Italian Connection Trophy

Alfa Romeo joins us as a sponsor

We were hoping it might happen and Alfa Romeo has now stepped up as a sponsor of the ICT.

The all girl team representing the Duchenne Foundation were presented with a very nice bright red Alfa 159 to compete.

The ICT’s first all girl team Tiina and Angela

ATECO the parent group importers of Alfa Romeos, Fiats, Maseratis and Ferraris are also behind us; a contingent of Ferraris will join us at the Rally start and be part of the rally escort.

However in honour of Alfa’s Centenary the 1924 Alfa G1 perfectly restored will lead the rally group in their parade around Leichhardt before taking off over the Anzac Bridge and away. Anyone who was at Auto Italia would have seen the G1 a beautiful road machine.

There will be a flock of scooters and a contingent of other fine examples of Italian driving machines that have promised to join us.

We expect a high profile media start to Italian Connection Rally which will help it grow and importantly lift the profile of our important charity The Duchenne Foundation,

John Bowe Driving becomes a sponsor

Racing legend John Bowe

One of motor racing’s most respected and admired drivers John Bowe through his company John Bowe Driving is sponsoring a High Performance Session at a NSW or Victorian race track for the competitor that raises the most money for our charity.

Pirelli supports the Italian Connection Rally

Pirelli Australia is also providing support for the Rally with a collection of merchandise including at least one Pirelli Calendar that will be auctioned at the Victory Dinner on 23 May.

The Italian Cultural Centre and the Italian Forum sponsor the Rally

Our iconic start venue The Piazza Grande in the Italian Forum is being provided by The

Italian Cultural Centre

Come and join us for breakfast from 8.00 am on Friday 21 May.

Fiat Sponsors the ICT for a second year

ATECO’s General Manager Andrei Zaitzev, Andrei has just confirmed that Fiat is providing a Ducato for our technical support vehicle. We thank Andrei and Fiat for their continuing generous support,

Invitation to Italian Car Owners

We want to ensure that there is a great display of Italian motoring masterpieces at the start so if you have friends or fellow club members who will “take a two hour sickie on Friday 21 May” we would like them to be part of what is gearing up to be a pretty amazing start event. Just one thing if they could call Robert on (02) 99601733 and let him know because we need to know how many vehicles are turning up.

Ferrari Clubs support us

While we are not an official Ferrari event both Sydney and Melbourne Clubs have ensured all our rally information gets out to their members. In fact we are displayed on the Victorian Club’s Home Page and the Sydney Club has emailed all their members. It’s fitting because Dino Ferrari was lost to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. So we thank the Ferrari clubs for their support

Welcome in Melbourne

The City of Melbourne is one of our major sponsors this year providing the Piazza Italia on Lygon for our arrival. Members of the Victorian Fiat and Ferrari Clubs will be there to greet us also possibly some members of the Victorian Alfa Club.

There will be some entertainment and some family amusements so it should be a great arrival.

ENTRIES

We have a few spaces left check the website www.italianconnection.com.au

ENTRY FORMS

NOW IS THE TIME TO CONFIRM YOUR PLACE IN THE 2010 ITALIAN CONNECTION RALLY – FILL IN THE FORMS AND RETURN TODAY

Alfa Romeo has signed up to be part of a very good cause – by driving from Sydney to Melbourne.

The Italian Connection Trophy is a social motoring event that supports the Duchenne Foundation, raising money for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, an extreme degenerative disease that attacks young boys.

The event runs from Friday, May 21 to Sunday, May 23, linking Australia’s most famous ‘Little Italy’ districts, Norton Street in Leichhardt (Sydney) and Lygon Street in Carlton (Melbourne).

The first two years the event was run (2008, 2009), it was won by Alfa Romeos, so it seems fitting that Ateco Automotive, which distributes Alfa Romeo in Australia, is providing an Alfa Romeo 159 JTDm to be used in the event by Angela Solomou and Tiina Raikko, committee members from the Duchenne Foundation and the Trophy’s first all-female team.

“We’re very grateful to Alfa Romeo for supporting the event, especially during its centenary year,” says event director Robert Gunn, who was with the ladies when they collected the car for a familiarisation run.

“The Italian Connection Trophy is dominated by Alfa Romeo even though we also have a good mix of other Italian marques. By Alfa providing a car for our first all-female team, they have provided a wonderful opportunity to the Duchenne Foundation to lift the profile of the charity and raise money for a great cause.”

Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager, Alfa Romeo Australia, says the company is very happy to be involved.

“We are very pleased to be able to support, once again, the Italian Connection Trophy and its work with the Duchenne Foundation, especially as there is a growing tradition that, as well as raising both awareness and funds for the Foundation, the event is usually won by an Alfa Romeo!”

This is the third year the event has been run. This year’s goal is raising $100,000 to fund research into muscle deterioration. The research will contribute to the development of new drugs to prolong the mobility of boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and, hopefully, help find a cure.

The motoring tour is open to any type of European car, of any age, and the current entry list includes everything from a 1972 Lancia Fulvia through to a 2009 VW – with a wide range of Alfa Romeos and other marques in between.

Entrants are assured of having fun, especially during the overnight stops in Gundagai in southern NSW, and Myrtleford in northern Victoria. Both towns are providing plenty of good Italian food and wine to welcome competitors at the end of each day and Myrtleford has a special Italian Festa to celebrate the event.

The rally only uses sealed roads, but it’s not just a straight run down the Hume Highway. The event’s Clerk of Course is Jeff Whitten, well known in Australian rallying circles, and he has chosen some of the best driving roads in both states. The resulting route is both fun to drive, and spectacular.

