Monza

They call it La Pista Magica - the magic race track - and as soon as you arrive in the old royal park at Monza you know why. The ghosts are there in the woods. The buildings talk of legends and of heroes, of great races and shocking accidents. You can feel your spine tingle with the excitement that emanates from the thousands of tifosi, the Ferrari fans who flock to Monza every year to watch the red cars from Maranello. For them, nothing is impossible. There is always a little magic to help them. Of all the racing tracks in the world this is the one to visit for it the embodiment of the joy and thrill that is always in the background when racing people gather. The work began in February 1922 when racing stars Vincenzo Lancia and Felice Nazzaro laid the first stone. Two days later local conservationists stopped the work and it was not until May that the 3500 workmen were able to go back into action. The 10 km circuit was finished by the end of July. It was an amazing feat. At the time it was only the third permanent racing circuit in the world, after Brooklands and Indianapolis. The circuit has been rebuilt on several occasions but the basic design is much as it was. The original flat banking was replaced by the fearsome high banking that can still be seen today, built in 1955 but used for only a few years before drivers began to boycott the event on the grounds of safety. Stand on that banking and you will know why the bravest of the brave lost their nerve. Monza was always a high-speed track and while chicanes have come along to slow the cars and the old days of Monza slip-streaming battles are a thing of the past, the essential element of speed is still there. And when there is such speed there are always accidents. Todays circuit features 3 chicanes and 3 right tirns, direction is clockwise. There's also alternate layout, called Junior, possible. - Enis Dauti

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