August 1998
Mishige Munehisa
It is early summer and the sun is beginning to set. They have all arrived at Leonessa, a small Italian town. But there is still a 120km drive left to Rome, the goal for the day.
On the road to Rome, there stands Monte Terminillo a 2200-meter high mountain where all must drive across its pass. Even at this time of the year, the peak of Monte Terminillo is usually covered with snow, so everyone is a bit tense at the thought of the daunting drive ahead.
In the center of the Leonessa there is a piazza. Every one of the entrants in the Mille Miglia all park their cars here and take a break over a cup of espresso at a bar nearby, or pull out their sweaters for the cold drive waiting ahead on the route. Then, going to a corner of the piazza they have their cards stamped at the checkpoint, get back into their cars and head for the mountains already dark in the late afternoon.
When she arrived at the piazza, the lady turned off the engine and parked her car. But she is not getting out.
Reaching into the door pocket, she pulls out a green apple. As she takes a bite, she checks her three stopwatches, one hanging from her neck. Pulling out a muffler she puts it on in preparation for the drive over the mountain. During all this, her eyes are glued on the route map placed on the steering wheel. She pulls out the green apple again and takes another bite. But she puts it back nonchalantly and starts up her SIATA. She is a bit tense and the thought of eating is not on her mind. In fact, during the two and a half days drive in the Mille Miglia, she only took two apples, three bananas and a few bottles of acqua minerale, mineral water. Such is the toughness of driving solo in the Mille Miglia.
Yes. She, Sylvia Oberti, prima donna of the Mille Miglia drives the 1600km-route solo. And has been doing so for seven continuous years.
THE WHITE ROSE
The Mille Miglia is held every year in May in Italy and this is a car event for the tough -- boys need not apply. The youngsters keep a low profile in this event. Even grownup adults must have the appropriate strength, both physical and mental. As well as the appropriate financial resources to take part.
On the first day of the Mille Miglia, application and scrutineering is accepted into the late evening at the Piazza Vittoria in the center of Brescia, a northern Italian City. Over 750 applications have been sent to the organizers from all over the world. Entries have been increased to 370 cars, but still over half the applications must be declined, in spite of the fact that all are excellent cars and first rate drivers/owners. Among such entrants are former-racing drivers that have excelled in such competitive racing as Formula One and at Le Mans. While most are of the generation that have reached middle age bordering on the elderly, their eyes are all very lively and they never slow in their movement.
These are the people that make up the Mille Miglia. They all leave Brescia in the evening and for the next two days they go south as far as Rome and return on the third day to Brescia for a completed 1000 miles. A 1600km run is no mean task by any definition. The cars allowed in the event must be manufactured between 1927 and 1957 and most are racing sportscars. The ride is never quite comfortable, the heat from the engine is always there, the ears are subjected to the engine noise and there is not enough room to perhaps wiggle once in the car. If it is a topless racing car with no soft-top, one is subjected to the rain as much as it wants to wet you. And the drivers persevere as the raindrops hit your face, and they do hit you hard like small stones. Mind you, these are all old cars which require great care with the brakes, gearbox and the steering. This continues for the 1000-mile distance and for two and a half days. It is tough, even for the middle-aged drivers both physically and mentally strong. Those who have completed the whole route and reached the goal at Brescia all have this look in their eyes as if they aren't quite there; they are completely drained physically.
Needless to say, there are female entrants as well. But many are the wives of the husband/wife teams who take on the challenge and the wife usually acts as the navigator. Though few (six in 1998), there are lady teams and these are regular entries who take part in a touring sedan, such as a Lancia Aprilla. To such entries, the organizers give a rose on the starting platform as they are flagged off. Last year it was a pink rose. This year a white rose was given to the lady entrants.
HER HERO, THE AVIATRIX
The Mille Miglia, where even grown men of experience find it very challenging, a lady living in California by the name of Sylvia Oberti decided that she wanted to enter, solo. It was in 1991. Sylvia wrote a letter to Mr. Costantino Franchi, the organizer, mentioning that she knew that as a rule the Mille Miglia accepts entries for two people, driver and navigator, but that she wanted to drive and navigate by herself.
