Murph at the Races

"If you had to sum up Giancarlo Minardi's career in a few words it would be "the persistent pursuit of passion." How can you keep going for years with no financial resources or convincing results in a sporting discipline as elitist as Formula 1 without being tempted just to let it all go ? As Giancarlo would say, "FOR THE PURE LOVE OF RACING." "

This is the opening paragraph on the team history of MINARDI in the 2 volume book The Great Encyclopedia of Formula 1 1950-2000.

One Giancarlo Minardi is worth 100 Ron Dennis's in my book.

I have had the very good luck to be involved with the Minardi Club of San Francisco the past 4 years. During that time I have had the opportunity to tour the Minardi factory at Faenza Italy, attend a banquet for Mr.Minardi at La Tana del Luppo (the gastronomical AND Spiritual Home of Minardi fans), been a guest of the Minardi team on the Thursday of Grand Prix weekends at Imola in 2005 and Indy in 2004 and 2005, and meet up with so many great people such as Mr. Minardi, Robberta, Massimo, Fabiana, and so many others. Many of those people remain at Faenza with the Scuderia Toro Rosso team and I have been able to spend time with them at Monza and Indy in 2006 and hopefully in the future as well..... The great news is that Mr. Minardi is back... with the Minardi Team racing in GP2 aligned with Piquet Sports and also in F3000. Last year the MCSF got a chance to visit the teams new digs in Veggiano and we all came home very impressed...... The REAL Minardi team is back.....

Here are allot of Minardi pics I have taken the past couple of years....

Pictures of Giancarlo Minardi with Roberta at Imola in 2005, at Minardifest 2005 at our banquet at La Tana del Luppo, with MCSF own "fearless leader"...Emmett Quigley...................

The next set of pictures are from the Minardi Club of San Francisco (MCSF) tour of the Minardi factory in Faenza.

These next set of pics are from La Tana del Luppo...... the MCSF group, Emmett "giving instructions " to Mr. Minardi and company, a pic of myself and my good friend Ger Looney with the great Minardi driver, Pierluigi Martini , a picture of Massimo Rivola with PL Martini, and a couple of pics of Massimo (now Team Manager of Scuderia Toro Rosso) with members of MCSF in 2006, and a couple or so other pics...

the last picture is neat....all the Minardi drivers who have eaten at La Tana del Luppo "sign in"....

The next sets of pics were taken at Indy during the 2003, 2004, and 2005 races.... the pics include Emmo being interviewed by Hungarian TV, a pic of Emmo and I that appeared in AUTOMOBILE Magazine in an article on Minardi, many pics of the team at work on the Thursday of race weekend, and pics of the drivers being interviewed on SPEED (Gemi and Zolt), or signing autographs (Blas), or posing for MCSF members (Albers).

The next set of pics were taken in 2005...... we got to witness as "photo shoot" for F1 Racing magazine. The first pic is of Fabiana with Matt Bishop (the editor of F1 Racing..he is in the "un-manly puffy" shirt)... the other pics show the team being set up for the pic..... when the magazine came out..the pic was of PS with the team being used as a "fuzzy" backdrop....GGGGRRRRRR

Finally racing pics !!!! Here are Minardi's in action. Pics are from Montreal in 1997, Indy, Spa, and Imola.....

and lastly......... pics of the MCSF flag taken with the team.....plus a pic (not taken by me but by Dennis Vogel) of the team on the fence at Indy cheering Zolt's earning a point in 2004, THE LAST point scored by a Minardi at Indy in 2005 when Patrick Friesacher came in 6th and scored 3 points during the Michelin boycott....... and the nosecone from 2004.........

FORZA MINARDI.......... FORZA FAENZA.............

FORZA THE FIGHTING FAENZA SPIRIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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