::: - Vanillah - de.bug / 2015.10.03 - :::

The Italian weekly news magazine AutoSprint in parthership with Freem, has launched a design contest of the official event t-shirt. At first glance, I would propose a "clipping" of my 2013 paint [ here ], with the Toivonen/Cresto S4 and the Bettega/Perissinot 037 immagine competing together on the cruelty common destiny, same brand, same race number, same team livery and same race: the Tour de Corse after one year of each other.
No, it seemed tacky. So I opted for a vector digitalization from an that I always liked: Toivonen committed to the 1986 Rally Costa Smeralda.
The last Henri's victory, the last triumph before Corsica drama.
The car view is 3/4 back, it is going away. Deliberately ignoring versions Jolly-Totip, Grifone-Esso or various ART-Alessandrini, the Marlboro one for Gustavo Trelles and all others, my choice was limited solely on the most representative Martini Racing, "the official" one and that's it. As mentioned, all translated into vector: zero shades, zero compromise ... just like the real S4. I left number #1 but I removed all race plaques. The final treat, suggested by my past co-driver adventure, was the background fill with a series of rally notes containing the 200 S4 30 sequence.

200 as the limited Lancia Delta S4 street cars legal made to obtain approval homologation in group B, S4 understand why, 30 for thirty years. My work liked and was chosen among hundreds of proposal submitted.

This award obviously was very pleased to me, but the greatest prize was yet to come ...

Interviewed by Guido Schittone were present Miki Biasion, who with the S4 took his first WRC victory in 1986 Rally Argentina, and then the "real" 1986 World Rally Champions: Makku Alén and Ikka Kivimäki who saws snatch the title after 15 days from conquest to a FISA about-face then led by Jean-Marie Balestre, benefit Peugeot and Juha Kankunnen. And then, the 1986 European Rally Champion Fabrizio Tabaton and the 1986 Italian Rally Champion Dario Cerrato with his co-driver Gepi Cerri, of course all on Lancia Delta S4. And Gigi Pirollo, the Martini Racing driver in some WRC rally Mikael Eriksson, Kalle Grundel, the "Delta S4 rookie" at Rallylegend Armin Schwarz, Jorge Del Buono and Gustavo Trelles, three times Spanish Gravel Rally Champion, two of these with a Delta S4 (in Spain, the S4 competed with national approval even after 1986)

So, I said "the greatest prize" for me ...

Middle of the table the two architects of the "038" project, the Delta S4: the two engineers Vittorio Roberti and Claudio Lombardi. At the end of the conference all drivers and co-drivers disappeared quickly to prepare for the start of second rally day. But while I was rewarded by Freem and AutoSprint own engineer Claudio Lombardi turned around to photograph with his smartphone my t-shirt. That gesture has opened my heart, catapulting myself in early days when thanks to AutoSprint (but also TuttoRally and RallyReport) followed "by far" the exploits of winning team Lancia Martini.

Lombardi explained that he liked a lot my t-shirt, coming to thank me 'cause he said I was caught with my design really the soul of the car.

I told him and I thanked for his valuable compliment, but in turn thanked him further because, in fact, the S4 had "designed" them thirty years ago. I am limited to draw it ...

So, the gift of #001 print to Ing. Lombardi, his words and this latest photo represent for me the greatest prize.

A strong incentive to continue trying to improve.

Always.