BRESCIA – The third edition of the 1000 Miglia Warm Up Austria, a well-established event on the Freccia Rossa's international calendar, has concluded. The event saw crews from various countries (including the United States, Japan, and numerous European nations) compete in three days of technical regularity trials amid breathtaking scenery. The prologue began on Thursday, September 10th, with technical checks, regularity training, and the first session of 14 timed trials counting towards the Bad Gastein Trophy – Giuseppe Cherubini Memorial. The race was held in pouring rain, making the debut even more thrilling. On Friday the 11th, the convoy headed south through the Tauernschleuse railway tunnel to reach Mallnitz, in Carinthia, and then skirted Lakes Millstatt and Weissensee. From here, the crews tackled the route's iconic climb: the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, climbing to over 2,500 meters above sea level before returning to Salzburg and finishing the stage in Mittersill square. On Saturday the 12th, for the first time in the history of the Austrian Warm Up, the race touched Kitzbühel, then continued on to Hellbrunn Palace and culminated in the heart of Salzburg, finishing at the historic Kajetanerplatz, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The competition provided a thrilling head-to-head battle right up to the final stages. The overall victory in the historic race class (cars built up to 1957) was secured by the Dutch crew of John Houtkamp and his son Rutger, aboard a splendid 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C Zagato. For Houtkamp Sr., this is an absolute record, considering he has taken first place in all three editions of the Austrian Warm Up held so far. This success earns the crew the most coveted prize: a guaranteed spot in the 1000 Miglia Centenario in 2027.
The margin over the second-place finishers was the narrowest ever, with the young pair of Sebastian Busi and Fabio Bicelli (in a 1936 Fiat 1500) trailing by just 63 points. Completing the podium in third place was the crew of Mirko Busi and Matteo Ortalda in a 1954 Jaguar XK 120.
Alongside the winners of the main classification, the competition crowned the protagonists of the various categories:
– Challenge for modern cars: victory went to Gianluigi and Federico Smussi at the wheel of a 2004 MG TF, managing to defend a margin of just 6 penalties.
– Post-1000 Miglia Category: first place for Stefano Traverso and Nunzia Imbriaco aboard a 1971 Alfa Romeo GT Junior.
– Average Speed Trials: Victory for Simone Carreri and Flavia Farina in a 1974 Fiat 124 Spider CS 1600, who won the Average Speed Trials with the fewest penalties. In the modern car classification, victory went to the crew of Fabrizio Macario and Giovanna Di Costanzo in a Ferrari 488 Pista.
– Ladies’ Cup: the award for best female crew was won by Austrians Nora Edberg and Bettina Heresch in a 1958 Austin Healey 3000.
– Giovanni Franzoni Trophy: the special test held at the foot of the legendary Hahnenkamm ski slope in Kitzbühel saw the Smussi-Smussi team triumph once again.
