September 1, 2023: Walking in the paddock of the Alfa Revival Cup is an exciting experience and meeting the main characters leads to discover stories of true passion. The individuals who race in this championship have something more than just the need for speed and the desire to challenge others: the drivers of the Alfa Revival Cup have a soft spot for cars with great charm and strong character, the Alfa Romeos.
We meet in the paddock of the Red Bull Ring Francesco Ramacciotti and Maurizio Ravi Pinto, a couple of drivers who, at the wheel of the Giulia TI Super F TC 1600, managed by Scuderia del Grifone, are the protagonists of the championship by Canossa and tell us how they prepare for every race.
Francesco Ramacciotti: “We came to the Red Bull Ring because it is a very famous track, so much that an F1 race takes place here. It is a fascinating track and in a beautiful place in Austria, so we could not miss it”.
With your Giulia TI Super 1600 you challenge other more powerful Alfa Romeos, but it is not only the result that counts. This is a competition with a special flavor.
“We have a 1964 car, a car with great charm but slower than the GTAm and Alfetta, but it’s a lot of fun to drive and what really matters is to be here, on the track. These are cars that should be treated with delicacy because, despite being prepared for racing and customized with many components made especially for this championship, they do not have the reliability of modern cars and both we and our colleagues of the Alfa Revival suffer some technical problems. Because of the history that these cars have, there is always a bit of apprehension, but it is also their appeal that drives us to compete with them. In the past, I raced and won a championship with modern cars, in Gran Turismo, but this Giulia is much more fun.”
On the track there are gentlemen and young drivers. It consists of a very interesting mixture that gives the championship a unique flavor.
“I don’t want to be arrogant but no wonder a young man is fascinated by this championship, because these are the last beautiful cars! Modern ones are standardized, while these made history and have characterized the growth of our country. They are icons of Italy of the economic miracle years, in the 60s and 70s. Today, cars so prestigious, that we are even envied abroad, are not made anymore.”
Maurizio Ravi Pinto has come back on track in 2023, after a few years of absence, alongside his friend Francesco Ramacciotti. Maurizio has had a different approach between Mugello and Red Bull Ring.
“I made my debut at the Alfa Revival Cup at Mugello and the situation was manageable because I knew the circuit: I had raced there in the past in the historic car championship and I had won it. The Red Bull Ring, which is the second leg of the championship, was a new track for me and I learned it by watching videos on YouTube. Having had that little time to learn the track, I had to focus a lot to make the best of it.”
What has brought you to come back on track with historic Alfa Romeos?
“The Alfas are Italian treasures recognized all over the world and they are remarkable cars. Moreover, they were born as performance cars in a very different time but are still very performing and continue to make a good impression, even in today’s racing world.”
Your Giulia has a unique personality, like all the Alphas we find in the Alfa Revival Cup. Can you tell us about your feeling with the car?
“Ours is a car of great fame but it is less performing than other cars of the group, such as GTAm and GTV. It is a sincere car, starting from the old-fashioned rear-wheel drive, that sometimes oversteers but we manage to control it. Then sometimes we can’t control it but it’s not too bad: a spin is nothing serious. It requires heel-and-toe shifting, the coordination between the change of gears and the braking, so it is a car that must be driven with an old-school style. Braking always requires a good punch when you are setting the time in quali, keeping in mind that the brakes are not carbon-made but old-fashioned and, therefore, require much more attention and must be used with great care. During the race, over a long run, the brakes and the tires suffer from wear and tear. In certain situations, you must approach the turns very gently. It is almost like driving on eggshells”.
