 saw Carlo Fabbrini’s GT Veloce 2000 take an unfortunate journey into Semaforo’s gravel trap, which brought out the safety car. This finally withdrew into the pitlane with eight minutes of racing left to go. Mercatali tried to capitalise on the safety-car restart by moving up to fifth position – and he never looked back.
The real drama, however, came five laps later, as Barri made a statement of intent with the fastest lap of the race as he closed in on the leading car of Bertinelli. Barri then made his move at Tornatino, and, after a spirited battle, despatched Bertinelli for the lead. Stojetz and Perfetti collided while battling for third, with the latter ultimately claiming the podium position.
After 29 laps of intense racing, Barri and Petrone claimed a memorable win from last place on the grid, with Bertinelli finishing in an agonisingly close second.
“I’m thrilled with the race. I went from P26 to P11 by the end of the first lap. It was a great performance after a tough penalty at the start, which only motivated us to focus even more on the details,” Petrone said of his performance.
“Most of the credit goes to Emilio, who made up so many places and handed me the car in eighth,” Barri added. “I just had to step on the gas. The safety car helped, but we lost five valuable seconds due to a backmarker. Thanks to Emilio and the team.”
The next round of the Alfa Revival Cup will be held at the Mugello Circuit from October 11 to 13, 2024. For more information, click here.
Race podiums by class:
FTC 1600
1st: Francesco Pantaleo-Antonio Crescenti, Carrera Team, Giulia Sprint GTA
2nd: Giovanni Serio-Massimo Guerra, Carrera Team, Giulia Sprint GTA
G1 GR.5 1600
1st: Jürgen Ludwig, Formula GT, Giulia Sprint
GTA G2 TC 2000
1st: Emilio Petrone-Giacomo Barri, GTAm, OKP Alfa Delta Racing Team
2nd: Davide Bertinelli, GTAm, Team Gatti
3rd: Ambrogio Perfetti, GTAm, OKP Alfa Delta Racing Team
H1 T2000
1st: Fabio Gimignani, GT Veloce 2000 , Scuderia Clemente Biondetti
2nd: Fausto Amendolagine-Gianluca Bardelli, GT Veloce 2000 , Scuderia Capannone Garage
3rd: Edoardo Acciai, GT Veloce 2000, Scuderia Clemente Biondetti
H1 TC 1600
1st: Marco Milla-Massimo Lupoli, Giulia Super, Scuderia Capannone Garage
H2 TC 1600
1st: Mattia Sordi-Giulio Sordi, Giulia Super, OKP Alfa Delta Racing Team
I TC 2500
1st: Francesco Liberatore-Marco Pescosolido, Alfetta GT 6 2500, Scuderia del Grifone
I GR.5 1600
1st: Julio Diaz Magallanes, GT Junior 1.6, Scuderia Capannone Garage
