I wrote recently of my visit to the Alfa
Romeo test track at Balocco, but I was reminded of what preceded the visit,
and that was a press conference at Alfa Romeo HQ at Arese, north of Milan.
Our host, Dottore Silvano Tagini, Managing
Director of Alfa Romeo Australia had arranged for the journalists travelling
with our group to meet the then President of Alfa Romeo SpA, Dottore Gaetano
Cortese.
He was your typical urbane, charming Italian, with perfect manners and composure, especially in light of the
usually-aggressive questioning from the Australian journalists.
However, I asked him about Alfa Romeo in
motor sport and he turned towards me, with a glint in his eyes and an obvious
affinity for the subject.
“Today, you will see the Tipo 33 at
Balocco, and you will see why we invest in motor racing. It is the pinnacle of
vehicle development and a chance for our young engineers to learn very quickly
in a high pressure environment. I think overall, that motor sport is more than
just winning races. It helps everyone in the company learn important lessons.”
Sr. Cortese was, at that time not only MD
of Alfa Romeo, but also an integral part of the senior management of IRI, the government-run corporation which
managed all of the Italian government’s industrial operations, including Alfa
Romeo, Alitalia and the Alitalia Hotels Group.
Dr. Cortese (L) at the launch of the Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione in Amsterdam |
Recently, he served as Italy’s Ambassador
to the Netherlands, and is a highly-respected member of Italian industrial society.
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