The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is a car race track situated in Imola, south of Bologna. From 1979 until 2006 the San Marino F1 GP and many other motorsport events on four and two wheels were held on this track. In the year 1980 the track hosted an edition of the Italian Formula 1 GP. This is one of the few circuits in the world driven anti-clockwise. This track – where the best drivers in the world raced their cars – was planned at the end of the 40s and officially inaugurated on 25th April 1953 with a CONI motorbike GP, valid for the Italian 125cc and 500cc Championships.
Racing cars debuted at Imola on 20th June 1954 with the Conchiglia d'oro Shell for cars in the Sport category, with a breathtaking duel between Ferrari and Maserati: Umberto Maglioli with a Ferrari 500 Mondial won the race ahead of Giulio Musitelli, also with Ferrari, and Luigi Musso with Maserati.
On 21st April 1963 the Imola race track hosted for the first time a Formula 1 race, though it was not valid for the World Championship; after this one-off race F1 didn’t come back for many years.
The circuit started to be part of the race calendar of many different racing series on four and two wheels and was especially interesting for endurance races, with 1,000 kilometres for cars and 200 miles for motorbikes.
In the year 1970 the circuit was named after Dino Ferrari, Enzo’s son, who had died prematurely in the 50s. Two years later important works have been carried out to create a new main straight, the Variante Bassa to slow down the competitors before the main straight. The Variante Alta was built at the same time to interrupt the part leading to the Rivazza corners.
Also in the 70s, after exams by the FOCA and the drivers, further modifications were carried out to extend the safety areas; where this wasn’t possible the track itself was modified, like at the chicane in the Acque Minerali corner.
Eventually in 1979, with the completion of the track and the elimination of parts used for urban traffic, it became a permanent circuit and on a new Formula 1 era was inaugurated for Imola with the one-off Dino Ferrari GP.
In the following year, on 4th September 1980, the circuit hosted the first Formula 1 race valid for the World Championships: the 51st Italian GP, when the race was moved to Imola from Monza. As of the following year the race was held again at Monza and the track in Imola became the stage of the San Marino GP. After the death of Enzo Ferrari on 14th August 1988 the race track was named after Dino and his father.
After the tragic GP in 1994 with the accidents where Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna lost their lifes, the circuit was radically modified to make it less dangerous. The Tamburello corner, where Senna had his accident on the seventh lap during the race, was exchanged with a slower chicane, less spectacular but safer, while the corner where Ratzenberger had his accident during the qualifying, called Villeneuve corner, was replaced by two slow corners. Also the Acque Minerali part has been modified; now there are two fast bends instead of the old chicane, the Rivazza corners and the Variante Bassa. On 20th September 2008 racing was taken up again on the track with a race valid for the WTCC World Championship.
FERRARI RACING DAYS
During the event the F430’s, taking part in the Italian and European Ferrari Challenge Pirelli Trophy and the F1 Clienti single-seaters in some free practice sessions.
Date:
16th-18th April 2010
Event Location:
Venue: Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
City: Imola, Italy
More Information:
+39 0542 602111
+39 0542 602289
www.autodromoimola.com