Honda Bests Alfa in Opening Round of New European Super Touring Cup Series

Super Touring is alive and doing well in Europe. That was the message from Mugello after an extremely encouraging opening round of the European Super Touring Cup which, unfortunately for Alfa fans, was dominated by Peter Kox’s Honda Accord. The series, organized by the Italian Teams, attracted 16 cars for its first meeting. There were three different makes of car represented on the first-race podium, and there was much overtaking and numerous incidents to keep the fans’ interest. This opening round event in Tuscany may yet herald the beginning of Super Touring’s international relaunch.

Kox and his JAS Engineering Honda Accord took pole position and the two wins, but it was never easy for the Dutchman. "Nicola Larini never gave up and I had to try my best to resist his attacks," he said.

In the first race, Kox took the advantage from his pole position, while BMW star Emanuele Naspetti tried to squeeze between the Alfa 156 of Larini and Fabrizio Giovanardi. It was a risky manoeuvre which ended with the trio clashing. Larini escaped unscathed in second, but Giovanardi broke a front wheel rim and was relegated down the order, while Naspetti was forced to retire with a collapsed front suspension. By mid-distance Kox was leading from Larini, while Giovanardi had recovered to third place. Roberto Colcigo’s privateer Audi held forth from the third Nordauto Alfa of Gianluca de Lorenzi. The latter made a move on the four-wheel-drive car, only to brake too late, hit the Audi and force both into the gravel trap. That promoted Gianni Morbidelli to fourth. He set off after Giovanardi and then tried to make a dive to the inside of the Alfa 156, but they collided too. Only a dramatic flick of opposite-lock saved Giovanardi, but it was not enough to prevent the Alfista from losing third to the aggressive Morbidelli. At the front, Larini went after Kox, but the Honda driver barely held on by a margin of just 0.7.

Amazingly, privateer Massimo Pigoli shot to the front at the start of race two in his BMW. He managed to maintain the advantage for the full opening lap, but soon found that it was impossible to keep the door shut and conceded the lead on lap two to Kox’s Honda. Larini, Giovanardi and Morbidelli soon went by Pigoli too, setting up a four-car train at the front. The Alfa men challenged Kox all the way, but he once again held on throughout the final laps to repeat his earlier win.

Larini said: "I got away well at the start, but instead of taking second gear I took third instead. (Remember, the Alfa has a sequential gearbox.) From then on it was a photocopy of the first race. I chased and pushed hard, but there was no way that I could take first place." Colciago passed Pigoli for fifth, but he in turn was eventually taken by de Lorenzi and the recovering Naspetti, who had started his BMW from pit lane.

More cars are expected out in the coming rounds, including Macau Guia podium finisher Oliver Mayer, who is nursing a broken knee and could not race his Audi.

Alfa & Former Formula 1 Racer & Gentleman Nicola Larini

Perhaps Nicola Larini was just too nice to have made it in Formula 1. His relative lack of success certainly had nothing to do with a lack of talent. He is cultured, urbane, intelligent and sensitive — all commodities which were found lacking in many of his former Formula 1 peers. Yet, while lesser men were forging successful F1 careers, Larini found himself left on the sidelines. His first full Formula 1 season was at the wheel of the prophetically named Osella "FA1L." A move to Ligier, followed by the hopeless Modena team, bore little, if any, fruit. Unless you think 1991’s best result of seventh place, three laps behind the leaders, is worth having.

Larini returned for a brief moment of glory in 1994, claiming second place for Ferrari at Imola. That achievement, of course, was overshadowed by the death of World Champion Ayrton Senna. "I’ll never forget the race, obviously," he says. "There were so many emotions." Perhaps that was the point where he realized that Formula 1, for him, was a poisoned chalice. Or perhaps he had realized that long before.

Touring Cars held no such vicissitudes. Having claimed the Italian title in 1992, he stormed the DTM Championship the following year with Alfa Romeo. There he stayed, except for brief foray into the shark-infested waters of the Sauber Formula 1 Team in 1997 — a time he describes as "Horrible." Now he is shaping up to a season in the new European Touring Car Championship at the wheel of Alfa Romeo’s 156. "I hope this becomes a great series — I think it deserves to do so," he says. "At Ferrari, I knew what it was to be a part of a great team and a great tradition. That is a memory which will never go away."