Seventy years after Huschke von Hanstein and Walter Baumer led the BMW team to victory at the 1940 Mille Miglia in a 328, the legendary BMW once again took top honours in this year’s event.
Giuliano Cané and co-driver Lucia Galliani piloted their 328 Touring Coupé to first place through the various trials and across 1 000 miles of Italy without a single technical hiccup. Enzo Ciravolo and Maria Leitner in a production series 328 scooped third overall.
“Victory by Giuliano Cané and Lucia Galliani along with third place achieved by Enzo Ciravolo and Maria Leitner are a marvellous example of teamwork. Both the blind understanding between the crews inside the cars and the cooperation with the mechanics along the way worked out perfectly,” said Karl Baumer, director of BMW Classic.
In honour of the 1940 victory, the cars were driven from Munich, Germany to the event’s traditional start in Brescia, in Northern Italy – instead of on the back of race transporters.”It was the perfect dress rehearsal for the race,” Baumer noted.
The drivers braved the Alps in weatherproof gear supplied by BMW Motorrad, and even during the race teams were subjected to more snow and fog on Monte Terminillo, whereas closer to the Adriatic Sea temperatures reached 27 degrees celcius – both extremes of the Italian climate.
“But the trials and tribulations are quickly forgotten once all the participants – teams and cars – have made it safely across the finish line. And our great result is the icing on the cake,” Baumer comcluded.