Entry fee for the Italian Connection Trophy is $2300, which covers breakfast, dinner and accommodation for both the driver and co-driver/navigator as well as a donation. More funds will be raised through other activities across the weekend.

Numbers are limited but there are a few entries still available. Check the website: www.italianconnection.com.au

* * * * * * * * *

For more media information, please contact Liz Swanton: 0417 232 643 or lizswanton@hotkey.net.au

Pic caption: Tiina Raiko from the Duchenne Foundation collecting the keys to her Alfa Romeo 159 JTDm from Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager, Alfa Romeo Australia, in readiness for the start of the Italian Connection Trophy.

ITALIAN CONNECTION TROPHY 2010

March 2010 Newsletter

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

JUST 8 WEEKS TO GO!

ENTRIES CLOSE SOON

Even if you have lodged a registration of interest you MUST now complete the official entry form which you can download from the website and return to us to secure your place.

If you are joining the 2010 Italian Connection Trophy send your entry NOW!

Entry forms can be downloaded from the website or call Robert on (02) 9960 1733 and he will fax or mail it to you.

If you have registered interest previously but cannot now join us please advise so we can release your spot to others who want to join the party.

THE CITY OF MELBOURNE IS SPONSORING US!

We are delighted to report that the City of Melbourne has joined Leichhardt, Gundagai, and Alpine Shire Councils in supporting the Rally.

The City of Melbourne is providing us with the Piazza Italia on Lygon and surrounding streets as well as infrastructure support to ensure we have a great high profile arrival.

There will be a large collection of Italian Machines, Entertainment and Media to greet us on our arrival.

ANOTHER ITEM FOR AUCTION

Waterford Crystal has donated a magnificent Crystal Bowl (Value circa $600.00) to be auctioned off at the Victory Dinner. Tiina (yes that is the right spelling) Raiko one of our all women team driving for the Duchenne Foundation organised it. Good job Tiina!
This joins Peter Doig’s genuine F1 nose cone from the Footwork F.A. 13B car Derek Warwick drove in 1993.

Other items are coming in so keep them coming we will put them up on the website shortly.

NEW RALLY MERCHANDISE

We have added a very classy ICT branded sports watch to our merchandise this year.

New hats, bags and shirts will also be available.

Competitors as always will receive hats and bags free. The shirts and watches are optional.

We will send you details of these shortly and there will be a place on the website where you can order merchandise in coming weeks.

OUR CHARITY

Don’t forget this is for our charity the Duchenne Foundation.

There will be a great prize for the crew that raises the most money –

ENTRY FORMS

NOW IS THE TIME TO CONFIRM YOUR PLACE IN THE 2010 ITALIAN CONNECTION RALLY – FILL IN THE FORMS AND RETURN TODAY

Entry Payment 2010 (PDF).

There will be more news soon – drive and enjoy but stay safe.

Contacts
Robert Gunn – Event Producer – Tel: (02) 9960 1733 Fax: (02) 9960 1744
Email: Robert@italianconnection.com.au

Jeff Whitten – Clerk of Course – Tel: (03) 5722 1250
Email: jeff@rallysportmag.com.au

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that 2010 brings all the things you want, just be careful what you wish for…

No, you didn’t miss the December Newsletter – I did – We have been busy refining the Rally course and getting things into shape for this year’s Rally and December is silly season anyway.

All of you who have provided a Registration of Interest have had your place in the rally reserved to this date.

Included with this newsletter is your official Entry and Payment form to confirm your participation; you will need to complete these and return ASAP to secure your place.

As mentioned in our last communication ROI’s have us at almost capacity and I know a small group of you are intending to return this year but have still not put in your ROI. So if you are intending to re-join the ICT party you will need to jump in with your entry form now!

Click here to read the complete story.

Take twenty intrepid crews in a variety of Italian cars, add 1250 kilometres of fabulous driver’s roads between Sydney and Melbourne, throw in a few questions to ensure that everyone follows the correct route, spice the whole lot up with plenty of gourmet Italian food, wine and camaraderie, then mix in a few surprises, and you have the recipe for three days of pure enjoyment that also provides opportunities to support some very worthwhile charities. Enter the Italian Connection Trophy touring assembly which was held on the weekend of 22 – 24 May and is now set to become an annual affair, such was the success of this year’s event.

First conducted in 2008 with a small but enthusiastic entry list, the 2009 Italian Connection built on the previous year’s success. So much so that many of the original competitors came back for more, bringing with them a host of new entries keen to experience what must rate as one of the most enjoyable low-key rallies on the calendar.

With the benefit of Sydney suburb, Leichhardt supporting the event, the city’s mayor flagged competitors away at 10am on a rainy Sydney Friday, escorted on their way south by a flotilla of Italian cars, Fiats and Ferraris, Alfas and Abarths led by a Police escort and the Pace Car both brand new Fiat 500’s.

Click here to read the complete story.

Written by Jeff Whitten
Monday, 02 June 2008
Driving an Alfa Romeo, one of several in the event, Sydneysiders Lido and Sylvia Russo have taken out the inaugural Italian Connection Rally from a small but classy field.

The 3-day, 1200 kilometre event which linked the Italian precinct of Sydney (Leichardt) with its counterpart, Carlton, in Melbourne, proved to be an enjoyable rally that used some of the best roads between the two capitals.

Starting in Norton Street, Leichardt, on Friday, May 23, in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd of spectators, the event immediately headed south down the Hume Freeway to Moss Vale, the long line of classic Ferraris, Fiats and Alfa Romeos causing plenty of interest through towns en-route. Passing through Sutton Forest, Penrose and Bundanoon, the rally rejoined the freeway at Marulan, finally arriving at Goulburn, via Bungonia, for lunch.

Click here to read the complete story.