Once again in Belgium this year, after Spa Classics and the cancelled Spa Italia, we have visited Modena Motorsports Track Day. It’s not the first time that company owner Uwe Meissner choose the Ardennes’ track for his event and probably the current financial difficulties of the Nürburgring AG have made his decision for this year’s location easier.
Modena Motorsports is well known as being the authority for maintaining historic Formula cars beside the Factory’s Corse Clineti. However with only 8 Formula cars in the pits, the presence was lower than at previous events and beside 0003, a 312 F1 and 061, the Villeneuve 126 C2, the bunch of the other cars have been very close serial number wise: #s145, 146 (F 93 A), 149 and 154 to 156 (412 T1 412 T1B and 412 T2) have been there.
Other than the Nürburgring Events, where German and Dutch owners have been the majority of visitors, Spa invited the Belgian owners as well and they showed up in large numbers, all in all 221 Ferrari have been present on July 30th and 31st. The organizers have been very lucky weather wise. Both days stayed dry, except the afternoon of the 31st what led to a damage 014 360 N-GT #014M, that spun off in slippery conditions, leaving no one hurt but the heart of the owner who obviously might invest some time and money to get it fixed again. The typical Spa-rain occurred over night but stopped right in time in the morning of the 31st.
Beside the F1-cars, Meissner is well known to attract owners of historic cars and dealer friends of him to bring up their jewels. Germany’s Classiche-authority Helmut Eberlein showed Daytona #12991, the Gillo Fly-car that is featured in Antoine Prunet’s Road Cars book. Beside some cars from his stock, other cars from Meissner’s inventory shared the pit box. Urban pro-trade, the Bavarian dealer, brought up #7189, a 275 GTS in beautiful Oro Chiaro as well as GTS Dino #07256.
The highlight of the event is the Concours, judges like Jacky Ickx, Jean-Louis Bezemer and Keith Bluemel are sneaking around the two days of the events to choose the cars that are getting elected. Meissner introduced different classes to provide a wide range of beautiful cars. There is even a prizes for the best non-Ferrari (Class 8: Best Other Marque and Class 9: Jacky Ickx’s Choice). This year’s Concours winners have been:
Class 1 – ‘50s Race Cars: 0634MDTR 500 TR of Andreas Schlawicke
Class 2 - ‘50s GT Cars: 2121GT 250 GT S2 PF Cabriolet of Mark Perkins
Class 3 - ‘60s GT Cars: 06471 275 GTB of Jörg Schulzke
Class 4 – ‘60s Race Cars: 2439GT 250 GT SWB Berlinetta of Daniela Ellenbrock
Class 5 – ‘70s Race Cars: 0888 312 PB of Stieger’s Turning Wheel Collection
Class 6 – ‘80s Race Cars: 27579 512 BB/LM of Stieger’s Turning Wheel Collection
Class 7 – Best 2+2 Ferrari: 11533 365 GT 2+2 of Dr. Gereon Schneider
Class 10 – Jury’s “Most Elegant” Choice: 5329GT 250 GT Lusso of Dirk Baumgartner
Best of Show GT Car: 2015GT 250 GT SWB California Spider of Janik Pawluk
Best of Show Competition Car: 0052M 166 MM Barchetta of Janik Pawluk
Best F1 Car: 0003 312 F1 of Jean-Pierre Clement
Beside the awardees a lot of other historic cars of interest have been present:
0172ET, a 225 S Sport Vignale Spider
another 166 MM, 0264M, a MM/53 Spider, left in patina as well as sister car 0052M
a Series I (#1433GT) and two Series II (#2121GT and # 2585GT) Pinin Farina Cabriolet
one GTE, # 3395GT, in the best colour combo for that car, dark Blue with Beige accompanied by another Lusso (#5147GT) in the same livery.
Very noticeable was the large presence of 15 Boxers in total. Beside those, we noted that Dino #04504 looked somehow strange. The US spec. car was long time owned by John Corbani from California. After he passed away in 2008, the car was offered for sale and was purchased into Germany. At Modena Motorsports Track Day, the car showed the US spec. rear but clearly a European-style front. We have learned that this had to be replaced after the car hit a traffic refuge last winter.
Modena Motorsports’ clients and friends are always using the opportunity to take out their Competition cars on the track at this event. This explains that a bunch of modern GT- and Challenge cars –ranging from 360 to 458- have been present and to perfect it, 575 GTC, #2214.
Amongst the visitors have been several gems: four 599 GTO, a beautiful two-tone livered Italia in Nero Stellato with Rosso Maranello roof and a 328 GTB (#75306) in Verde Scuro that started its life as a 328 GTS but the owner had it Berlinetta-converted to use it on the track. The reason was the stronger frame that the GTS provides compared to the GTB. Good friends brought their cars to Spa as well: a rarely seen Prugna metallizzato 306/C Glasurit livery on a 512 TR and a beautiful 308 GTB in Blu Dino metallizzato.
Pictures say more than a thousand words, a German adage tells, so, why not use our new Slideshow-Section, to be found within the Event Report-section?
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