June, 30 2025: The third round of Alfa Revival Cup unfolded under the glorious summer sun of the Romagna Riviera. From Friday onwards, drivers behind the wheel of the Biscione’s competition, GT and Touring cars produced from 1947 to 1981 tackled the 16 corners of Misano circuit, a track renowned for delivering hard-fought racing thanks to its layout offering multiple overtaking opportunities.
The heat failed to dampen the battle for first place in the standings, with qualifying delivering a fierce contest. Pole position went to #23 Giacomo Barri, partnered with Mario Salomone, who clocked 1:55.401 to edge out Daniele Perfetti #95 by three tenths. Perfetti secured second place on his final attempt, relegating defending champion Davide Bertinelli #1 to third by just under four tenths of a second. Sunday’s race opened with immediate drama as crew #23 of Giacomo Barri and Mario Salomone suffered technical problems, forcing them to start from the pit lane and leaving the first position box empty.
At the start, a contact in the middle of the group between Christian Oldendorff’s #168 and the #19 of Raffaele Raimondi and Carlo Barbolini Cionini shuffled the order, while Davide Bertinelli #1 and Daniele Perfetti #95 pulled clear at the front in formation.
The battle for the lead lasted just five laps before Daniele Perfetti was forced to retire with gearbox failure. His brother Ambrogio moved up to second place in the #105 GTAm ahead of Bernhard Laber and Lukas Stojetz #69, with Peter Bachofen and Dario Inhelder #85 in fourth position. The race appeared to settle into rhythm until Fabio Babini reminded everyone of his talent. Partnered with Walter Ben in the Giulia Sprint GTA #77, the duo staged a thrilling charge through the field with masterful overtaking moves. From fifteenth on the grid, they finished fifth after passing Francesco Siccardi #11 in the closing stages. While credit goes to the meticulous preparation of their Giulia GTA Sprint 1600 and Walter Ben’s accomplished driving, special recognition belongs to Fabio Babini, who retains the brilliance that delivered him victory at the 2001 Le Mans 24 Hours in GT class. That same timeless quality, inherent in all competition-bred Alfas, shone through the Giulia Sprint GTA as it posted the race’s fastest lap of 1:55.735 – within striking distance of Giacomo Barri’s pole time of 1:55.401.
Mid-field battles saw Hans Luginbühl #93 charge from thirteenth to ninth, while Alberto Franceschetti #27 crossed the line eleventh after an impressive drive marred by bonnet closure problems while running in the leading pack. Technical problems struck elsewhere too, forcing retirements for Emanuele Benedini #88, Matteo Kamata #34 and Andre Kardol #151.
With this victory, Davide Bertinelli extends his championship lead after three rounds, with the Team Gatti driver maintaining his advantage over Giacomo Barri and Mario Salomone of Team Alfa Delta OKP, who finished seventh. Christian Oldendorff of Team Alfa Delta OKP completed the top three in the standings despite finishing eighth, having been handed a drive-through penalty for his opening-lap contact.
Winners in the other Alfa Revival Cup classes were:
Class I GR.5 1600: Walter Ben and Fabio Babini, Alfa Delta OKP, Giulia Sprint GTA
Class H1 TC 1600: Marco Milla and Fulvio Ferri, Circolo della Biella, Giulia Super
Class F TC 2600: Carlo Ferrari, 2600 Sprint
Misano marked the halfway point of Alfa Revival Cup 2025. The remaining decisive rounds head to Imola from 25 to 27 July at Imola, Mugello from 5 to 7 September with the grand finale on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit from 25 to 27 September.
