THE LEGEND OF BASSANO 2021

Filippo’s First Time

This June turned out to be full of events and I had already involved my available friends to participate in the Giro di Sicilia and the 1000 Miglia. While looking for a navigator to accompany me to the Legend of Bassano, I realized that perhaps I could recruit a new recruit to follow me in my exciting rallies. So I called my friend Giovanni Tesauro, one of the organizers of the event, to see if it was possible for my twelve-year-old nephew to participate in the regularity race. “Don’t worry,” Giovanni replied with his usual cordiality and understanding in solving the participants’ problems, “we’ve had navigators as young as eight years old!” Having obtained his consent, which was the easiest thing, I had to start convincing my daughter that Filippo had grown up and that the regularity events not only accepted him but that he could have been participating for several years now! So, after finding and installing a four-point harness on the passenger side of the Jaguar, I made him sit in his seat, going for a short test drive around the block, fitting him with the red Club Assi helmet given to me in his time by the legendary Calmonte brothers and trying to fit him with a pair of historic Baruffaldi racing goggles. Incredibly, I convinced him! After days of patient insistence, now almost at the fateful moment of departure, I managed to persuade the whole family that the time had come for Filippo to emancipate himself from the role of child to move on to more mature experiences. Immortalized by cell phones in the courtyard of the house, as if it had been the last opportunity to see us healthy, we finally managed to leave for Bassano del Grappa. Despite having done everything to downplay things, I must say that deep down I was still worried about how Filippo would be able to endure four days traveling in an extreme car like the Xk 120. At first, on the winding mountain roads, he was a little intimidated by the noise of the Jaguar and asked me to moderate the albeit limited speed, then later, having gradually become accustomed to the wind and the curves, I was able to travel at prudent but more sustained paces. In all four days of the rally, under the scorching sun and under the torrential rain that hit us for an entire afternoon on top of the Dolomites, he never had a moment of weakness. The reading of the notes was always precise and impeccable even when the rain dissolved the pages, each box of the road book was meticulously ticked after each passage, the best opportunities for refueling were reported to me with precision and any misunderstanding of mine was promptly corrected. Even during the timed regularity tests, for which I have never been very gifted or passionate, he showed an attention and interest that caught me completely unprepared. I who thought I was already going to hide my lack of passion for regularity by justifying myself with the presence of my nephew, found myself having to promise him to be more attentive and competitive! The Legend of Bassano is one of the most beautiful and exciting rallies that take place in Italy, the cars are all racing boats with priceless specimens. The setting of the Dolomites that envelops the procession of racing cars throughout the route is certainly one of the most beautiful and breathtaking in the world. At the end of the event, prizes were awarded to encourage young people and Filippo received a beautiful one. I had to promise him that if he participates in other rallies with me we will seriously prepare for the regularity races.