Track-Masters.co.uk

Event Report

Day5 The Highest Road

Sinister scree slopes, protruding rock, barren mountains piercing through lush pine forests, shear drops and low rickety stone walls that wouldn’t stop a kamikaze gnat, are all of what were ahead of us. And this day was to be a challenging drive, but a great one filled with some incredible roads; roads leaving the warm Cote d’Azur into the French Maritime Alps.

The Col de Turini; the twists, turns and the scenery

We left Nice after an early start and headed north-west where 20 minutes later we are on our first pass with tight and rhythmic bends blending into fast sweepers running along a gorge, with the spectacular scenery and its cragged drops flashing past. This warmed us up for the most famous road on this tour; the Col de Turini. This pass is known mostly through decades of the sideways exploits of the rallying greats. It is a fantastic challenging road, and we were attacking its peak from three sides in a big loop and running the most famous part both up and down. One section - pictured above - had 34 testing hairpins, long straights and awesome views. From the middle picture, above, you can get an idea of the steepness of mountain side the road climbs, and with none, or barely any wall to stop you flying off on the many hairpins, it sure was damn exciting.....

More Col de Turini

On one of the three spurs off the peak of the Turini, was this incredible road.

This was hard work, but so, so much fun (Centre pic courtesy of Google Earth)

Then it was time for an early lunch before we headed towards Italy, after climbing over the highest road in Europe.

Evo boys, always bonnets up - Lunch, where else? At Ranch de Turini - Not a bad view from up here. Were heading that way

VIDEO from the Col de Turini. With Thanks to Mountain Monkey Productions.

After lunch we were off, heading skywards to 2802m.

Then after many miles of fantastic passes, past and through ski resorts, up and over smaller mountains, amazed at the view, lakes, and rock colours.....

On the way to the highest road, with Martin getting very excited - Mark with an enthralled but limp wrist after the Porsches heavy steering

.....we made it, to Col de la Benotte's snowy peak.

We really were on top if the world!! And boy it was chilly. Great thing was, they had literally just cleared the top, to allow us over.

VIDEO from the Col de Benotte. With Thanks to Mountain Monkey Productions.

Then it was down and down and into Italy, but not before many more passes including Col de Vars pictured below which was like something off of a lunar landscape; incredible scenery, and check out that blue sky! Amazing!

We made it to here

From up here

With just a little tyre wear along the way....