ALPINE GRAND PRIX – End Of The Season

21 October 2017 Redazione Events, News, Stories

ALPINE GRAND PRIX

END OF THE SEASON

Words: Alessandro Marrone

Photography: Nazareno Distefano

The Road.

For about a century manking has succeeded in one of the biggest conquest in history: to fly. Ask anyone who has been lucky enough to be hundreds of feet from the ground on a small airplane, or who has even had the courage to jump with a parachute, a hang glider, or similar stuff and you will always get the same answer – an excited story that manages to convey the same emotions that have been felt in the descent. The same void that penetrates your stomach and turns you upside down, changing the perception of time, space, and creating a true addiction for these adrenaline shocks. The same situation that a proper driving nut can feel at the wheel of a sports car, bouncing the loud music of several horsepower on the walls of a few mountain passes. In those still uncontaminated places where the only thing you ask to mother nature is the opportunity to ride roads that seem to be specially designed to excite driving pleasure and certainly not to connect one town to the other. Taking moments of pure life and leaving only some sign on the ground, some rude track of tire that acts as a signature, almost as wanting to formalize the passage of a group of crazy petrolheads, exactly where and how no one would ever have expected to do on some of the best Alpine roads out there. The Alpine Grand Prix is ​​a brand new event in the Auto Class Magazine calendar, but although the recipe may sound similar to other events where we bring a small number of drivers on the most beautiful roads in Europe, this first edition is the launch of a new format that will continue next year and the following one too, offering participants an itinerary divided into three different appointments and guaranteeing unmatched experience at the wheel.

The Drive.

Approximately twenty between sports cars and supercars gather in Courmayeur for accreditations and departure, accompanied by some timid snowflakes coming down the sky, which caused a bit of concern. But it was only about time, starting the engines and warming the tires along the first hairpins leading up to the Col du Petit S. Bernard that everything changed: a clear blue sky hosted a strong sun that allowed the obvious photo breaks at each checkpoint, first in the land of the St. Bernard dogs (which we only saw as toy puppies), then in the silent Val d’Isère – still in hibernation, waiting for a temperature drop down. Main ingredient has been a spectacular show with curves of all kinds and faced with the right foot on the floor, admiring Porsches (GT3 RS, GT3, Carrera and Boxster) widening the rear to the limit, not forgetting the two crazy fast riding a 458 Speciale and a Nissan GT-R, constantly pushing the less powerful but extremely agile Lotus Exige Sport 350, entrusted to us by the main partner Gino Luxury & Motorsport, which led the convoy and directed the rhythms for the maddest gang blasting the mountains. Following the unmistakable Delta Integrale, Abarth 124 Spider, AMG GLA45, the two last generation Mazda MX-5, Toyota GT86, an immaculate Celica GT Four and the two most daring teams represented by a Porsche 944 and a Corvette C3. Yes, your read that right, a C3 between the stiff bends of the Col de l’Iseran.

Just what is considered to be the highest mountain pass in Europe (along with the Col de la Bonette), has swung all the cars at 2,794 meters above sea level, offering an unmatched spectacle with a seemingly infinite cliff on one side and the first sprinkling of snow on road sides. It was not a good reason to slow down the pace and after a panoramic break on top of Europe, the crews came back at the wheel, heading towards Bonneval-sur-Arc and then pointing the Mont-Cenis. The last stretch, certainly the wider and faster one, was not just a slalom between some squirrels (no animal was injured during the tour) but a genuine front crash against the laws of physics, using every inch of the road and every inch of courage still available after the many miles driven.

The End Of The Season.

And beyond the last fateful curves the contour of the Mont-Cenis lake begins to emerge: a vivid blue that seems to be merged with the sky above it, breaking only by the green valley, still with herds of grazing cows . The throttle comes off the floor and the engine revs decrease – at the very moment when you realize that this event has almost come to an end, you can’t help but think that even the season is, in a certain sense, slow lowering the curtain. In short, almost all Alpine passes will be closed for snow or dangerous conditions and we will have to settle the wheels elsewhere, waiting for spring to bring along numerous new adventures along. We could not have asked for a better conclusion because the ideal recipe would have been pictured like this day, made up of beautiful people, beautiful cars and some of the most exciting roads you can find on the planet. At lunch, stealing a few words here and there and you notice the satisfaction in the eyes and on the faces of the participants – tested by 130km of driving under maximum focus, but happy to have added another medal at their chest. And if the season ends, be aware that we are already working on an even more explosive 2018, and of course we are waiting for you to open the dances with us, to raise the curtain and be protagonists of this fantastic spectacle that we will never let it ends.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL GALLERY