The Sicilian race as remembered by the great Italian driver who once dominated it.
"In Sicily, the air smells of the sea, the soil and prickly pears: but when the Targa Florio comes around, for me it smells of memories, competitions and engines.
And although I’ve won lots of races around the world, I must say that my heart will always remain in Sicily, at the Targa Florio.
Besides, the Targa Florio is a unique race in itself. It’s the oldest automobile competition in history. It has been running since 1906, for the youngsters out there who might not know such things.
And what’s more, Sicily is my home and the Targa Florio, if I may be so bold as to say, is my race. I’ve followed it since I was a child and later, when I grew up, I raced in numerous editions and won three. In 1965 I was paired with Lorenzo Bandini in a Ferrari, in 1971 I was in an Alfa Romeo 33/3 with Toine Hezemans and in 1975 I was in an Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12 alongside Arturo Merzario.
I’m always asked which of these victories I’m most fond of, and I always reply: I savour all the victories with equal relish, although the first one remains the most unforgettable one, because after so many attempts, finally, I did it! ”
The heat in Sicily is like nowhere else!
"After my first victory, in '65, I was invited by the mayor of Collesano to receive an award. I arrived in the town a week after the race, right in the middle of the procession for the festival of Our Lady" (Madonna of Miracles, Ed.). When people saw him, they abandoned the statue of the divinity and instead carried him in the procession to the town hall, where the award ceremony was due to take place. "I was embarrassed, but the heat in Sicily is like nowhere else … later I went and apologised to the Lady Madonna. These are not anecdotes you’d expect to hear from today’s racing drivers, but for the legendary drivers of yesteryear, they are unforgettable stories of the past. And here in Sicily, as the Targa Florio approaches, slowly at first and then with increasing speed, I can feel a change in the air. It no longer smells so much of the sea, the soil and prickly pears, but rather of memories, competitions, engines. And life."
Find out more about Targa Florio 2017 Edition.