by john manzi
Look
out Italy, the Americans are coming. A contingent of American amateur drivers,
that is.
Amateur
racing is coming out of the shadows and now is an integral part of the harness
racing scene, not only in the United States but in Europe, Australia and New
Zealand too. International driving competitions among the sportsmen are growing
exponentially.
Recently the Florida Amateur Club hosted an
international driving competition and as a result of those races earlier this
year at Pompano Park an invitation was extended to a group of American amateurs
to compete against their Italian counterparts in Naples, Italy on April 29, 30
and May 1.
“Pierre
Luigi D’Angelo, the owner of Angano, the racetrack in Naples, extended the
invitation during the Isle of Capri International (amateur) Championship at
Pompano,” noted “Joltin’ Joe Pennacchio, who has known D’Angelo for many years
and has previously driven at Angano. “He (D’Angelo) said we should get a team
of five drivers to compete against our (Italian) amateurs in a Friendship
Competition on the weekend of April 29, 30 and May 1. D’Angelo told me that
those dates hinge around Italy’s greatest race, the $600,000 Gran Premio
Lotteria, which will be contested on May 1. He promised us (the U. S. amateurs)
that we will have one race on the card that day when the attending crowds will
be monstrous.”
In
all, the Friendship Competition will include four races with two contests on
Friday, April 29 and one on Saturday, April 30.
Even
with a short advance notice, Pennacchio, a longtime sportsman and avid amateur
reinsman, searched for available drivers and has come up with a very respectful
team. Joining “Joltin’ Joe” will be Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford, Dein “the
Dream” Spriggs, Mike “the Mortgage Man” Mitchell and “Hurricane Hannah” Miller;
all members of the C.K.G. Billings Series as well as members of other amateur
driving clubs.
For the record, Oldford (2013), and Ms. Miller
(2015), are previous U.S. National Amateur Driver of the Year Award winners
while Spriggs is a two-time recipient (2004 & 2005)
.
The
members of the American team will wing their way to Italy early this week and
prior to the competition they will be hosted and shown the wonder and the
history of Naples and the surrounding area.
“We’re
very excited about the upcoming Friendship Competition and a chance to enjoy
greater Naples,” said Steve Oldford, who has driven winners in previous
European amateur competitions. “And maybe, just maybe, we, our team, will be
able to win a race or two.”
