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Dubai police take part in the legendary ‘Mille Miglia’ classic car race
Written by Thembani Magazi – July 08, 2021
Reviewed by Asaf Kedem
Forget hunting down criminals and collecting parking tickets. The Dubai Police were chasing down glory in a grand tour of Italy alongside a spectacular collection of vintage supercars in the iconic ‘Mille Miglia’ which concluded on the 19th of June 2021. The race has often been called ‘the most beautiful race in the world’ and now the prestigious event seeks to move to the UAE in a couple of months.
Conceived by Giovanni Canestrini, Franco Mazzotti, Aymo Maggi and Renzo Castagneto on 2nd December 1926, as a speed race on open public roads, the Mille Miglia takes place over a route of 1,600 kilometers (equal to 1000 miles) from Brescia to Rome and back.
From 1927 to 1957, prestigious brands including the likes of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar and Mercedes battled each other in the thrilling spectacle that is the Mille Miglia, with legendary drivers including Juan Manuel Fangio, Tazio Nuvolari, Alberto Ascari and Stirling Moss behind the wheel. Since 1977, the Miglia has transformed into the most important regularity race in the world for historic cars. The Red Arrow, as it is fondly called, remains faithful to the original route crossing Italy and its jaw dropping local regions.
Dubai Police joined the classic car race from Brescia to Rome and back with a stunning V8 571 PS Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. A company – Emirates SkyCargo – shipped the supercar over to Italy to compete. The police squadron’s participation came in response to an elite invitation in a move to promote dialogue and bridge cultures
According to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Dubai, “Our participation in the race symbolises the UAE’s efforts to bring safety and security and to promote mutual dialogue and respect with cultures globally.”
They didn’t win though. This latest edition was characterized by good weather and summer heat, with the veteran Andra Vesco and his beautiful Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sport from 1929 (competing with number 43) winning the Mille Miglia 2021. The second position was won by Andrea Luigi Belometti and Gianluca Bergomi, behind the wheel of a Lancia Lambda Spider Casaro from 1929 (competing with number 41). The Mille Miglia is a “regularity race," where prizes are won for completing stages on time, rather than driving the quickest around a track. The third placement is of Gianmario Fontanella and Anna Maria Covelli, also aboard a 1927 Lancia Lambda Casaro. Alfa Romeo was the most represented brand at the proceedings.
Auto Trendy’s take:
We always love to see grand PR stunts like these, especially when there is a collection of beautiful racing machines to ogle at too. The Mille Miglia is clearly evolving to have a more international appeal, which is good news for international fans of the sport. As for the Dubai police, we do wonder whether all this motorsport is distracting from the police force’s other professional duties. Still, if you’ve got the impressive cars, why not give the criminals a scare by flaunting them at international races? Food for thought. The 1000 Miglia Experience UAE 2021 is set to take place from December 5th to 9th, 2021.
