Several decades ago my "bible" as a neophtye sports car competitor was a book on racing techniques by Pierro Taruffi, a handsome, silver-haired gentleman who'd made his name in international Grand Prix and endurance competition. My first attempt at using Taruffi's advice ended in near-disaster. A friend had loaned his 30's Buick coupe to me and buddy Ron Gee, and I was showing off my newly-learned 4-wheel-drifting skills on a dirt track. But this was not a real Race track. It was an oval-shaped access road behind what in those politically-incorrect days was referred to as an "insane asylum." Unfortunately a minimum security inmate had been let out for his daily walk. Oblivious to the noise and scattering dust, he strolled onto the track directly in front of our drifting Buick. With the quick reflexes that only the young can muster I steered onto the grass. The car's wheels dug in and over we went, landing on our side. Neither Ron nor I were hurt, the inmate kept walking as if nothing had happened, and with the help of some bystanders we rolled the Buick back on its wheels for a fast escape before the police could arrive.

I was reminded of this by an article in Classic Driver entitled "Taruffi's Daughter Drives in the Mille Miglia." Prisca Taruffi will drive her father's actual Mille Miglia-winning car - a Ferrari 315 S - in the Mille Miglia retrospective, a retro-rallye celebrating the 80th birthday of the 1000 mile Brescia-Rome-Brescia race. The car is owned by American collector John McCaw, who will be Prisca's co-driver, and support is being provided by Ferrari Classiche, the Ferrari division that caters to owners of classic models. Quoted in Classic Driver, Prisca commented, "to drive the same car my father drove 50 years ago is a dream come true. It is something I have hoped to do ever since I started racing. To experience the same sensations behind the wheel of the 315 S as he did is a unique opportunity." This is a lovely story, which you can follow on the Classic Driver site. As for me, I'm stunned to learn that Taruffi had a daughter still young enough to participate and while an insane asylum might have been appropriate for me in those early days, his instructions paid off when I finally drove on a real race circuit. Oh... and I hate to think what that battered Buick coupe would be worth today.