The California Mille 2011 will be held April 24-28 over 1,000 miles of Northern California’s finest back roads.
The 21st annual running of the California Mille will begin with a public preview atop San Francisco’s Nob Hill on Sunday, April 24, with some 70 historic race cars on display from 11 am to 6 pm. The following morning, the cars will depart at 8:30 AM for a four-day, 1000-mile adventure that will take them along little-known roads to time-capsule towns, challenging race tracks and a private auto collection.
The California Mille honors Italy’s famed Mille Miglia (thousand mile) race that ran from Brescia to Rome to Brescia from 1927-1957. Only cars that could have qualified for the Italian event may participate in the California tour–not a race but a demanding drive.
The public is invited to see the cars and meet the drivers on April 24, 2011 when cars from Britain, Colombia, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand and dozens of U.S. states will be displayed in front of the Fairmont Hotel on Mason Street between California and Sacramento Streets. At 2 pm, Mille organizer Martin Swig will greet auto fans with a presentation of dignitaries and a roving-microphone review of many of the cars being exhibited.
On Monday, April 25, 2011, the California Mille will exit Mason Street through a special arch, turn right onto California Street and make its way to the Golden Gate Bridge, Mt. Tamalpais, Bolinas, Olema, Petaluma entering the Infineon Raceway off Highway 37 for touring laps. The morning drive will conclude with a visit and lunch at a private collection of Mercedes-Benz considered to rival the factory’s own collection in Stuttgart, Germany. That afternoon, the Mille will cover some 50 miles of Highways 116, 121 and 29, ending the day at Solage Calistoga.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011, will see the Calfornia Mille heading to Geyserville, Lake Sonoma, Skaggs Springs Road, and Highway 1 wth a lunch stop at Little River Inn, a drive of just over 124 miles. The return trip to Solage Calistoga will take the Mille along Highway 128 toward Cloverdale, along Asti Road and the Silverado Trail.
Day Three (April 27) will highlight a drive along the Silverado Trail to Winters, Esparto, Williams and Maxwell with a lunch stop and touring laps at Thunderill Race Track . Wednesday afternoon will see the California Mille driving Highway 162, 306, Danley Road, Freshwater, Highway 20 to Middledtown, and returning to Solage Calistoga for an overnight stay.
The final day of the thousand-mile drive will see the historic racers heading for Guerneville, Cazadero, Fort Ross Road, Meyer’s Grade Road, Highway 1, Bodega Bay, Chileno Valley Road to Wilson Hill Road, Hicks Valley Road, Nicasio Valleyl Road and a lunch stop at the colorful Rancho Nicasio. The Mille’s final 62 miles will take drive toward Fairfax, onto Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, to Bolinas Road to Ridgecrest Boulevard, and Mt. Tamalpais where a commemorative photo will be taken near Pantoll Road. The Mille will then continue down toward Mill Valley (renamed Mille Valley for the day), to Highway 1, 101 North and a final banquet and awards dinner at the Lodge at Sonoma.
For more information, visit www.californiamille.com.
[Source: California Mille; photo credit: Dennis Gray]
