This post was prompted by viewing the JJ Lehto photograph in another topic (see Lehto Mystery).

As JJ Lehto appears to be at speed in that shot (judging by the bottoming sparks), I tried to deduce when it could have been taken, and then I remembered the Bologna Motorshow F1 sprints.

Does anyone have starting lists for these sprint events, and does it still take place? I remember that some unusual car/driver combinations competed. For instance, one year didn't Claudio Langes drive a Minardi? If so, that must've been his only actual event start in a F1 car.

I can’t believe that this question has been lying around since December and nobody seems to have shown any interest.

I don’t have an answer. But I thought I’d bring the question to the top of the pile because surely it deserves an answer. These little events may be insignificant sides-shows with no real connection to F1, but…

I mean, we’re all obsessively interested in obscure little sprint events which occurred nearly 50 years ago, just because they included a couple of cars which would have been Grand Prix cars if only the GP formula hadn’t changed a couple of years earlier. Yet we are blissfully unconcerned about these very much more recent events which featured (as far as I’m aware), current F1 cars in genuine competition.

We all know that the last true non-championship F1 event was the race of champions in 1983, but how many more of these minor little ‘exhibition’ races have there been, featuring at least two F1 cars racing against each other?

The Bologna sprint still takes place annually. I believe that F1 cars still take place (perhaps Ferrari and Minardi now only entering, but I cannot be sure), but a lot of the current World Rally Cars take place, as do touring cars.

Since a few years (1997 I think) the main exhibition race at the
Bologna Motor Show is F3000 cars. I haven't found any
information about the F1 exhibitions, even on the officiall Motor
Show site (www.motorshow.com). However, on the unoficial
F3000 information site (www.dizzy1000.tripod.com) you'll find
complete results of the F3000 races. Worse reading is F3000
driver Andrej Pavicevic telling his Bologna experience last year:
incredible ! Wish I could have seen some of the exhibition races
with F1.

FEV

I lived in Bologna in the late 60's and early 70's, but unfortunately they did not have the race car show. I still keep in touch on the internet, and if you look up Bologna you will find a calendar of events that lists the motor show. Be warned that it is very difficult to get hotel accomodations in the city when major attractions are on.

I just was flicking though an old Autosport (12/12/1991) and found a brief news item on the '91 event:

Majestic Car Stereo GP, 1.3km carpack circuit, six F1 cars

Minardi unbeaten at Bologna for two years. Had two cars: a Ferrari engined M191 for Gianni Morbidelli, and a DFR-engined M190 for Marco Apicella.

Quarter Finals:
Antonio Tamburini (Coloni-DFR) beat Morbidelli who spun
Gabriele Tarquini (Fondmetal) beat Johnny Herbert (Lotus)
JJ Lehto (Dallara-Judd V10) beat Apicella.
Herbert qualified as fastest of the losers

Semi-Final:
Herbert beat Tamburini
Tarquini beat Lehto (who spun)

Final:
Tarquini beat Herbert (who had no decent tyres left)

I posted reaults of all F.1 races at Bologna (and some pics) on Non Championship F1 races thread.

Ciao,
Guido

Hi everybody, well I'm interested in the 1993 Bologna F1 sprint and wondered if there's any footage concerning that year's edition.

I only found footage about the 92 event on youtube and the demo laps of Alesi in his Ferrari, does anybody have sth about it?


Thanks.

here: organisation Italian revue "AutoSprint"

http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/archive/f1/bologna.html