Mille Miglia 2018 from the other side

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This article is about another view on one of the most wonderful rallies I know about: the Mille Miglia. This year I was lucky to get invited to join a service team, making it the first year I have enjoyed this event. Because everyone always reads and writes about the participants, I’d like to share my experiences and views on the rally from the other side.

Let me, first of all, express my admiration for the Italian people in general. The spirit of the event is visible everywhere, the people are incredibly nice and the enthusiasm on the roadside must be a good motivation for everyone involved to get to the finish line. I see this kind of enthusiasm on many events but I dare to say this one tops them all.

The rally is a tough one. Everyone who thinks it’s just a tour around Italy should experience it. You don’t have to compete for points, but it’s still about a 15 hour per day drive for 4 days long for the fast crews who do not stop or do not have to stop. For the service teams, it’s even longer because when the drivers are done, the service crews start (after having done the same amount of driving, in a modern car though). It’s interesting to see how cars perform over this 4-day trip. It’s hard on every part, especially suspension, brakes and clutch. The service teams are busy more hours every day, and by the end of the third day, I’ve seen many crews work through the night to get everything back in order. And a lot of mechanics are walking around searching for other crews who have just that missing part or wrench they so desperately need. One tip: everyone seems to forget large long sockets for taking off half-shaft nuts inside splined hubs. This was by far the most requested item.

We were lucky enough to have 8 cars in the rally with very little problems. Besides spark plugs, one overheating car due to a plugged water passage, one minor leaking radiator temporarily fixed and the inevitable non-functional lighting we had no large issues. Some were less lucky, I’ve seen other teams changing head gaskets, half-shafts or more.

Driving as a service crew is also a bit challenging. Most people have heard of the notorious driving style of the Mille Miglia participants, encouraged by police, modern traffic and viewers along the route. This is allowed as long as it is safe. But as service crew, we can’t or shouldn’t bother the vintage traffic, we should be invisible. This means sometimes we can’t keep up with the speed they get and maybe we have to make a little detour to catch up. Luckily, all our cars had a track-and-trace system that we could follow via our high-tech following system (see photograph). This way it’s easy to stay with the cars we needed to service, at least within a 20-minute radius of everyone.

There is one thing I’d like to hear from you, the “average” classic or vintage car driver. How do you view service teams in a rally like this? I have the opinion that the operator of the vehicle should be able to service it alone, with parts and tools that he/she brings along the route. The tools and parts we had fitted easily inside most participating cars. It just adds a little bit to the challenge I think, making the Mille Miglia more of an endurance race than just a tour. I think there were just as much service vehicles as participating cars. Drastically reducing this number would mean much more space on the road for old cars, much less overtaking and more attention to what it’s all about: old cars getting to the finish line in the best possible way!

What is your opinion on this matter, or even more important: how do you participate in such a rally?

Words and photographs by Jos van Genugten.

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