October 8, 2025: After the magnificent gala evening in Florence’s Sala dei Cinquecento, competitors this morning tackled the Mugello circuit and two special stages on routes beloved by driving enthusiasts.
Another splendid sunny day set the scene for the third day of the Modena Cento Ore. The races at Mugello were equally spectacular, where Olivier Breittmayer and Eric Forney, driving the BMW M1 Pro Car of the Breitt Racing team, set the fastest time after seven laps of steady progress (starting from the eleventh row). They won the Group G-H-I race with a last-lap pass on the main straight, overtaking the Opel Ascona 400 Conrero of Stephan and Matthias Jocher, who finished just two-tenths of a second behind. A truly thrilling race.
In third place overall, confirming the excellent performance shown in the previous two days, were Mr John of B and Sibel, with the Porsche Carrera 6 from the John of B team. Among the top ten in Race 3 were no fewer than five cars from Period F; among them, Jon Minshaw and Katarina Kyvalova of the Valley Motorsport team took fourth with their Jaguar E-Type, delivering a great performance. Another exciting duel unfolded between the two Fords: Ben Gill and Dave Didcock with the Escort RS 1600, and Mike Sheehan and Andy Hazlewood of the Raceworks Motorsports team with the Ford Zakspeed Escort MK2, who battled fiercely and both made it into the top ten in seventh and eighth place, separated by just one tenth of a second.
The parade of cars through Scarperia brought life to the picturesque Tuscan village. After lunch overlooking the circuit, there was no rest for drivers and machines as they tackled special stage number 5 through the curves of the Passo del Giogo. Here Stephan and Matthias Jocher came out on top, two seconds ahead of Glenn and Conrad Janssens of the Trafiroad Rallyteam with their Ferrari 308 GTB, winners of two stages the previous day. Third place went to Judd Schreiber and Emilio Pinetti of Pinetti Motorsport with their Porsche 911 S.
It didn’t take long for the Janssens to strike back, setting the fastest time again in special stage number 6 on Monte Faggiola, finishing seven seconds ahead of the Jocher crew. A real long-distance duel between the two teams. Once again, Schreiber and Pinetti claimed third, with their Porsche showing all its potential on the tight, twisty sections.
A two-hour drive then brought participants to the stage finish in the glamorous Milano Marittima. The evening continued with dinner and entertainment in the refined setting of Darsena del Sale in Cervia, an iconic and historic venue where salt was once stored and processed.
In the Competition classification for Day 3, Stephan and Matthias Jocher remain in the lead. Glenn and Conrad Janssens hold second place, while Mr John of B and Sibel move up to third. Behind them, within just 1.3 seconds, are three more crews:
In fourth place, James Crossland and Robert Brooks with the Ferrari 308 GTB “Michelotto” from GTO Engineering, only 0.4 seconds back;
In fifth, Marcus Anderson and Nicola Arena with a Jaguar E-Type;
And 0.7 seconds further behind, in sixth, David Tomlin and Hilary Tomlin with the Ford Zakspeed Escort MK2 of Raceworks Motorsports.
The top ten currently feature three Ferraris, two Fords, several Porsches and Jaguars, and the Opel Zakspeed leading the pack.
In the Regularity standings, Americans Jeffery Gault and Raffaele Conti continue to lead with their Jaguar XK 140. Alexander Marmureanu and Laura Huettner, also in a Jaguar E-Type, regain second place, while another E-Type, driven by Mike Sheehan and Andy Hazlewood, climbs to third.
Tomorrow will bring two more special stages, with passages through Rimini and San Marino, before reaching the Misano World Circuit in the early afternoon for practice sessions and races.
Amid the electric atmosphere of the paddock, we met Fritz Burkard, owner of the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza. The car was purchased new by Scuderia Ferrari at the beginning of 1933 and raced throughout the season, taking victory with Antonio Brivio at the Swedish Grand Prix on August 6, 1933, before being modified by Ferrari.
At that time, it still carried its original Alfa Romeo chassis number, 2211120, with Modena registration MO 6608. Later, after being modified and renumbered SF 28, it was entrusted by Scuderia Ferrari to race in the Mille Miglia. The car joined Burkard’s collection in 2020, fully restored to its original glory.
“I love driving it because it awakens all the senses — it’s pure driving, a completely different experience from any other car,” says the owner.
Interestingly, the very fast Opel Ascona 400 Conrero currently leading the race is the same car with which Cerato and Cerri achieved great success in 1982. Giuseppe Cerri, today one of the ACI supervisors following the Modena Cento Ore, ensures that the event runs safely and in full compliance with regulations.
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