the tour alpina 2009

5th to the 11th of September 2009

The Tour Alpina offers the owners of Supercars, both classic and modern, the chance to spend six nights discovering the passes of the Swiss, Italian and French Alps as they drive across some of the most dramatic scenery in Europe, on some of the least used and most enjoyable roads.

New for 2009, the Tour Alpina started at the Luzern Palace in Luzern, Switzerland on the 5th September with teams arriving for event check in between 2pm to 4pm. Following a relaxing afternoon the teams enjoyed a welcome dinner at the Palace and had the chance to get to know one another before the cars crossed the start line on the 6th.

Teams set off on the morning of the 6th September for their first days driving across the Swiss Alps to St Moritz, where they stayed at the legendary Badrutt's Palace for two nights, one of the finest hotels in the mountains. Using Badrutt's Palace as a base, day two saw our teams heading off into the Italian Alps tackling the infamous Stelvio Pass as well as some other challenging and fun routes through the mountains before retruning for night three at Badrutt's Palace.

Day three saw us head west from St Moritz criss crossing the Swiss/Italian border down to the Alps Maritimes, before reaching Chateau St Martin, a restored Templar Castle and five star hotel in the hills above Vence where we spent the next two nights. This allowed us to access the Alpine roads that border the Cote d'Azur, and spend day four exploring the stunning landscape and winding passes and cols in that region.

On day five we left Chateau St Martin behind for another day in the Alps Maritimes before heading down into Cannes and a finishing at the world famous Majestic on the croisette. The prize giving gala dinner and party on the final night was set on the private beach in Cannes, just opposite the Majestic with dinner served on the jetty running out over the sea. The Tour Alpina finished during the Cannes Yacht show, so that we were able to spend the following day walking among the yachts and going on board one or two for a glass of champagne.