1000 Miglia & Roarington: Only Magical Moments

The anticipation of an extraordinary event is a beautiful thing in itself. Even before anything has happened, the preparation, the encounters, the experiences of the hours or days that precede it are moments worth holding on to.

The Sunday and Monday before the start are doubly special: every competitor must present their accepted entry in the vast scrutineering hall inside the Brixia Forum, Brescia's major exhibition centre. Adding further weight to those days is the knowledge that every car admitted to the 1000 Miglia must pre-date 1958, and must be a model that genuinely competed in the original race.

The technical scrutineering inside Brescia's Brixia Forum, held before the 1000 Miglia start, is a moment of its own — marked by the application of race numbers to each car.

The process is rigorous. It includes the application of race numbers and the compliance seal that declares each car fit and, consequently, admitted to the start. The spectacle is remarkable: cars in immaculate preparation, pre-war and post-war alike, of every type and marque. It comes as no surprise to find a Fiat Topolino or a Renault 4CV alongside the Mercedes 300 SL W192 that won the Carrera Panamericana in 1952, or to discover a BMW 328 and a rather less celebrated Bristol sharing a row with magnificent, strictly red Ferrari and Maserati sports cars. This, in truth, is what makes the 1000 Miglia what it is: whatever the car, the challenge is the same, the special stages are the same, and so is the classification.

The magnificent Mercedes 300 SL W192, winner of the 1952 Carrera Panamericana, on the start line of the 1000 Miglia 2026 with Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, at the wheel.

Keeping to the required times demands skill. A skill that becomes critical when passing time controls accurate to the hundredth of a second — sometimes three or four consecutive passages, each at a different average speed. To help competitors train for these classification-defining tests, Roarington, Official Digital Partner of 1000 Miglia, made two simulators available, programmed specifically for that challenge. The attention to detail was worthy of the occasion: the same language, the same graphics as the authentic race road book. For some, it was a useful way to sharpen instincts; for those experiencing the race for the first time, it was a genuine opportunity — returned to more than once — to feel prepared before the flag dropped. One simulator in the Roarington hospitality, one in that of Mercedes-Benz: both played a central role in the build-up.

The Roarington hospitality, Official Digital Partner of 1000 Miglia, with the Elio Z driving simulator designed by Zagato and the Porsche 550 Spyder.

The hours before the start are not confined to the scrutineering hall and its partner exhibitions. The pause in Piazza delle Vittorie, where competitors step into a crowd that presses close on all sides, is a moment of its own. The 1000 Miglia draws people in precisely because it allows those who take part to experience something of what the original race once felt like.

That is what makes the 1000 Miglia singular, and that is why Roarington works to bring it to a wider audience — using new technologies to ensure it is known and understood across the world.

Worth noting, for those wishing to experience the 1000 Miglia virtually: Roarington's simulators operate daily at the Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile in Turin, the MAUTO, which has become a Training Hub where visitors can test themselves against the demanding special stages of the Corsa più Bella del Mondo. Race results follow next week.

Roarington gave competitors and visitors the opportunity to experience the race virtually through the 1000 Miglia Digital Experience, which allows training on regularity tests as race preparation.