COPPA MILANO-SANREMO: MARCH IS GETTING NEARER

Corsa Torino, IT. Oct. 8, 2008 - The seventh revival of the Coppa Milano-Sanremo: a bit more competition, a bit less excursion.

Spring is early this year with the seventh version of the Coppa Milano-Sanremo in programme for March 13 to March 15, 2009. Lots of news for the fans of this motoring classic which has been back to the fore since 2003, after a long eclipse, under the aegis of the Automobile Club Milano.

The Coppa Milano-Sanremo has been transformed from a Touring Regularity Event into a Classic Regularity Event. However, the stages will be deliberately calibrated to avoid forcing too high speeds on the competitors - just a little higher compared to past years. The new rules will therefore let even top drivers - who were excluded from the previous touring event - test themselves.

A bit more of a challenge then, at the next Coppa Milano-Sanremo, though the touring aspect remains a pleasant adventure for all participating crews.

The event officially opens on Friday, March 13, at the Monza Autodrome - with checks and free laps on the circuit. However, the competitors can commence showing up at the Autodrome starting from Thursday afternoon, on March 12. The Starting Line for the event will be, as always, from Piazza del Duomo in Milan, which offers a scenic background for the parade of beautiful cars to be presented to the public by Simon Kidston and Savina Confaloni.

The Gala Dinners are also news: the sumptuous salons of Hotel Principe di Savoia, in Piazza della Repubblica, will welcome the competitors on the evening of Friday March 13.

The next day, Saturday the 14th, the route winds away, heading for the City of Flowers (Sanremo), crossing the Pavese (the province of Pavia), the rice fields of the Lomellina, before reaching the heights of the Ligurian-Piedmont Appennines. A stop for lunch at Monterotondo Resort, in the lands of the Gavi, and then down to the coast at Genoa, reached after a breath-taking decent down Monte Fasce. The visit to 'La Superba' (Genoa) will be extended to allow the Genovese to admire the cars in the city center.

The Gala Dinner at the famous Aquarium (Europe's largest) will end the stay in Genoa on Saturday night. Yet another novel change awaits the competitors on the last leg of the event, from Genoa to Sanremo: the Sunday (March 15) lunch will be held in the quiet elegance of Villa Faraggiana, at Albissola Marina. A moment to relax before breezing into Sanremo, where the Finish Line will, as always, be in Piazza Colombo.

The Awards Ceremony and the Gala Dinner will be the Grand Finale, concluding the week's adventure - another re-enactment of one of Italy's truly historic motoring events, the Coppa Milano-Sanremo.

Entry will close on February 15, 2009. Registration will be on the website milano-sanremo, which is being up-dated for the 2009 revival.

Entry fees are fixed at Euros 2,800.00 per crew in the category "molto confortevole" ("Very Comfortable") and Euros 3,500.00 for the category "Gran Lusso" (" Luxurious").