Bizarrely, the nostalgia of recent weeks jumped up to surprise me at this week’s 72nd Italian Open in Monza.

It was the first return of the championship to the Milan Golf Club since 1990 when England’s Richard Boxall captured the event wearing a plain yellow shirt and admitting when I caught up with him on Tuesday, he had simply ran out of shirts.

Bernie 25-years ago at the presentation ceremony for the 1990 Italian Open – Black shirt and jeans.

The 1990 Italian Open had been my first but then I got a real surprise on Tuesday in asking the clubhouse if they had a shot of ‘Boxie’. as there was no pictures of him to be found anywhere on ‘Google’, and low and behold here in a photo was me standing at he presentation ceremony all of 25 years ago.

It was my second journey to Europe after taking the ‘big step’ in 1989 and also my first of now many Italian Open’s.  I think after this week I have reported on more than 20 Italian Open’s but at that ‘uncertain’ point of this new career step I was simply travelling to Europe for a few weeks each year but then a few weeks would lead to a month and as they say, the rest is fish and chip wrapping.

Bernie at the entrance to Monza Autodrome – a month after visiting Indianapolis that I had first visited in late 1979.

However while this week marked the first time in 25 years I had been to the Milan Golf Course it was the first occasion I visited the Monza Autodrome and home each year to the Italian Formula One Grand Prix.

I recall hearing the sounds of cars practicing in 1990 but on that visit I didn’t venture to the circuit.

Bernie at the wheel of Fangio’s Mercedes and a unique memorial at Monza to the three-time Italian Open winner.

But then I made up for it on this visit as you no doubt will gather.

The first Monza track was built from May to July 1922 by 3,500 workers and officially opened on 3 September 1922, with the maiden race the second Italian Grand Prix held on 10 September 1922.

Juan Fangio – five time F1 World Champion and remembered at Monza.

Monza consists of very long straights and tight chicanes, putting a premium on good braking stability and traction. The 5.793 kilometres (3.600 mi) circuit is very hard on gearboxes, with many gear changes per lap. Formula 1 engines are at full throttle for nearly 80% of the lap, with engine failures common, notably Fernando Alonso in the 2006 Italian Grand Prix.

Formula One cars are set up with one of the smallest wing angles on the F1 calendar to ensure the lowest level of drag on the straights. There are only 4 proper corners at Monza, the two Lesmos, the Ascari complex and the Parabolica, thus cars are set up for maximum performance on the straights.

A Ferrari passes under victory podium on Tuesday of Italian Open week.

Cars approach the first corner at 340 kilometres per hour (210 mph) in seventh gear, and brake at about 120 metres (390 ft) before the first chicane – the Variante del Rettifilo – entering at 86 kilometres per hour (53 mph) in first gear, and exiting at 74 kilometres per hour (46 mph) in second gear.  This is the scene of many first lap accidents. Higher kerbs were installed at the first two chicanes in 2009 to prevent cutting.

Maximum speed achieved in a 2009 Formula One car is 340 kilometres per hour (210 mph), achieved at the end of the start/finish straight. They experience a maximum ‘g-force’ of 3.80 through turn 7, the second Lesmo.

Rubens Barrichello recorded the fastest ever pole position lap at Monza in 2004 when he lapped in 1m 20.089s, 161.802 mph. But in the pre-qualifying session for the same race (which did not count for a grid position but only Q-running order), Juan Pablo Montoya lapped the track in 1m 19.525s (162.949 mph) which remains the fastest lap ever recorded in an F1 car.

The great Juan Fangio, a winner of five World F1 Championships, and along with victories in the 1953, 1954 and 1955 Italian Grand Prix, is remembered in a unique stature unveiled in 2004.

A car emerges from the Parabolica Curve as you can  see a now un-sued section of old banked circuit in far right of snap.

The road we accessed each day under the main Monza straight to the Italian Open

Map of the Monza circuit

Race car loving Steve McQueen also remember at Monza.

The last big race at Monza – the 2015 Italian Formula One Grand Prix.