A Legend’s Secret

Already on the second day of the race, we’re salivating at the sight of legendary cars, the likes of the Mercedes-Benz SSK S06 II, W180, and a whole array of Gullwing 300SLs. But this year, our aim is to peek into the magic beneath the tarmac that makes this race through Italy such a spectacular event. Even as we bolt forward, I recount on our earlier hours in Ferrara, the first scheduled stop of the Mille Miglia.

The Mightly Mechanics

As early as 6:00 am, Chief Mercedes-Benz Mechanic Michael Plag is calm and resolute despite hours of solid work through the night. Thanks to his direction and his crew’s expertise, the historic cars are lined up against the centuries-old brick of Castello Estense’s moat walls and the mechanics stand at attention with arms crossed, expertly gauging the sound of engine blasts. They dart in to make adjustments where needed.

A final tune up for the drizzly morning is on the 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL W194 driven by Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber (Board of Management of Daimler AG) and Dr. Jürgen M. Geissinger (Chairman of the Board of Management, Schaeffler AG). Inching closer to peer, the mechanics’ banter is devoid of any panic and jokes are shot back and forth under the lifted bonnet. Guarded by the confidence of Plag and his team, the drivers rumble off with determination into the grim rain.

Their sights are set on San Marino, a steep climb 765 metres up from sea level. Nonetheless the mechanics’ handiwork is up to the task and the cars have hardly any issues, gliding onto the green carpet where we await with espressos and foamy cappuccinos in hand. Energies temporarily restored, we descend down, cross il Rubicone, and lunge through motorway traffic chasing down the Mercedes-Benz Viano Personal Hosting vans with a different aspect of the race to tell.

A Streamlined Crew

With the grey slowly relinquishing to blue heavens, we catch up just in time to join for a motorway break where the boys pop open the boot of the vans to boast their stockpile of Red Bull cans. Still, it’s “only espresso for now; because when we get tired, that’s when we get to the hard stuff!” And tired would be an understatement of what they endure. Alexander Zagon in charge, explains that the 36 members of their Assistance Crew has been sectioned off into six subgroups: Flag Team, Personal Hosting, Hotel Reception, Luggage Transport, Media Transport, and Security Drivers. And these are the men and women that bleed exhaustion to keep chaos at bay during the Mille Miglia.

The Luggage Transport crew, for example, pick up and deliver driver and staff bags from one hotel room to the next. As inconsequential as it may seem, this level of detailed attention relieve drivers from added stress when already delirious from the day’s stretch. As if to underscore the team’s machine-line operation, our early arrival in Rome is to the sight of a bustling army prepping the hotel for the arrival of the racers. Ulf Hässler overseeing this action, offer that they additionally serve as an “info desk,” open twenty-four hours. He himself will stay on call until 4 a.m. when he’ll be replaced by a team member. Buona fortuna!

Meanwhile, the bandeline or the Flag Team is comprised of eight ladies in brand grey uniforms, tartan arm patches and navy caps. They’ve figuratively been paving the racing tracks of the Mille Miglia. Elena Bieder and Alexandra Kiener amongst them, boast that with over 60,000 flags given out so far, they’ve earned high praise and respect from competing car teams, usually disdainful of their rivals. Running on a mere few hours of rest per night – a tough call between a bath or stealing every second of sleep – they travel hours ahead of the race, handing out flags to waiting bystanders or planting them alongside the route as indicators for drivers. “With people asking for flags, a change of hotels every night, and luggage delivered directly into our rooms,” fellow teamster Stefanie Klaeser beams with sparkling eyes “we feel like rock stars!”

The Chase is On

For the final stretch back from Rome to Brescia, endurance is key even as Tuscany dignifies the Mille Miglia with her complete glory. During the month of May, this landscape bursts into life – rolling hills cloaked in vibrant greens, fields of golden wheat, and poppies and wildflowers splash vivid colour into the terroir. Ancient villages and cypress trees punctuate this tapestry, but brief glimpses are all we can afford with eyes aimed straight ahead. For our Media Driver Philipp Gelse in charge of getting the photo-video media team (myself included) into key locations on time, small but constant doses of doppio espresso keep him on constant alert.  

With him behind the wheel, we bolt out of Sienna and into the hills of Tuscany tailing Jochen Mass (Former Formula One, German Sports Car and Le Mans driver) and Karl Wendlinger (Sauber Mercedes Formula One driver) in their Mercedes-Benz W06 SS. The camera is rolling and twenty-five year old Gelse, is hard pressed to keep up with Mass’s fifty years of ruthless racing expertise and fluid driving instincts, but we manage to keep the gleaming cherry-red beauty in sight.

The Aftermath

Before long, Scottish driver David Coulthard (13-time Formula One Grand Prix winner and Mercedes DTM racer) driving with Thomas Rommerskirchen (Publisher of Medienfachverlag Rommerskirchen) in the 300SLR W196S takes to the finish ramp. Despite clutch problems weaving through a pedestrian flood earlier in Sienna, Coulthard along with all competing drivers, are looking massively pleased at the prospect of a hot shower and a celebratory drink.

However, not all ends at the Viale Venezia finale. Support drivers, including Philipp Frohwein here at his first Mille Miglia experience, sit tight behind the wheels of their cars. They wait for radio-wielding team members to signal the arrival of the racers. Rest is still an eternity away for these boys guiding the competing cars off the finish ramp, through Brescia and to the final parking position. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, the fatigue that Frohwein must be feeling is supplanted by an ecstatic grin and his youthful laughter.

“The Legend Passes Through Here”

 Mille Miglia is indeed a test of one’s endurance and stamina - three sleepless days of driving “la corsa piu bella del mondo,” a strain on anyone’s nerves despite the description. With such an experience, it’s no wonder that some cities proudly fly banners with the words La laggenda passa di qui  (the legend passes through here), their citizens pouring out of houses and cafes in sunshine and rain, to cheer on the racing fleet with flags and handkerchieves, waves, whistles and smiles.

Legends though, are hardly built on empty air. Against the odds – weather, work, and the limitations of human energy – the men and women that normally go unnoticed, put up an equal and parallel fight alongside the celebrities and stars of this piece of Italian history. While the tale of these mechanics and the entirety of the support and assistance crew may not be the saga of the elite racers in their cars, they’re the structure that the proud legend of the Mille Miglia stands upon. Bravo!

Exclusive for Mercedes-Benz | 2013