Amazing Stelvio

Amazing Stelvio and our biker friends

Fabio, Italy

MG banner Italia

Stelvio Pass

Looking beyond the Stelvio Pass Italy

Things have only got better and better with lots of great surprises in store for us in Italy. Some of the MG team, drove down to Monza Race track, and two of the MGBGT drivers, Reg and Ian M had the   good fortune to get their cars on to the track and drive them, flat out I am told, for ten minutes. Sadly, the MGA drivers were not permitted to drive the track because their cars were open top and they had no crash helmets. There was great excitement with the drive and for the two drivers it seems it will be one of the highlights of the trip.

The Italian spirit emerged with “fabulous” Fabio, the long serving” il presidente” of the MG Car Club Italia, meeting the convoy. He could not have done more for us. He drove up to Brescia from Rome with Patricia, spent two nights with the team, liaised with the Lombardi chapter of the MG Car Club and they jointly hosted us at a wonderful restaurant in the alpine region of Brescia. It was a real Italian affair. We didn’t leave our hotel until 8:45pm and we were driven by bus to a family run restaurant where they produced all the food and wine. The establishment had been owned by one family for thirty years and had very sophisticated wine and olive oil producing plant. At one o’clock in the morning we were touring the cellars. The consequence of this was four hours sleep and on the road again next morning but there’s no gain without a bit less sleep!

The food was the best Italian meal,  absolutely everything was locally made and produced and although we access all of the food in Australia it was really  something to be eating a splendid meal with our Italian friends; Bruno, Emanuella, Giuliani, Pouci, Guidolfi and the others, one of whom had driven in from Zurich to spend time with us. It was a great night full of laughter and good cheer with Fabio presenting each car team with a boxed and engraved   bottle of locally produced spumante.

The following day Fabio lead the convoy through the Italian Alps to the Swiss border. The convoy now includes Vin from the UK driving a red MGA and Lou and Mike from South Africa driving MGBGT with V8 engine which they brought from London “sight unseen”. They had very significant over heating problems on the drive through the alpine passes but with some help from Peter it seems to have been addressed.

What can I say about the magnificent drive. Apparently the Top Gear guys say the Stelvio Pass is the best drive in the world, anyway a million European bikers must think so because it was like being on the most exhilarating and spectacular bike track with bikers flashing by and speeding around hair pin bend after bend ahead of us. Not many cars here but our fantastic little convoy made it, and dare I say it little Red Car did not miss a beat. Three of the other cars in the convoy reported brake problems and one car did a lot of back firing but they all made it. As Fabio said this is one of the most unique and challenging drives in the world and if we were not part of this convoy we would never do it. Thanks a million to Dave’s vision and planning with the inclusion of these real challenges in the drive.

Every couple of days on this trip I think this is “the best ever day ever” in terms of magnificent scenery and even   when I take off “my rose coloured glasses” everything is still pink and beautiful. Planet Earth is the most incredible place and the passes in the Italian and Swiss Alps are brilliant.

We drove through the Passo del Mortivolo and the Passo del Tonale reaching a height of 2,200 metres above sea level. This is real Sound of Music country. We passed through many tunnels and tiny villages surrounded by lush green countryside with flowers in full bloom. Hydrangeas, roses, impatiens, geraniums, petunias were everywhere in gardens and window boxes; so verdant and quite unlike our sunburnt country in the height of summer.

On to the famed Stelvio Pass at 2800 metres; this pass is unbelievable with one hair pin bend after another up the mountainside. The descent down was just as exciting and good brakes are the order of the day. Up the Ofen Pass at over 2,000 metres and into Switzerland and then the Pass dal Fuela at 2,149 metres. These passes are the part of the courses for many European rally circuits. It is “hang on” to your seats and watch out for the stream of bikers who roar past and take the bends almost horizontally. Brave guys.

Once into Switzerland we were met by Dominic Clancy from the Swiss MGA Car Club and as he led us through Dorf, Klosters and Landquart to our destination at Chur. Would you believe it his MGA limped into the hotel and had to be towed away next day. On the way up the mountain to meet us, a car had rammed his car causing quite a bit of damage. He had done a main or big end bearing. Just shows how tricky driving is but undaunted Dominic determined that the next day he would take a seat in Vin’s MGA and led the convoy.

Once again the kindness of people is just astounding, they take time off work, lead the convoy, organise functions, sightseeing and do everything in their power to make our stay memorable.

Gratie and Danhe Fabio and Dominic. Your generosity and passion for your countries is infectious and it has made our stay so memorable. It was “bellissimo” and”ist mega fein gsi”

Red Car up the Stelvio Pass