Second Quarter 1992
Richard Lyons
Neither thunder, lightening, rain, hail, sweltering heat nor snow covered glaciers, will keep us from our appointed route.
This certainly is not the motto of your local postal carrier, but it could be the creed of the 315 teams that competed in the 1992 Mille Miglia. The teams experienced all of the above to complete one of the more grueling runs in recent history. To attempt the Mille Miglia solo is to add another level of challenge, when the other 314 teams would all have two members on board.
Solo. No one to mind the stop watches, take over the wheel when fatigue sets in or lend an extra set of eyes when fog reduces visibility to twenty feet. Solo along a 1000 mile blacktop ribbon over Italy's dramatic ? terrain. No woman driver had completed the event solo, but Sylvia Oberti applied and was accepted to attempt a solo Mille Miglia run in 1992.
Luckily the only mechanical problem she was to suffer was a continuously leaking water pump. It took precious time to stop, check the level and add coolant. Time that had to be made up, to stay up with the pack. There were also shortcomings in her vehicle to contend with. There was no roof, windshield wipers or heater, and the fuel gauge had been removed years earlier by a previous owner.
The 1992 Mille Miglia commenced in Brescia, Italy, at 8:00 pm, Thursday, May 21, with teams blasting off every twenty seconds. Sylvia in her 1951 SIATA 300 BC 750 Spyder, went up and over the starting ramp at 9 15:50, into a torrential downpour with thunder and blinding flashes of lighting. Deep puddles made the roads seem like an European version of the Everglades. Sylvia was as prepared as one can be in an open sports car. Beside the prerequisite site helmet and goggles, she was outfitted with driving moccasins and waterproof, polypropylene, thermal underwear under a red Cortex driving suit. Another feature of the tiny Bertone bodied roadster came into play. the seats are true buckets, The rain created a small lake for her to sit in. Rain also found its way between goggles and face causing the lens to fog up, critical because the roads, once out of Brescia, were unlit. There was no one in the ad joining seat to complain to or share in the misery. Bite your lip and press on regardless.
Mille Miglia translates to one thousand miles. This contest of man and machine dates to 1927. Once a year the roads were closed off, speed limits suspended and daring young men in their racing machines set loose. Excitement, thrills and crashes. Unknowns became legends overnight and some died In 1955, Stirling Moss, driving a Mercedes 300 SLR, made a record run of 98.5 mph It still stands However, a tragic 1957 incident left Count Alfonso de Portago and 13 spectators dead after his Ferrari flew into the crowd The government interceded enough, no more, finished, the end Tales are told that the race was then run clandestinely and the mystique of the Mille Miglia continued to grow.
In 1981 it was proposed that the Mille Miglia be resurrected with stricter rules. No more flat out, push the envelope, die for the record racing. The proposal was accepted by the government. Restarted in the spring of 1982, it is a huge success. Now up to 6,000 requests come from teams worldwide for the coveted starting positions in a test of driving skill and precise timing over a diverse route. To lend an authentic aura, only true documented racing cars built up to 1957 are eligible. On the flat open roads where some of the race cars could break the triple digit mark with ease, police vehicles run far in advance to clear the roads of normal traffic and spectators.
Sylvia made it through the soggy night to Ferrara, end of the first leg, at 1:00 am Friday. At 8:00:50 am Friday morning she was back on the road again, but not before signing autographs for the admiring throngs of young men who lined the takeoff chute. It hadn't taken them long to figure out that beneath the helmet and red driving suit was a young woman. The California Historical Vehicle license plates told them where she was from. They shouted "Belladonna da California!" (Beautiful lady from California) as she sped away.
The morning drive towards the Adriatic coastal cities of Ravenna and Rimini was a rain free run. Then the route headed south west to the independent, 23 square mile country of San Marino. The tiny 723 cc engine delivered its best propelling Sylvia into the mountain - into a thick blanket of fog. Visibility dropped off sharply. One more turn and it was solid rain again - wet cold rain. The lake in the seat grew back to the previous shore line. However, Sarr Marino's, 25,000 residents greeted Sylvia and the other Mille Miglia entrants, providing a warming to water logged spirits. In addition to being presented with gifts of sandwiches and fruit, Sylvia found herself the object of media attention. The word was out. A daring young lady from California in a red Italian sports car was attempting a solo Mille Miglia. She was interviewed, on the run, by representatives of both the print and electronic media as she carefully made her way through the throngs of well wishers to cheers of "Sola Sylvia, Sola Sylvia."