The reply was a surprising "Yes". Even Sylvia did not know the reason why her entry was accepted. Years later, someone out of curiosity asked Mr. Franchi the reason she had been accepted to drive alone. It is extremely rare to allow a solo driver acceptance to the Mille Miglia. Whereupon, Mr. Franchi without even batting an eye said,"Why not? She is beautiful!"
Admittedly, it's too good a story for even the author to believe. But whatever the true reason, her application was accepted and it was decided that she start with the 1992 race edition. She already owned a car that qualified for the Mille Miglia. A SIATA 750 made in Torino, Italy in 1951. The 750-model name comes from the fact that the car uses a 4-cylinder engine of 750cc displacement. The engine is the original American Crosley mounted in the car upon arrival in the U.S.A.
750cc is not much power and just a little larger than the 660cc Japanese K Cars. Though the SIATA has been race tuned to 823ccís for the Mille Miglia, it is basically a 750cc engine and horsepower is limited. With such a small engine fitted, the SIATA must be built as small and light as possible. Compared to, say, the large 3 liter V12 Ferraris of the period, it is a "David and Goliath" affair. Parked amongst such Ferraris and Jaguars, the SIATA is so small that it makes you want to hug it with both arms.
But the size and the lightness are one of the main reasons why she chose the SIATA. She also owns a Ferrari. A 308GTS model that she drove at California track meetings where she learned how to maneuver and control the heavier car. The SIATA is certainly no heavy car and less powerful, so it cannot take on the heavy artillery of the V12 engines on roads that are straight lines or up the hills. But on twisty roads and tight corners, it is much easier to keep the SIATA under control and the advantages of the smaller and lighter car become apparent. "I used just such an advantage to overtake the big V12 cars this year too!" admits Sylvia.
But mind you, she is not out to drive just fast or win in competition. Her ideal is to keep the car under the driver's control in any situation (even when some trouble has arisen with the car). This is in keeping with the fact that her role model from her heart is the racing driver, Fangio. The great Argentine driver, Juan Manuel Fangio became the World Champion five times during his racing career. The Formula One World Championship was inaugurated in 1950 and Fangio was active during the 1950's. Half a century has almost passed since then, but no one to this day has ever attained the World Championship five times as Fangio. Just proof of the greatness of Fangio.
Also, Fangio was never a driver to race with limitations to his capabilities. He avoided risks when possible. When his rivals recorded a good lap, he drove a bit faster, just fast enough to outpace his opposition. It was enough to win races. And this was possible only because he always had his car under control. Furthermore, this is probably why Fangio's driving is considered to be the smoothest and at times even beautiful. This is what Sylvia considers as her ideal.
There is another name deep in her heart from her childhood, the American aviatrix, Amelia Earhart. Amelia was a successful pilot with an adventurous nature who drove herself into the world of airplanes when only men ruled this world. Her last flight was as adventurous as the first, flying across the Pacific but never to return. Her hair cut short, boyish in appearance and her life filled with courage has been the subject of many books.
Challenging what was thought as impossible for a woman to do, yet coming through triumphantly has given courage to many women to this day.
THE CHALLENGE CONTINUES
Sylvia, after being attracted to the Mille Miglia had come to watch the great Italian event several times and decided that she must become a participant. But at the same time, she knew that it is a tough event and was not quite sure if she could take on the challenge. In the Mille Miglia one must drive "old" racing cars on the roads from early morning to late into the night, crossing many mountain passes in the course. Rain makes the event even tougher and it does rain frequently. In her everyday Californian life, such strenuousness comes but once every so often, but is a rarity.
Still, she wanted to enter the Mille Miglia. Some of her friends had entered the event so there was the possibility of participating as a navigator. But there is a huge difference between running it in someone else's car and driving your own. And if she was going to do the Mille Miglia, the challenge of doing it alone by a female entrant seemed even more challenging.
