A new attendance record for the Historic Minardi Day that crossed the finish line of the 9th edition with an attendance of more than 20,000 for the two days, confirming its place as one of the key events on both the calendar of Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Circuit and for the fans who, with great enthusiasm and passion, filled the paddock, pits,  terraces and open grandstands, to experience the 40th  anniversary of Minardi’s debut in the Formula 1 World Championship, and more than 50 years of International Motorsport. A success that was also certified by the number of cars present, more than 700.

Opening the event was a lap of the circuit by Gian Carlo Minardi in a 1960 Lotus Elane driven by Roberto Farneti, followed by the McLaren created by CRESPI – an Argentine company with many years of experience in constructing cars, founded by Tullio Crespi in 1962 – for the series “SENNA”, and driven by Luciano Crespi wearing the overalls and helmet of the unforgettable Ayrton Senna, making everyone experience incredible emotions once again and taking  them all back to the 1990 World Championship.

Through a unique exhibition of seven racing cars symbolizing four decades of competition, technical evolution and the independent spirit of the team from Faenza, the Checco Costa Museum celebrated the 40 years since the Minardi Team’s debut in Formula 1 – which took place at 9,30am on Friday April 5, 1985, at the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Jacarepagua circuit- , with the exhibition “40 anni della Formula 1 di Faenza” (40 years of Formula 1 in Faenza) : from the 1985 Minardi M185 to the 2025  Racing Bulls VCARB 02 passing through the M189, M192, M193,and the Toro Rosso STR03 and  STR05.

As always, there was intense activity on the track during the fifteen daily sessions that saw F. Junior, F. Abarth, F. Italia, Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 4, GP3, GP2, F3000, Prototypes, Historic GTs, GTS – taking turns of the track, thanks also to the valuable participation of the Scuderia del Portello, Scuderia Tazio Nuvolari, Registro Italiano Alfa Romeo R.I.A.R, Club Motori Modena “Scuderia Modena Corse”, and the Fondazione Gino Macaluso with the two1982 Lancia LC 1 and the 1982  Lancia LC2 with the iconic Martini Racing livery. Unmissable in the paddock and on the track were the Hypercars and Supercars Pagani (Huayra Roadster Bc, Pagani Utopia, Pagani Zonda F, Pagani Codalunga), Lamborghini (Revuelto, Huracan STO, Urus SE), Dallara (Stradale – EXP), Pambuffetti – PJ01 – and the Mazda MX5 e Lotus.

Warming the hearts of the fans both in the pits and along the 4,909m of the Imola Circuit, were historic Formula 1 cars starting with the1970  March 701,  up to the two 2011 Williams FW33,  passing  through the 1974  Lotus 72E/5, Shadow DN3 (1974), the Tyrrell P34 of 1976 and 1977, la March Beta 761 (1976), Wolf WR 1 (1977), Arrows A/1 (1978), Shadow DN12 (1980), Lotus Type 91 (1982), Osella Alfa Romeo FA1G (1986), Minardi M189 (1989), Monteverdi (1990), Fondmetal GR03 (1991), Ferrari 412 T1 (1994), Arrows A20 (1999) and Minardi PS04/B (2005) together with the McLaren MP4-15 replica this year embellished by Mika Hakkinen’s autograph..

As always, there was the participation by personalities who wrote important pages in the history of world motorsport and who have always been connected to the world of Minardi, making their presence felt at the Historic Minardi Day: engineers Aldo Costa, Gabriele Tredozi, Nigel Cowperthwaite, Alessandro Mazzali, Luca Furbatto and Giorgio Piola, drivers  Ivan Capelli, Alessandro Nannini, Arturo Merzario, Pierluigi Martini, Riccardo Patrese, Philippe Alliot, Thierry Boutsen, Bruno Giacomelli, Miguel Angel Guerra, Roberto Moreno, Andrea Montermini, Luis Perez Sala, Luca Badoer accompanied by his son Brando, Beppe Gabbiani, Siegfried Stohr, René Arnoux, Giovanni Lavaggi, Marco Apicella, Sergio Campana, Niccolò Piancastelli, Massimo Ciccozzi, Raffaele Giammaria, Roberto Farneti, Vinicio Salmi, Ruggero Melgrati, Giordano Regazzoni and Alister Yoong.

There were many exciting moments including the presentation of the 4th “Nando Minardi” Memorial, presented to the artist, Alessandro Rasponi, protagonist of this edition with the “Ayrton attraverso i colori” (Ayrton through colours) exhibition. Also awarded was the Minardi Club Como for their continuous support.  During the group photo Gian Carlo Minardi received the ACI Automobile Club award from General Tullio Del Sette, Special Commissioner of ACI. Merzario returned to the wheel of Lucchini Alfa Romeo (Scuderia del Portello); Pierluigi Martini entertained the public at the wheel of the 1976 Tyrrell P34, Roberto Moreno with the Minardi M189, and the F3 Ralt with which Martini won the 1983 European Championship,: Miguel Angel Guerra took turns at the wheel of the March Beta 761 with Roberto Farneti and Pierluigi Martini’s M198.

The packed programme was enriched by the double events of the ACI Storico. On Saturday 13 with the passage of the 20 teams participating in the Circuito Stradale del Mugello (Mugello Street Circuit); Sunday 14 the Raduno Terre di Romagna (Lands of the Romagna Rally), organized by AC Ravenna, saw 131 teams leave the circuit heading towards Faenza to visit the Racing Bulls F1 Team, before returning to the track for the parade and the closing of the event.