Driving back into Italy again, she enjoyed a brisk run to Urbino. The rain clouds fell behind. It warmed up to the 80°F. Speeding down the country roads, flanked by spectacular sunlit vistas, the turbulence of the air flow gave the soggy SIATA interior a chance to dry out. The cities and towns of Cola Del Furlo, Pergola and Cubbio featured the same warm receptions received in San Marino. Friendly, smiling people gave loud cheers when they realized the driver of the red SIATA, #147, was a young lady from the west coast of the New World. The sea of people so engulfed her, she had to be careful not to knock them over. Cries of "Californian, Californian Belladonna" blended with the roar of the racing cars.
How did this young soloist become the object of intense interest half a world from home? The long and winding road had its start many years earlier in Fresno, California. While other grade school girls played with doll houses, Sylvia built a small cardboard box sports car to take imaginary cross country drives. Time passed and the cardboard car was replaced by a go-kart. Quarter and half mile driveways soon became racetracks, allowing Sylvia to compete with friends in their own races. By the mid-seventies, she had purchased a real sports car, a 1959 Morgan +4. This English oddity with a body design unchanged for twenty-five years, was great for "seat of the pants driving." By the eighties Sylvia's sights had been raised, and a more powerful, technically advanced and sleeker car was in order. The correct combination was called Ferrari. A red 308 CTS was acquired after close examination of a dozen different offerings. Sylvia enrolled and excelled in high performance driving schools and joined the Ferrari Owners Club. Laguna Seca and Sears Point raceways became home turf.
The Mille Miglia circuit isn't just one large parade through cheering crowds. Far from it. For many long, lonely miles it is just the driver against the road and elements, such as the curious route the 1992 Mille Miglia took over Mount Terminillo, a majestic peak of 6000 feet. Natives of northern Alaska would feel at home here. The Italians call it a "Gelato." English speaking folks call it a glacier. The area is blanketed with ten to twenty foot drifts of snow and ice. After plows reclaimed the avalanche-buried road, Mother Nature fought back delivering a fierce hail storm as the Mille Miglia competitors started to traverse the area. The result was a treacherous surface for racing cars with small ground clearances.
The tiny SIATA attacked the slick dangerous peak nevertheless. Matters were not helped when a 300SL Gullwing driver decided to pass. He swung out, but skidded wildly from too much throttle as he came alongside. Sylvia reacted quickly to avoid being side swiped by the larger car, fading to the right to widen the gap a precious few inches. This put the right tires into a thick carpet of snow; the rear of the SIATA started to come around . The Gullwing, still without traction, was taking up most of the narrow track and still sliding. Sylvia counter-steered, correcting her slide as the Gullwing finally purchased a grip and shot forward. Sylvia was rewarded with a stinging blizzard of hail and gravel from the rear wheels of the Mercedes delivered into her face. After the driver of the 300SL scooted away, she had a chance to get back into the track. Using her gloves to clear her goggles, Sylvia realized just how cold the top of a glacier got - the wet gloves were starting to freeze on her hands. She fought off deep shivers. The mild morning had misled her into not suiting up with the thermal protection layer. The road remained treacherous, no place to stop and change. Keep moving. Push on. Focus. A great sigh of relief - the Gelato was now behind and the road surface was again solid pavement. The settlement of Rieti was ahead. An exhilarating down hill charge would lead to Rome, a break for a hot shower, food and a few hours of much needed sleep.
