Thirty years for a classic car event are a lot. It takes great passion and commitment to organise an event year after year. In those thirty years, there has been a generational shift. Tastes and interests have changed, and the cars that were at the peak of their popularity are now perhaps sitting unused in garages. Organisers went from turning down a participant with a Lancia S4 because it was too young, to inventing the “Rallyssime” category honouring these cars that are now in vogue.

This year the organisers of the Vernasca Silver Flag have chosen a theme that they believe will never go out of fashion due to the many stories that are related to it.

Photo Brian Snelson

Alitalia, Martini, Gold Leaf, Gulf, Marlboro, and many others, are very different industrial brands and yet they have in common one thing that racing fans know very well – they were, or are, brands that at a certain point in their industrial history, decided to rely on motor racing to make themselves known to the general public.

After the first timid appearances at the end of the 1950s, by the end of the ‘60s the sponsors had entered the racing scene in force and it was the genius of Colin Chapman who opened the way for them in F1 by presenting the legendary Lotus 49 with the red, white and gold livery of Imperial Tobacco’s Gold Leaf brand for Graham Hill and teammates at the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix that caused such a stir.

From that day on, in F1, in endurance racing, in rallies, great brands made their appearances on the tracks, inventing liveries so legendary that it is now difficult to separate them from the cars they adorned. Lancia Stratos-Alitalia, Gulf-Ford GT40, Mc Laren- Marlboro, Martini-Porsche 917, Lancia Delta-Martini. It is to this colourful explosion that the Vernasca Silver Flag wants to pay homage with the theme of its the 30th edition in 2026.

The Vernasca Silver Flag commemorates the races that took place there until the early ‘70s and is now run over an 8.5km course

from medieval Castell’Arquato in Emilia Romagna to Vernasca 290 metres further up the hill. The popular event, known for its warm welcome, hospitality and friendly ambiance, attracts enthusiasts from all over Europe. Dates are 19-21 June. Entries are open at www.vernascasilverflag.it.