1992, in her first year, she certainly felt the pressure before the start. But it was full of excitement once she got going. Experiencing the beautiful Italian pastoral countryside. Driving through green fields in the early summer. It was just what she had imagined.
Driving through various small towns, the local people greeted her with an apparent sense of awe and amazement at her solo effort. Some people stared in disbelief. But she made it. The weather included hard driving rain, snow and hail during her first year, but she completed the 1000 mile route and returned to Brescia where the organizers awaited each return. She had proved to herself and to the people around her that a woman can do it alone.
Since then, she has participated in every edition. The sight of her alone in the SIATA has become one of the star attractions of the event. Nowadays, even the people in the small towns have come to recognize her and anticipate her arrival. A few years ago, an elderly lady rushed to her car and took her hands. Sylvia was told later of the account and the driver just after her had seen how the elderly lady had noticed the SIATA, run up to the car embracing Sylvia's hands and after releasing them covered her face with her hands, her eyes full of tears. The elderly lady in the small village must have been overcome with the sight of the young woman from California driving alone.
The Mille Miglia is a tough event, even for those who have completed it several times. After two and a half days of driving, your hands are sore from gripping the steering wheel for so long. If the weather is good the sun scorches you and if it rains, the raindrops are sure to hit you like bullets. Once the battery had severely weakened in the middle of the night. Sylvia had to turn off her lights to save the battery and power the engine. Instead she took out the small flashlight from the car and holding it in her hand she lit the way for the SIATA even though it was not of much use.
In spite of such difficulties, she continues her challenge alone. And she finishes each race.
HER JACKET POCKET
Why drive solo? This is a question that she has been asked countless times. Every year at the finish of the Mille Miglia in Brescia, Luisetta announces the cars and exchanges a few words with the entrants. And in the case with Sylvia, she asks every time, "Next we have the lady from America. She drives solo every year. Why is that Miss Oberti?"
In such situations for the past two editions, Sylvia pulls out a stuffed white bear doll with wings on its back and says, "I am not alone. Angelino is always with me!"
It was given to her by a friend and is named Angelino de Corse, The Angel of the Road. Sylvia explains that it was given to her so that she will not go any faster than her winged angel can fly. And the mascot is Sylvia's treasure.
The real reasons for driving solo are many. First, she wants to avoid the risks and dangers to someone else in the car as she drives the tough route. Unfortunately, the Mille Miglia being run on ordinary roads is subject to normal traffic and the increased risks of the race, even if the entrants are careful. There is a similarity between Fangio and Sylvia.
They thought alike. In the days when the Mille Miglia was held as a true competition and when the rules were changed to allow the drivers to go solo, Fangio chose to drive alone.
He wanted to avoid the risks that a navigator next to him would be subjected to during the grueling classic road race.
Sylvia gives another reason. She insists she is not alone as she is embraced by many people the world over and believes that they are all driving with her in spirit.
"I know people who are fighting cancer. Some have lost their lives. One friend, who had two children and was herself very near death, asked me to do something for her children when she would no longer be here to help them. I began to raise the issue of early detection and treatment of cancer while raising funds for research. So for the people that had lost a husband, wife, mother, father, children and friends to cancer or those that had survived cancer, their names were sent to me and I wrote them on my racing suit. I felt their presence and imagined their encouragement during the Mille Miglia. We succeeded in honoring over 1000 names for 1000 miles. It was a small project of mine to honor the truly brave people. Over 17 countries participated in sending names and we surpassed our initial goal of 1000 names. It was just incredible!"
On her red racing suit are the names she has written. On her return to the U.S.A., she will be donating her suit to an association that is fighting cancer. The association will put the suit up for auction and the profits will be used for their activities.
When we were about to say goodbye, Sylvia showed the author the inside of the suit pocket over her heart. Usually unnoticeable, it was written Juan Manuel Fangio.
The End.