MonzaDays 2020: pit stop training at the Alfa Romeo Museum
- This weekend, the Grand Prix takes to the stage at Monza: to celebrate the bond between the circuit and the brand, the Alfa Romeo Museum has organized a full schedule of events for fans.
- MonzaDays 2020 will focus on Formula 1, and the pit stop in particular, in a unique comparison between past and present, with the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team and an area where Alfisti can try their hand at a real tire change.
- From the cars of the glorious past displayed at the Museum to the C39 show car competing in the 2020 Formula 1 Championship. The Giulia GTA and Tonale concept car will also be on show.
- On the track inside the Arese museum, enthusiasts’ cars will be on parade and visitors will also have the opportunity to visit the ‘hidden’ Alfa Romeo Collection.
- All the information about the Museum activities schedule you could need can be found at this link.
During the weekend of the Italian GP, the Alfa Romeo Museum will host MonzaDays 2020 to celebrate the historic bond between the brand and the circuit together with all fans. For two days, Formula 1 will be the dominant theme, bringing together past and present. The qualifying session and the Italian GP will be broadcast live on the big screen in the Giulia hall, surrounded by cars that have made motorsport history, as well as the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C39 show car (competing in the 2020 championship) and the Giulia GTA.
On Saturday, September 5 at 4:00 pm, immediately after qualifying, a seminar will be held as part of the Backstage cycle of events, focusing on one of the pages of Alfa Romeo history – the 4-cylinder turbo, a long-tested engine that never made it to the track, partly due to the end of the agreement with the Ligier team.
The main part of the event, “Pit Stop, the challenge in the pits” will be on Sunday, September 6, after the Italian GP. This seminar, held in conjunction with the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team, will offer a unique comparison between past and present. What happens during a pit stop? What does a Formula 1 team do in that frantic, fascinating few moments that can decide the outcome of a race? And, above all, how have things changed since 1950? The modern day pit stop will be discussed by technicians from the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team.
Alessandro Agansati, System Engineer, will be in person at the Museum, and Xevi Pujolar, Head of Track Engineering, will be live from the Monza circuit. Exclusive videos will also be shown, together with contributions from Beat Zehnder, Sporting Director, and Camilo Zürcher, Car Chief for Giovinazzi.
From the 2020 season, the discussion will look back as far as 1950, when there were no compressed-air guns to loosen the wheel nuts and the Alfa Romeo team consisted of just 3 people who – as we will hear from Lorenzo Ardizio, curator of the Alfa Romeo Museum – were able to complete a pit stop in just 22 seconds.
Fans will have the opportunity to experience the excitement of a tire change live, at the Pit Stop Experience hosted by Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN. Subject to reservation, visitors can take part in this exciting team game, against the clock, on both Saturday and Sunday. The availability is subject to current safety restriction.
Completing the event, “Race Anatomy” – the post-GP program presented by Sky Sport F1 – will be broadcast live from the Giulia hall of the Alfa Romeo Museum at 7:00 pm on Sunday.
Throughout the weekend, special parades of Alfa Romeo models from every era will pass in front of the Alfa Romeo Motorhome on the track at the Museum. The parades will begin at 11:00 am on both Saturday and Sunday.
All the activities – seminars, screenings, Pit Stop Experience, parades – are included in the Museum entrance fee. Given the public health restrictions, visitor numbers are limited and admission will be by reservation only.
Reservations can be made by sending an email to
info@museoalfaromeo.com.
From 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday, the Storage Room, with its collection of hundreds of cars, engines, trophies and other items not on permanent display at the Museum, will be open. Admission will be by reservation only. For more info and reservations:
collezione@museoalfaromeo.com.
The Alfa Romeo Museum is prepared to welcome the public with a series of measures to protect the health of both visitors and staff.
Alfa Romeo and Monza: a history of successes
Alfa Romeo won its first Monza GP in 1924 with Ascari at the wheel of the GP Tipo P2 and won the first Grand Prix World Championship at Monza in 1925 with Gastone Brilli-Peri, also at the wheel of the GP Tipo P2. This ended a two-year run of unbroken victories, also earning the brand its laurels. The Monza circuit was also the site of other historic races, victories and challenges: from the 1931 Italian GP, where Campari and Nuvolari won in the 8C 2300 (the car would later become known as “Monza”), to Nuvolari and Caracciola’s domination of both GPs held on the Brianza circuit in 1932, where they took the wheel of the new GP Tipo B, which was also victorious the following year. After WW2, the Alfetta would dominate the first two Formula 1 Championships and the Italian GP continued to be a decisive race. In 1950, Farina triumphed in the GP Tipo 158. In 1952, Alfa Romeo withdrew from F1 undefeated, leaving the races and victories to its Sport and Turismo models. Monza was the site of the first victory by the Giulia TZ, as well as the home of the 4 Hours – often the preserve of the unbeatable GTA – and the 1000 km endurance races. The string of victories that led the Tipo 33 to the 1975 world title started a year earlier in Monza, with three 33 TT12s taking the podium in front of the home crowd.
SATURDAY 5 SEPTEMBER
- Internal track _ 11 am: Alfa Romeo parade of visitors’ vehicles (all models and all periods)
- Giulia Room _ 3 pm: GP qualifying session (screened on maxi-screen)
- Giulia Room _ 4 pm: The controversial story of the 4-cylinder turbocharged F1 engine(conference in the Backstage series), monthly in-depth conferences on the Historical Alfa Romeo Collection)
The era of turbocharged engines revolutionised Formula 1 races in the late ‘70s and throughout the next decade, different technologies and set-ups followed each other in a continuous crescendo of power, reaching more than 1000 HP/litre. For Alfa Romeo, the last evolution was a 4-cylinder in-line twin-turbo engine, which was tested for a long time but was never used in the races, also due to the end of the agreement with team Ligier.
SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER
- Internal track _ 11 am: Alfa Romeo parade of visitors’ vehicles (all models and all periods)
- Giulia Room _ 3.10 pm: Italian GP (screened on maxi-screen)
- Giulia Room _ 4.30 pm: Pit-stop, the ultimate challenge (conference held in collaboration with team
Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen)
Just a handful of seconds to perform a small ‘miracle’, today like 70 years ago. But what lies behind a pit stop? How does a Formula 1 team operate in that frenzied and thrilling fraction of time that can determine the fate of a race? And, above all, how has this procedure changed from 1950 to today? The contemporary pit stop will be the topic of the conference scheduled for Sunday, 6 September at 4.30 p.m., with technicians from the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen team: from Alessandro Agansati, System Engineer, to Xevi Pujolar, Head of Track Engineering - connected live from the Autodromo in Monza - with exclusive videos and the valuable testimonies of Beat Zehnder, Sporting Director, and Camilo Zürcher, Car chief Giovinazzi. From the F1 2020 to 1950, when there were no tyre guns to unscrew the lug nuts and the Alfa Romeo team was made up of only 3 people. But skilled enough, as curator of the Museo Alfa Romeo Lorenzo Ardizio will explain, to complete a pit stop in only 22 seconds. Booking:info@museoalfaromeo.com
- Giulia Room _ 7 pm: Sky Race Anatomy, live from the Museo Alfa Romeo
The Museo Alfa Romeo will be open to the public on Saturday 5 September and Sunday 6 September (opening hours 10 am-6 pm):
- MotorHome of team Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen on the internal track
- Pit stop Experience (F1 tire change live)
With the exception of guided tours, all other activities (live broadcasts in the Giulia room, parades, conferences, pit-stop experience) are free of charge and included in the museum entrance ticket. Booking is required since places are limited. Please write to:
info@museoalfaromeo.com
