Although John Calabrese won a race for the North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA), it was the Italians who walked away with the trophy.
John Calabrese kept the ball rolling with a win at Cesena. For sure for the affable Calabrese it was his first on the soil of his ancestors. This win, coupled with his smile, brought him many female admirers, especially when they somehow heard that he owned five racetracks in the USA.
In the next event though, the Italians scored a 1-4 placing over a really slow half pulled off by an Italian wall built up front mirroring those built in ancient times. They could have waited no longer to spoil their fun but took the cruelest path to deflate the American plans for a victory party. It did not matter though because the Americans were treated so royally well that if they had been beaten by 100 instead of by a mere six points.
Truthfully, the Americans were the big winners. With the care they received from their hosts and friends, Stefano, Rafaello, Roberto Piergiovanni, and Daniele Ortello from amateur clubs from Venezia, Tuscano and Emiglia Romano (Cesena), they certainly came out on top.
Two more days until home for the USA team and all the baggage will be jam packed and brimming over with fond memories of the good times and their friends, both old and new.
Coming next on the NAADA schedule will be friends from Torino arriving on U.S. soil in August. Their mission to compete and win some amateur races and see the famed Hambletonian.
As Danile Orsini said, "We need to keep ties between our countries, as Italy and America have a lot in common, like between Phillip Mazzei and Thomas Jefferson. We must keep the game going at home and with our old Italian friends abroad."
(With files from NAADA)