There's a roar that never fades, even after decades. It's the one that echoes through the mountains and the waters of Lake Ceresio, where motorsport has left deep traces in the collective memory. Campione d'Italia has decided to tell this story in a different way, not with exhaust fumes or speed, but through art, modeling, and memories cherished over time.
Thursday 22nd August, in the bright setting of the Don Sandro Vitalini Civic Gallery, the exhibition was inaugurated Champion on the Track, a journey between emotion and memory that will remain open until September 15th. The initiative is part of the program of Historical Reenactment of the Campione Circuit, scheduled from 4 to 7 September, and represents the cultural heart of an event that unites sport, identity and territory.
An event that has the flavour of a meeting
Over one hundred guests attended the opening, an evening that brought together enthusiasts, institutions, and the merely curious. Among those in attendance was the city councilor Paolo Bortoluzzi, the general manager of the Casino Stefano Silvestri and, on the Ticino side, Fabio Schnellmann, President of the Grand Council. Not a formal evening, but a moment of true sharing: "People didn't want to leave," said the co-curator. Ermanno De Angelis – and this is precisely the sign of success. More than the objects or cars on display, it's the smiles and connections that make an event memorable. Historic motoring is also about community.
Art, engines and memory in dialogue
The exhibition is a mosaic of historic photographs, paintings inspired by the world of racing, collectible models, and memorabilia. The exhibition, curated by Pascal Tichit, Ermanno De Angelis, and Nunzia Del Gaudio, restores the roaring soul of the circuit, in balance between aesthetics and historical documentation.
Particular emphasis was given to the works of Enrique Napp, which paid homage to the legendary Mercedes of 1955, the year in which Juan Manuel Fangio e Stirling Moss wrote indelible pages in the history of racing. Alongside him, the contributions of Tiziano Merzari, custodian of original photographs and documents of the 1937 edition, of Jim Moser, who made available memorabilia from the Silvio Moser collection in Lugano, and from the family Censes, linked for generations to motoring and the Swiss Touring Club.
A bridge between past and future
"Champion on the Track" is not only a tribute to a glorious era, but also a bridge to what's to come. Every helmet, every document, every model on display speaks to the future of the reenactment, ready to rev up its engines in September. It's a way of saying that history is never dust, but fuel that ignites new passions.
The exhibition, organized by Automobile Circle of Champion e Campione Circuit, will remain open until September 15th with the following hours:
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Friday: 16:00 - 20:00
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Saturday and Sunday: 14am – 00pm
A special thanks was also extended to those who supported the event from a food and wine point of view, such as AFM Banqueting and the cellar Il Cavaliere, a testament to a bond that unites motors, conviviality and territory.
To learn more
The complete program of the Historical Reenactment and details on the collateral events are available on the official website: www.circuitocampione.com.
“Campione in pista” is much more than an exhibition: it is a declaration of love for memory, beauty, and speed, an invitation to never forget that the roar of engines can be music, and art, the most authentic form to pass it on.
