Bar chat, among friends, the same passion but different tastes. Outside, a German car is waiting for us on one side and an Italian car on the other: Porsche vs Ferrari. Eternal challenge, first on the track and then on everyday roads. Porsche 911 SC against Ferrari 328 GTB with a respectable third contender: Alfa Romeo GTV 2.5 V6.
Three legendary brands, the queens of motorsport of those years in different categories. All three registered in the mid-eighties when their current owners were in their early twenties, the cars were the undisputed protagonists of one of the most iconic decades that recent history has left us. The years of the Yuppies, Walkman and VHS. The years of Miami Vice, Magnum PI and luminous signs on the buildings of big cities.
But above all the years of true, genuine, masculine sports cars, desired and sought after today as then. No more chatter, let's drive these cars, let's go for a ride to enjoy their talents. Two 6-cylinder engines against a V8, the Alfa Romeo GTV 2.5 V6 "Busso", Porsche 6-cylinder boxer 3.0 "Flat Six" and Ferrari V8 3200 32 valves. Music to the ears, in single file at code speed the noise of the three engines is dull and can be heard from a distance, the occupants of the other cars are watching us a little curiously or perhaps frightened, the glance is fascinating. We take the highway to leave the town, we look for the country roads, the less frequented ones.
We follow the signs for the Pò river, the great river, the one that cuts the Po valley in two. The scenery is enchanting, deserted roads in the middle of nature that we follow aimlessly, just for the pleasure of driving. The 911 SC has a sunroof, it's not like a spider but the feeling of fresh air caressing your hair is pleasant. We are at a crossroads
"Let's go this way ..." someone says, let’s go ... the roar of the engines fills the silence of the fields that surround us. The asphalt ends and the dirt road begins ... something is wrong, perhaps we have gone further, the pace becomes more cautious, we would like to go back but the road is too narrow: let's go forward. An old rusty half-open gate awaits us, it certainly looks uninhabited. We get out of the cars and think it's time to go back, someone smokes a cigarette. But that gate ... that half-open door who knows where it will lead, we are curious and try to peek. There is no one, abandoned, dilapidated buildings can be glimpsed ... there is a stretch of Guard Rail that runs along a strip of asphalt, old asphalt bordered by curbs now incorporated by vegetation, a pit lane and a tower that overlooks the whole property , maybe it is the old race direction ... it is evident: it is an old abandoned track.
From above you can see the outline of the track in the middle of the tall and unkempt grass, we cover it all: the track is fun with very fast extensions, such as the starting straight and eight corners in total. The asphalt conditions do not allow you to push, some times it cracked, it gave way, there are leaves and dead branches. We are left speechless for having found a magical and time-forgotten place like this. We take advantage of technology and a brief research on smartphones tells us that we are in Morano Pò and this is what remains of the Morano racetrack or Casale Monferrato track, 2500 meters, inaugurated in 1973 and closed definitively after a few years in 1977. The godfather of the circuit and lap record holder is none other than Arturo Merzario. We can't believe it… lost in the middle of nowhere, a few meters from the banks of the Po River lies a magical place for every car and motorsport enthusiast.
Place that has had a short but intense competitive life. The crumbling remains tell us stories of other times in an atmosphere that saddens us a little ... to think about what it could have been but never was. We decide to take a few laps, take some photos… Porsche, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo
they are at ease in this place, but now the sun is setting and before this returns the Morano racetrack to darkness we turn on the headlights, turn the hoods and go home aware that we have experienced a special day.
Who won between Porsche, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo?… ..Well ...she won… the track.
