For this year`s Bettega Memorial
The Bologna Motorshow in Italy, which is taking place until 11 December, is always an interesting event and one of the most anticipated sports activity during the Motorshow is obviously the Findomestic Bettega Memorial which will have a special edition this year, with four official teams of the world rally at the starting line.
The fabulously classic indoor rally will be held as usual on the closing weekend of the International Automobile and Motorcycle Exhibition. The race will experience its two intense days Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December, with the top champions of international rallies involved in an ongoing series of duels. The best of the first day of competition will then battle it out between them, late Saturday afternoon, to grab the Findomestic Dante Salvay “Night - Sprint”, an intriguing night time challenge.

The track will be the place where Ford, Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Subaru send their top pilots: the multiple Moto GP champion Valentino Rossi, at the starting line with a Subaru Impreza Wrc of the official team; the Livigno champion Gianluigi Galli, official Mitsubishi pilot and the big revelation of the 2005 World Rally Championship; Piero Longhi, recently crowned Italian Rally Champion, driving another Subaru Impreza Wrc; Nicolas Bernardi, at the wheel of the official Peugeot 307 Wrc; and finally, the Englishman Marc Higgins, at the helm of the official Ford Focus WRC, star of past editions of the Bettega.

Motorcycles, wheeled acrobats, of will also perform that same weekend in the Eastpak Freestyle Contest. These include the Italian Stefano Minguzzi, the Americans Beau Bamburg and Kenny Bartram, the Europeans Garry Taylor and Mathieu Rebeaud. Names that motorcycle enthusiasts know well, the assurance of a show sure to live up to the expectations of the public of the Motor Show.

The “Lonsdale Arena” will, as usual, be the beating heart of the sporting event included in the program of the 2005 Motor Show. The organizers have gone all out to prepare the various tracks where, in addition to races, most of the exhibitions and product trials will also be held, initiatives developed by the manufacturers.

Here are a few of the most significant numbers: making the race tracks requires 1 Km of cement barriers, 1 km of bales of straw, 20,000 tires, for a total length of 10 Km and 5,000 cubic meters of earth carried by over 400 trucks. Overall, during the eleven days of the show--including the first two reserved for the press and trade professionals--Lonsdale Arena will host 39 hours of races and exhibitions, 45 hours dedicated to test drives involving 11 makers, for a total of 319 vehicles and 280 pilots.


Tags: bettega-memorial, bologna, motorshow,