Modena Cento Ore

Having finished well up in previous years, Thomas Studer and Hektor Bertschi finally won the Modena Cento Ore in their Shelby Mustang on the seventh running of the Italian classic race and rally event.

However, the event was marred by controversy as the two fastest crews were hit by major road penalties for checking into a control early. Having been instructed to do so by a marshal, Michael Eschmann/Uwe Niermann (Porsche 911) and John Sheldon/Lesley Stevens (Lotus Elan) were understandably miffed to be dumped down the order due to a time-control issue.

The dramas began before the start of the Cento Ore when the Italian motorsport authority decreed that several cars were ineligible, including the Chevron B8 of Chris Chiles and the Lotus 30 of Howard Redhouse.

Once the event was running, the Italian-entered Porsche of Gianluca Roda/Giovanni Frigerio set the pace on the opening special stages. However, their event would end on the final day when they crashed out.

Meanwhile, through races at Mugello and Misano, Eschmann and Sheldon had gone well clear of the rest, but the controversial time penalties ruined their results.

Instead, the Studer/Bertschi Shelby GT350 took overall victory, while the Michael Cowdray/Ludovic Lindsay Jaguar E-type claimed Period E spoils.