Marca Classica: Fontanella and Scarabelli seal the 9th edition with their Fiat 514

Gianmario Fontanella and Giovanni Scarabelli have written their names on the roll of honour of the 9th edition of La Marca Classica, the sixth round of the Italian Historic Car Regularity Championship, held over the weekend among the hills of the Treviso area and organised by the Automobile Club di Treviso.
The crew from Piacenza, racing for the MNT 25 team, set the pace at the wheel of the much-admired 1930 Fiat 514 Sport — one of the oldest cars in the entire field — finishing with just 219.70 penalty points and clinching victory in the RC 1 category. The two drivers of the Mantua-based team had already left their mark the day before, dominating the Power Stage in front of the Treviso city walls and recording just one penalty in the entire crowd-favourite spectator stage.
Only narrowly beaten were Flavio Renna and Paolo Abalsamo from Taranto (Classic Team), who delivered a consistent and brilliant run on the rare Autobianchi A111. In all likelihood penalised by the category mechanism, the pair took second overall and a clear win in RC 4.
Rounding out the overall podium were Antonino Margiotta and Alessandro Moretti, also in Classic Team colours: third on the Fiat 1500 6C with 247.97 penalty points and winners of RC 2.
Just off the podium came doctor Alberto Riboldi from Brescia and Sicilian co-driver Vito Cartafalsa, fourth overall on the Franciacorta Motori Fiat 508S and second in RC 2. Right behind them, local hero Luca Patron with Umberto Ferrari finished fifth overall on a Fiat 508 C, completing the RC 2 podium.
Sixth place went to Massimo Zanasi alongside Classic Team president Corrado Corneliani on the Fiat 508; Classic Team also took the win in the team standings. Seventh overall and RC 5 winners were Piedmont couple Andrea Malucelli and Monica Bernuzzi on the Franciacorta Motori Fiat Duna.
The top ten was completed by Roberto Miatto and Maurizio Farsura on the Scuderia Nettuno Fiat 508 C, Sergio Sisti and Anna Gualandi on the imposing 1929 Lancia Lambda Spider of Classic Team, and the Tuscan duo Claudio Lastri and Valter Pantani on the 1982 Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
The RC 4 podium was completed by Massimo Dalleolle and Alessandro Traversi on the 1980 A112 Abarth 70 HP. Just outside the top ten, San Marino's Isaia Zanotti teamed up with Rovigo Corse president Diego Verza on a Fiat Ritmo Abarth: hit by reliability issues in the closing stages, the car still secured them an RC 5 podium.
In the women's standings, victory went to Gaetana Angino and Enrica Russo of Classic Team on an A112, with a final tally of 313 penalty points — 75 fewer than Scarioni and Pietropaolo on the Scuderia Nettuno Innocenti Mini Cooper, and 265 fewer than "Nausicaa" and Rossella Frosio on the MG B Roadster. Among the modern cars, a strong performance came from Lucca's Fabio Vergamini and Anna Maria Fabrizi, sharp at the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf GTI.
The next round of the Italian Historic Car Regularity Championship is scheduled for the weekend of 6 and 7 June with La Millecurve, in the Avellino area.