September 22, 2023: The Alfa Revival Cup boasts in its lineup some very fast young drivers who have not been able to resist the charm of such an important and historic brand.
Giacomo Barri and Edoardo Caponi both compete with two spectacular GTAm.
Barri, after important experiences with GT cars, is now in force at Lamborghini, where he oversees the testing and development of the cars of the house of Sant’Agata. He also shares the car with the fast gentleman Emilio Petrone and the two are assisted by Alfa Delta.
From the modern GTs to the late-1960s GTAms. Is this a triple generational leap?
Giacomo Barri: “I’m not very used to driving this kind of car because we go back to many years before I was born. Driving this beautiful Alfa GTAm is a great opportunity and I must thank Emilio (Petrone) and the Alfa Delta team for it.
At the Red Bull Ring there was the first opportunity to drive this type of car using slick tires, since last year we raced with the Giulia sprint GT Veloce. Racing with this car in such a beautiful context is fantastic.
The great thing is that you don’t have any electronics and I’ve noticed in past races that the experience is completely different and the car can’t be stressed like a modern one.
This allows you to have good consistency until the end of the race: it’s something very special.
Last year at Mugello we saw a German fan who had a photo book with him and had managed to trace the chassis of Emilio’s car, showing us that we were using the car with which he had raced in the 70s as an official Alfa driver: these are incredible emotions.
The atmosphere is less adrenaline-filled than with modern cars but still it’s very exciting, also because we must not forget that these cars go against BMWs and other automakers. You have to understand the context and it’s beautiful.”
Edoardo Caponi – Alfa GTAm 2000 (teammate of Fabrizio Sabatini) Jolly Car Squadra Corse
The first Alfa Revival Cup race abroad was in Austria, did you like this choice?
“I didn’t know some of the tracks, like the Red Bull Ring, and I must say that the context is beautiful, amazing. The track has many ups and downs and is reminiscent of Mugello, although there are no full-throttle points like Mugello, where you must keep your foot down. Nevertheless, it is a unique track.
Racing abroad is an important step for all of us, the team and drivers.”
Even with you being very young, you began to race with historical cars. What was the thrust that led you to choose Alfa Revival Cup?
“I’ve always had a passion for racing and historic cars. I think they have a charm that brings back the atmosphere of the competitions of the old days, that I did not experience in person for a matter of age, which have a particular flavor that can be found in this championship.”
Where does your passion come from?
“It comes in a small part from my family, but above all it is a personal thing. I like to experience the restoration of the car, the preparation and everything necessary to bring it on the track.
I like to follow the work, I have a support workshop and a body shop, a staff of professionals who manage the workload and I supervise everything. Ours is an original Alfa 1750 GT, standard, which we have turned into a GTAm.”
A first evaluation for the current season.
“2023 started very well at Mugello, even if an unforeseen event made us waste time. Then we recovered and all the conditions are there to continue to do well.”
