SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 7, 2026 – Alfa Romeo handed the keys to 200 journalists from 15 markets and turned them loose on the Varano de' Melegari circuit, with the whole range on hand: the compact Junior, the Tonale, the Giulia and Stelvio, and the high-performance Quadrifoglio super sports cars. The event, called the Alfa Romeo Driving Academy and powered by Scuderia de Adamich, was built for the European press, but the real news is what comes next. In the coming months the brand plans to open two track programs to actual buyers, from an exclusive day reserved for Quadrifoglio owners to discounted sessions for anyone purchasing a new Alfa Romeo. The pitch is simple: you do not really know one of these cars until you have driven it hard.
What The Day Actually Looked Like
The course ran in four parts, and none of it was about just stamping the throttle. Participants started with something unglamorous but important, setting the driving position correctly. From there came laps with professional instructors riding along, dynamic testing of the new Tonale, and finally telemetry analysis at the wheel of the Giulia Quadrifoglio.
That last piece is the interesting one. The cars talk to the pits through a system tracking throttle, steering, brakes and speed, then software scores each driver against the instructor's lap. Alfa Romeo even gives the result a name, the Driving Quality Coefficient. The whole structure is built to turn raw speed into control, and lap times into something closer to skill.
The CEO's Case For Feeling, Not Just Numbers
Alfa Romeo CEO Santo Ficili framed the academy as proof that driving pleasure still defines the brand, and pointed to the international press turnout as confirmation. He talked about the human-machine dialogue as the thing that has kept the Biscione's heart beating for more than a century, since 1910.
"Our cars are made to be driven and to inspire real emotions in those who sit behind the wheel."
Sofia Spanou de Adamich, who heads Scuderia de Adamich, struck a similar note, saying she was glad to host such a large international delegation and pointing to the roughly 35 years her outfit has spent in the business as the base for where it wants to go next.
How You Get On Track Too
This is where the event stops being a press junket and starts mattering to buyers. Two programs are coming.
- The Quadrifoglio Driving Experience is reserved for people buying a new Giulia Quadrifoglio or Stelvio Quadrifoglio. A day at Varano is included in the car's price, with academy instructors, the two Quadrifoglio models in the spotlight and a single timed run handed to the Tonale.
- The second deal is open to all new Alfa Romeo customers. Buy any model and you get favorable terms on the Advanced Driving experience at Varano. Booking runs through a voucher: email the dedicated address with your car's license plate and the team helps you pick a date.
The Advanced Driving Course keeps the safe-driving fundamentals but adds rankings, prizes and the chance to drive serious performance machinery. There is a low-speed skid exercise to teach car control, braking modulation work, a wet GT Track with low-grip patches to lean on the active safety systems, and a timed contest with telemetry. The day finishes with test drives in the Giulia Quadrifoglio and the Alfa Romeo 4C, the stripped-back sports car that tips the scales under 900 kg dry.
Quick Questions, Quick Answers
Q: Where does this all happen? A: At the Varano de' Melegari circuit in Italy, the home of Scuderia de Adamich.
Q: Do I have to buy a Quadrifoglio to take part? A: No. The day on track included in the price is for new Quadrifoglio buyers, but any new Alfa Romeo customer gets discounted access to the Advanced Driving experience.
Q: Is this a race? A: Not really. It is a structured course with instructors, contests and telemetry scoring, aimed at control and awareness rather than wheel-to-wheel racing.
Why it matters: plenty of brands talk about driving emotion in their ads. Alfa Romeo is trying to let buyers feel it in person, which is a harder and more convincing argument than any brochure. Worth watching whether rivals answer with track time of their own.
Find the full line-up and details on the official site here: Alfa Romeo.