This year the GP moves eastwards, on those roads that we have waited for a long time and that with stringent regulations and closures to motorized traffic on the horizon are ready to give life to one of the last opportunities to drive up these mountain roads, one after the other, in search of the perfect curve and the ultimate backdrop. We are in the Dolomites.

Words and Photos Giorgia Rossi

The sun rises early today, letting its rays enter the hotel room already at 5 in the morning. The crisp air quickly gives way to a summer temperature, result of the total lack of clouds in the blue sky above us. A few minutes for a quick breakfast useful to organize the final details with the staff and the crews registered for a new edition of the Alpine Grand Prix start to arrive, arranging an incredible variety of sports cars in the reserved area in front of the Hotel Pineta Pastry in Rocca Pietore. This year the GP moves eastwards, on those roads that we have waited for a long time and that with stringent regulations and closures to motorized traffic on the horizon are ready to give life to one of the last opportunities to drive up these mountain roads, one after the other, in search of the perfect curve and the ultimate backdrop. We are in the Dolomites.

Rightly named UNESCO World Heritage Site, the mountain range is famous throughout the world for its vegetation that suddenly becomes bare as you climb. However, the fact that it develop through several passes within a few hundred kilometers – at least the section that interests us today – allows for a greater number of high-altitude bends. You almost never go below 1,500 meters and all the roads that we are about to tackle are between 2,000 and 2,200 meters above sea level. A feast for the eyes, despite the intense traffic that attracts tourists of all kinds to this area.

The fact is that we know how to stand out in the crowd and this happens immediately when the more than 20 crews leave. The silence of the valley is thus broken by the roar of the engines, by the horses of the various Ferrari, Porsche, Maserati, Jaguar, Aston Martin and a varied representation of those objects that best embody driving pleasure, accentuated by one of the most Insta-friendly locations ever . Things immediately start to get serious, roaring up the Giau Pass, one of the most panoramic bits of the entire tour. “Il Giro delle Dolomiti” thus conquers the first pass, catching the eyes of those who left before us, reaching the foot of the spectacular Monte Ragusela. Stamp and restart pointing for Cortina, where we give way to the real reason why we are here: the roads, those marvelous asphalt serpentines that climb towards the Falzarego and Valparola Pass, where the second checkpoint and relative stamp are made.

The engines are pounding and the desire to get lost while admiring the bare rocky peaks of the mountains that surround us is only overcome by the desire to tighten the steering wheel and continue our ups and downs across the Dolomites. Gardena, Sella and then the Pordoi Pass, where due to some traffic that slowed down the schedule we decide to cut the Fedaia (although reached by the perfectionist team at the wheel of a Miami Blue 718 Cayman S) and aim for the final destination, the Hotel Lupo Bianco in Canazei, located at the foot of the Sella Pass, where we place the cars in the main car park and take seat for the welcome aperitif and lunch with typical local products.

Like bees on honey, a group of children throw themselves towards the cars with still hot tires, appreciating the immortal forms of cars that we hope will continue to make these youngsters’ passion live in the future. A new edition of the Alpine Grand Prix thus draws to a close, ticking the notch in the conquest of the most beautiful passes in the Dolomites. A ride characterized by an almost boiling hot sun, enough curves and a backdrop that makes you forget the too many cyclists. Some crews are thus rewarded, including the two who come from the furthest – over 850 km from Naples – and the first to have confirmed his registration, winning a splendid hand-made drawing of his car courtesy of the master Wallace Design. It’s hot here, but there’s also a lot of joy, happy and satisfied faces, ready to go back home, waiting for the next drive of a season of events rich as never before.