And there it was, again, time for that blessed race in the Italian hills of Piacenza, under the good auspices of Claudio Casale and his team of volunteers and assorted magicians and geniuses.
But that’s not really how it begins, at least not in a Suixtildimensions where things have to go mad before they get better. And so it was, again, that Alex, he of Suixtil Benelux fame, hitched his wagons (well, make that a D-type Proteus) with similarly minded friends in the Netherlands and they then engaged in the equivalent of a Mille Miglia (and change) to go, with the prospect of the same on the way back home after the epic adventures of the Vernasca hill-climb.
Of course, when you’re riding such high stakes journeys, you have to remember the rules – pack only the indispensable to travel as light as possible and avoid the heat as much as you can to preserve your mount. And so they did – Alex, aside from his daypack and (maybe) a toiletry kit, only packed a large bundle of decals to give away to participants in the Suixtil beauty contest along with the attendant prize for said contest. Can’t really go lighter than that.
And they then rode, over country lanes and mountain passes, in the sun and the rain and everything in between, through many friendly places with promises to come back. And they all reached the goal, exhausted but in time for the grand adventure of the Silver Flag.
With about 200 participating cars to that 28th edition, the Silver Flag must, by now, be the worse kept secret in the whole summer schedule. At that scale and with that diversity, it is a wonder – as well as a pleasant surprise – that the event has not yet donned a more “corporatist” structure. It remains very much at the passionate level, a “race” run by petrolheads for petrolheads. And everyone who joins the Silver Flag, from the smallest FIAT 500 to the meanest 917 know the rules of friendliness, deference and sportsmanship. The secret to it all? You’d have to ask Claudio, but we’re not sure he’d be willing to risk compromising what’s made this such a popular favorite – for what? Rather, we want to believe, he would just enjoin you to sign-up for the next edition so that you too can bask in the glory of a fun, funtime – at life speed!
We’ve garnered a few pictures, thanks to the many talented photographer friends who were on set to capture it all – you know who you all are, Denis, Pablo, Max, Emanuele and all the others who did wonders with their cameras and whom we salute and thank here – enjoy!
Abarth with a twist (c)PDiamanti
(sort of) fast friends
taking names (in style)
’64 904 Carrera GTS ready to jump’64 904 Carrera GTS ready to jump
250GT from ’57, always a welcome sight
and resting in the shade (c)PRivas
356A ready to roll (c)PRocca
1000SP Abarth at rest (c)ORossi
before aero ever became a thing
1924 Bugatti, Maserati, Premoli – talk about unobtanium (c)PDiamanti
A Morgan three-wheeler all the way from 1930
and watch it go…(c)EGentilini
Alex taking his D to new places (with thanks to Denis for the shot)
Another AH that has it all ((c)SilverFlag Official
Another cool Fulvia(c)PDiamanti
Another old friend – glorious 910 (c)DGalli
brother in arm – yet another classic two for one…
Check out this beast of an Alfa
Daniele & his Singer – in colors (c)EGentilini
Daniele and his Singer, looking great (c)SAlbertelliDaniele and his Singer, looking great (c)SAlbertelli
FIAT 128 GR2
Cool Fulvia Coupe 1.3 (c)Lancia Fulvia Coupe
honored to see our name up among greats
let’s see what mettle you’re made of
Lovely outfit to race with that 250F (c)SAlbertelli
M1C CanAm McLaren (c)ORossi
MG J2 Compressor (c)PDiamanti
Look into my eyes
Old friends looking great
Old friends looking great
Old friends looking great
Spectacular ’61 Giulietta SZ Coupe
OSCA 1600 GTZ – yeah(c)PRivas
splendid XK120
The decals barely fit on the 501S (c)ORossiThe decals barely fit on the 501S (c)ORossi
well, you don’t see that every day
landed
well-worn and battle scarred
what’s there to see, you ask – look carefully…
you can rest easy now – the 501S is on guard (c)AGrassano
and just for fun – where’s Wally (we mean Suixtil, of course)…(c)GBertoni
28th edition of the Vernasca Silver Flag
And there it was, again, time for that blessed race in the Italian hills of Piacenza, under the good auspices of Claudio Casale and his team of volunteers and assorted magicians and geniuses.
But that’s not really how it begins, at least not in a Suixtil dimensions where things have to go mad before they get better. And so it was, again, that Alex, he of Suixtil Benelux fame, hitched his wagons (well, make that a D-type Proteus) with similarly minded friends in the Netherlands and they then engaged in the equivalent of a Mille Miglia (and change) to go, with the prospect of the same on the way back home after the epic adventures of the Vernasca hill-climb.
Of course, when you’re riding such high stakes journeys, you have to remember the rules – pack only the indispensable to travel as light as possible and avoid the heat as much as you can to preserve your mount. And so they did – Alex, aside from his daypack and (maybe) a toiletry kit, only packed a large bundle of decals to give away to participants in the Suixtil beauty contest along with the attendant prize for said contest. Can’t really go lighter than that.
And they then rode, over country lanes and mountain passes, in the sun and the rain and everything in between, through many friendly places with promises to come back. And they all reached the goal, exhausted but in time for the grand adventure of the Silver Flag.
With about 200 participating cars to that 28th edition, the Silver Flag must, by now, be the worse kept secret in the whole summer schedule. At that scale and with that diversity, it is a wonder – as well as a pleasant surprise – that the event has not yet donned a more “corporatist” structure. It remains very much at the passionate level, a “race” run by petrolheads for petrolheads. And everyone who joins the Silver Flag, from the smallest FIAT 500 to the meanest 917 know the rules of friendliness, deference and sportsmanship. The secret to it all? You’d have to ask Claudio, but we’re not sure he’d be willing to risk compromising what’s made this such a popular favorite – for what? Rather, we want to believe, he would just enjoin you to sign-up for the next edition so that you too can bask in the glory of a fun, fun time – at life speed!
We’ve garnered a few pictures, thanks to the many talented photographer friends who were on set to capture it all – you know who you all are, Denis, Pablo, Max, Emanuele and all the others who did wonders with their cameras and whom we salute and thank here – enjoy!