October 14, 2025: The traditional finish in Modena celebrated Stephan and Matthias Jocher, the German crew who dominated the G/H/I classification for cars built from 1966 onwards in their immaculate Opel Ascona 400 prepared by the celebrated Conrero. They held on by the slimmest of margins (just 1′ 27″ 2/10 after 5 track races and 10 hillclimbs!) against the two Ferrari 308s of Belgians Glenn and Conrad Janssens and Britons James Crossland and Robert Brooks, who constantly pressed the Germans and finished first and second in the special hillclimb classification.
In the D/E/F classification for cars built up to 1965, Jaguar E-Types claimed the top two positions: Marcus Anderson and Nicola Arena took victory, ahead of Jon Minshaw and the racing star Katarina Kyvalova. Third place went to the magnificent Ferrari 250 SWB of Kevin and Lee Jones.
The Modena Cento Ore, where historic cars spanning over 50 years compete, has always featured an “Index of Performance” classification that applies a corrective coefficient based on each car’s age and performance. In this special classification, the podium belonged entirely to the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300: Roderick and Elizabeth Jack took top honors, followed by Martin and Susanne Halusa and Clive and Charlie Joy.
Jaguar dominated the Regularity classification, with Jeffery Gault and Raffaele Conti victorious in their Jaguar XK 140 ahead of Beat Roethlisberger – Philippe Romero and Alexander Marmureanu – Laura Huettner, both in E-Types. The battle for supremacy was hard-fought and swung back and forth day after day, but the scores after day five left no doubt about the final standings.
The five days of racing, preceded by a festive and thrilling parade of competitors through the streets of Rome, are just one element of what makes this event unique. The carefully chosen route along magnificent roads took competitors from the Capital through Viterbo, Orvieto, Assisi, Perugia, Arezzo, Florence, Cervia, Milano Marittima, Rimini, San Marino, Forlì and Faenza, before reaching Modena, capturing the essence of Italian charm. That charm extended to the meticulously planned evenings designed to create unforgettable memories: the opening dinner overlooking the Eternal City, the Gala Evening in the Salone dei Cinquecento at Palazzo Vecchio, the party at Darsena del Sale and the closing celebration with live music and traditional Modenese cuisine.
Walking through the starting grids, it’s striking to see so many young drivers behind the wheel of impeccably prepared yet demanding classic cars, and equally impressive is the strong presence of women, including several lead drivers. Every participant has their own story, but a few stand out: like Umberto and Marco Brustio’s Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAm, which caught fire mid-race and was fully restored by Roberto Restelli’s Alfa Delta team so they could continue racing.
Not so lucky were Ben Gill and Dave Didcock, whose Ford Escort suffered rear suspension failure after battling at the front for most of the race with their sister car, driven by David and Hilary Tomlin, which managed to finish fourth. The Porsche Carrera 6 of Mr John of B and Sibel was among the frontrunners for much of the event but was forced to withdraw from the final race at Imola due to mechanical issues. Imola also proved unlucky for Tarek and Galal Mahmoud and Stefano and Cristina Cavalieri, whose cars collided on the first lap.
Andrew Lawley and Brij Kotecha showed remarkable determination, pushing their silent Lotus Elan 26 R across the finish line in Modena after engine failure. Equally resolute were Phil and Joshua Mitchell, who never lost heart in their tiny Fiat Francis Lombardi 850 Special, recovered from a garage where it had been sleeping for a couple of years.
Finally, worth noting are the excellent performances of Olivier Breittmayer and Eric Forney, particularly on track, in the spectacular BMW M1 Procar, a truly rare sight on the roads.
Among the Regularity crews, a lighthearted battle unfolded for last place in the standings, won by Adam Lindemann and Georg Schloendorff in their Porsche 914/6, who claimed the Wooden Spoon award. Their secret to winning this unique prize? Skipping the morning practice sessions in Florence to visit the Uffizi Gallery instead!
