by John Manzi

Monticello, NY — Look out Italy, the Americans are coming. A contingent of American amateur drivers, that is.

Amateur racing is coming out of the shadows and now is an integral part of the harness racing scene, not only in the United States but in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, too. International driving competitions among the sportsmen are growing exponentially.

Recently the Florida Amateur Club hosted an international driving competition and as a result of those races earlier this year at Pompano Park an invitation was extended to a group of American amateurs to compete against their Italian counterparts in Naples, Italy, on April 29, 30 and May 1.

“Pierre Luigi D’Angelo, the owner of Angano, the racetrack in Naples, extended the invitation during the Isle of Capri International (amateur) Championship at Pompano,” noted “Joltin Joe” Pennacchio, who has known D’Angelo for many years and has previously driven at Angano. “He (D’Angelo) said we should get a team of five drivers to compete against our (Italian) amateurs in a Friendship Competition on the weekend of April 29, 30 and May 1. D’Angelo told me that those dates hinge around Italy’s greatest race, the $600,000 Gran Premio Lotteria, which will be contested on May 1. He promised us (the U. S. amateurs) that we will have one race on the card that day when the attending crowds will be monstrous.”

In all, the Friendship Competition will include four races with two contests on Friday (April 29) and one on Saturday (April 30).

Even with a short advance notice, Pennacchio, a longtime sportsman and avid amateur reinsman, searched for available drivers and has come up with a very respectful team. Joining “Joltin Joe” will be Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford, Dein “the Dream” Spriggs, Mike “the Mortgage Man” Mitchell and “Hurricane Hannah” Miller, all members of the CKG Billings Series as well as members of other amateur driving clubs.

For the record, Oldford (2013) and Miller (2015) are previous U.S. National Amateur Driver of the Year Award winners while Spriggs is a two-time recipient (2004 and 2005).

The members of the American team will wing their way to Italy early this week and prior to the competition they will be hosted and shown the wonders and the history of Naples and the surrounding area.

“We’re very excited about the upcoming Friendship Competition and a chance to enjoy greater Naples,” said Steve Oldford, who has driven winners in previous European amateur competitions. “And maybe, just maybe, we, our team, will be able to win a race or two.”

Oldford promises to relay the happenings and the daily race results during the Friendship Competition.