Winter Marathon 2008 – 20th edition

The twentieth edition of the Winter Marathon, the first under the VECARS banner, saw a fine victory for the Emilia-based crew of Alessandro Gamberini and Pier Luigi Nobili, who, in their 1956 Fiat 1100 Turismo Veloce, finished ahead of an excellent Giuliano Canè in his usual 1938 Lancia Aprilia. The third step of the podium went to Gianmario Fontanella and Alessandro Malta in their 1955 Porsche 356, while the first Brescia-based crew was made up of Michele Cibaldi and Giancarlo Alberti, who finished fourth overall.

In the brand-new TAG Heuer Barozzi Trophy, victory went to the Rapisarda-Colombo crew, who, in their 1965 Lancia Fulvia 2C, prevailed over Gnutti-Bianchi in a 1968 Porsche 911 S; both finalists delivered outstanding performances, having respectively defeated Giuliano Cané and Bruno Ferrari in the semifinals, both experienced regularity rally drivers and three-time winners of the Winter Marathon.

Heavy and persistent snowfall in the days immediately preceding the event forced the authorities to close the Gardena and Campolongo Passes due to avalanche risk, effectively requiring the organisers to adopt an alternative route over the spectacular and freezing-cold Sella Pass (-10°C).

The images show the top three crews of the 2008 Winter Marathon: Gamberini-Nobili #39, Giuliano Canè #11 and Fontanella-Malta #29 (photo Pierpaolo Romano)