From June 9 to 13, the world-famous Mille Miglia retro car race has taken place in Italy for the 99th time. At the end of the race, multiple winner Andrea Vesco, who has been competing with Fabio Salvinelli for six years, finished in second place. About the most difficult stage, the competition and the return next year is in an interview with AutoClassicNews.
This year, the gap between first and fifth place exceeded 4,000 points, just as it was three years ago. How would you explain such a large difference?
-I think the level at the front has become extremely high. In regularity racing, a few small mistakes repeated over five days can quickly turn into a significant gap. This year, Juan and his sister did an excellent performance from start to finish, and when someone maintains that level over such a long event, the differences behind him can become quite large. The final gap – expecially from 3rd/4th place — reflects both the quality of the winners and the difficulty of staying competitive every single day.
Which stage was the most challenging this year?
-For me, the most challenging stage was probably the 4th one where we faced the most fatigue due to the long race. Physically and mentally, that’s when the race really starts to select the contenders. Every stage had its difficulties, but that one demanded the highest level of focus from both driver and co-driver.
After the fourth day, in your finish-line interview, you and Fabio said that Juan was impossible to beat and fully deserved the victory. What was the most difficult part of that moment for you?
-As competitors, you never like admitting that the race is no longer in your hands. We always fight until the very end, so accepting that someone else has been stronger is never easy. At the same time, motorsport is also about recognizing excellence. Juan and Margarita drove an outstanding race, and by that point it was clear that he had earned the advantage. The sporting thing to do was acknowledge his performance.
Last year, you said that the hardest part is staying at the top, and that every new edition means starting from scratch. Will you make any changes to your preparation next year? How do you motivate yourself to come back after a defeat?
-Every edition teaches you something, especially the ones you don’t win. We will certainly analyze what worked and what didn’t, looking for areas where we can improve. In regularity racing there is always space to refine details, and details often make the difference. As for motivation, defeat can be a powerful source of energy. The desire to improve, to challenge yourself again and to compete against the best is what keeps you coming back. Every year is a new race, and that’s part of the beauty of this sport.
Over the years, the organizers have extended the race from three to five days, and next year it will last six days. In your opinion, what will be the biggest challenge? Which factors do you think will be decisive in determining the winner?
-The longer the event becomes, the more important consistency is. Determination and precision remain fundamental, but endurance, concentration, teamwork and the ability to manage difficult moments become even more decisive. Over six days, everyone will make mistakes at some point; the winner will probably be the crew that minimizes those mistakes and recovers best from them. But what I can say is that I’m happy to race back in May, I think temperatures will be lower both for men and cars.