Bernina Gran Turismo: in awe of the mountain

There are better places to be on a Sunday morning, then standing in the cold at the top of the Bernina Pass in Switzerland. That is until dozens of engines brutally interrupt the peace and quiet. Welcome to Bernina Gran Turismo.

Sitting at 2327 metres (7638 ft) above sea level, the sun breaches the clouds on the Bernina Pass, for one brief moment. No matter the cold at 8 AM on a Sunday morning, this is the moment everyone has been waiting for. One by one, the engines burst into life. A rough sound fills the air, as the carburettors grapple with the conditions, struggling to feed enough oxygen into all cylinders.

Foggy

It’s a raw-sounding bunch that makes its way down into the Engadin valley, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Here, at the La Rösa postal station, this eclectic convoy turns around, blipping the throttle. Getting ready to tackle the 50 curves that separate them from the top of the Bernina Pass once more. Only now, they go up one by one, picking a fight with the chronometer… and the weather conditions. This is high up in the Alps. In the valley, the sun may be out, but as competitors turn around, the fog rolls right back in.

I still have to drive it home

Rick Pearson

As if the course in itself wasn’t challenging enough. “Couldn’t see if the road went left or right,” Rick Pearson (Alfa Romeo Giulia GT Veloce) says at the finish. Having enjoyed four perfect runs on Saturday already, all participants take a cautious approach. “I still have to drive this car home,” Pearson says.

Porsche 908-3

This year’s Bernina program – part of the International St Moritzer Automobile Week – saw a quality field of race cars and classic cars line up on the Hauptstrasse 29, ready for a 5.7-kilometre run, covering 450 metres of altitude. The perfect place to see a Porsche 908-3 in action. The car in question belongs to German racer/collector Ernst Schuster, but is driven here by his nephew Chris Rendlen. “I drove the car here in 2016 as well.” It’s easily the fastest car out here today, but Rendlen keeps a safety margin. “The 908 is very easy to drive, but it is understeering quite a bit.” Here is a video of Rendlen’s drive.

Octane junkie

The Bernina Gran Turismo remains a connoisseur’s event. But with cars like this, and a Nissan Skyline R32, a Ford RS200, a Ferrari 458 Challenge (courtesy of the BI Collection) and a newly-restored Lotus XI (David Martin’s entry for this year’s Bernina), a Ford Galaxie and others to see (and hear), Bernina was once more an easy fix for the octane junkie.