Sylvia had a tenet that she repeated through the dramatic 1000 mile run It became her prayer "Let me win, but if I can not win, let me be brave in my attempt." She borrowed it from the Special Olympics, the organization that runs athletic contests for handicapped individuals, so that they know the thrill of competing while realizing their own personal goals. Prior to leaving California for Italy, she solicited from friends, family and associates a contribution pledge to the Special Olympics if she was successful. By the time Sylvia left for Italy over S5000 had been promised. Something else spurred her on through the rain, hail and cold. She was a woman driving solo. Driving into some of the small Italian villages where the population numbered only one to two hundred, everyone turned out for the spectacle. The crowds were thinner and she could make better eye contact with individuals. Women would give her a warm smile of encouragement. Several made the sign of the cross, asking their patron saints to safely watch over the driver of the tiny red car. It fueled Sylvia's spirit onward.
The representatives of Rome's television stations jostled each other to interview Sylvia once she had successfully completed the second leg of the Mille Miglia in Rome. The sound bite, later aired nationally, was ' You must know your solo attempt is of extreme interest to all of us in Italy, but why are you driving alone?" Sylvia thought for a brief moment, smiled and responded, "But, I'm not alone. How can you be alone when all the Italian people are so warm and friendly that they make me feel like family." It brought the house down.
Early Saturday morning, with Japan's Fuji Television documentary unit filming her departure, Sylvia Oberti drove out of Rome towards Brescia for the last and longest leg of the Mille Miglia. A lengthy drive after two hard days on the road, but the weather was superb. Bright sunny skies with temperatures rising into the mid-eighties. When she arrived in Florence the surging crowd stopped her from driving any further as books were thrust at her for autographs. And sign she did till she finally had to raise her hand and point northward to say, since she'd never be heard, "Sorry, but I've got to go"
The sun warmed Sylvia as she shot through one hairpin turn after another of the Apennines Mountains, each offering a breathtaking panorama of the countryside below. The small village populations dropped their tasks to stand and cheer as dozens of rare and exotic racing machines blitzed by. Bologna was just a blur as Sylvia started to realize Brescia and the finish were now only hours away. The dream was becoming reality. But, it was also a time to be very cautious; remember the fuel and water levels, concentrate on the snaking road, keep one eye on the other cars, one eye on the watches, keep it all in focus. Push on. The check point at the Ferrari factory in Modena was another mob scene - all the stops were out. Mother Nature, making up for the rain, fog and hail, presented a stunning sunset and encored with a perfect star filled evening. The last points on the route, Cremora, Manerbio and Montichiari raised Sylvia's adrenaline with wildly enthusiast salutes. Go, go, go, go, go. On to Brescia. Focus, concentrate, focus: "I'm going to make it."
The final check point was bedlam everyone screaming and slapping Sylvia "high five" as the chanting rose to a crescendo. She wheeled out of the check-point for the final five mile run to the reviewing stand, back to where it had all started fifty hours before. It seemed like an eternity had gone by, felt she'd been driving this SIATA her whole life. She rounded the final bend, the television lights were blinding and the photographers' strobes were like fireworks exploding. Moving at a snail's pace Sylvia again had to be careful to avoid hitting anyone as she felt the sensation of being mobbed. Even with the electric amplification the announcer had to shout to be heard above the chanting and cheering. "Everyone is so excited to have a daughter of Italy become the first woman to solo and finish the Mille Miglia! Congratulations!" Whatever else was said was lost in the night as the crowd erupted. Sylvia Oberti received a special acknowledgment at the awards presentation the following morning as the First Mille Miglia Woman Soloist (and a prolonged ovation). The award was a silver engraved plate. After, at the Castle of Brescia gala banquet, her fellow drivers had nothing but high praise and warm words for her accomplishment. Even those who spoke in languages she didn't understand got the point across. They knew what type of an effort it was to run the Mille Miglia, few would want to do it solo.
In November, 1992, Sylvia Oberti received another award. The Ferrari Club of America, Pacific Region, Bay Area Chapter presented her with their Silver Community Service Award in recognition of the funds she raised for The California Special Olympics by her successful Mille Miglia Solo endeavor. This May, Sylvia will repeat her solo run, again on behalf of the Special Olympics driving in the 1993 Mille Miglia. 1992, though, was unique. Sylvia Oberti set a goal and went out and made her mark. It was One For The Record Books.