The Racing Line Through the Alps

We wait with bated breath on Stelvio Pass, the highest of all the paved mountain passes in Italy. At an elevation of just over 3,000 meters, the air is thin and the mounting clouds make the scenery all the more mystical. The camera is angled downward at the road we just ascended in our Cayenne GTS Coupé – Passo dello Stelvio, as it’s called in Italian. And then we hear the sound in the valley we’ve eagerly awaited – hot boxer engines – followed by a welcome sight: a colorful Porsche procession climbing the slope with its 48 hairpin curves. And just at that moment, the golden light of the sun shines through. Light-yellow, python-green, and signal-red sports cars dot the mountain panorama like little splashes of color. The Porsche Passion Drive is in full swing.

At exactly 8:15 p.m. the day before, Hurui Issak, project leader for Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, speaks on the roof terrace of the Schwan Locke hotel in Munich. It’s prime time and temperatures continue to hover around 25 degrees Celsius. “We know each other from the racecourse,” says Issak, beaming with delight at the audience. “But there, our interaction is often hectic and dominated by fast lap times. Now it’s time to spend a few unforgettable days together. This time the drive is the goal.” The participants of the first Passion Drive are standing around, all of them familiar faces from the Porsche Sports Cup Germany and Carrera Cup Germany who have found their way here for a drive through the Alps. They and their companions have driven up in their private Porsche, including a G series (built in 1980), a Boxster (type 986, built in 2003), and a modern 911 Turbo S Cabriolet (type 992). The destination is the next Porsche Carrera Cup Germany racing weekend in Imola, Italy. A total of 1,387 kilometers, eight mountain passes, countless chicanes, and unforgettable moments await them.

 Stage 1: Munich to Rabland

Twelve hours later, the first sports cars emerge from the hotel’s underground parking garage and head for Fernpass, the Austrian mountain pass in the Tyrol Alps. The first destination of the journey is the city of Glurns – or Glorenza, as the town in the Venosta valley is already located in Italy. By the end of the day, we’ll have spent time in four different countries, having passed through the border between Germany and Austria and driven up mountain passes in Italy and down them again in Switzerland.

“We don’t have any mountains at home, no mountain passes,” he says, taking in the view of the valley. “For me, this is something extraordinary. This is my first time in Switzerland, my first time in Italy, and my first time in the Alps.”

Stage 2: Breathtaking South Tyrol

The next morning, a mountain pass in the Dolomites provides an unobstructed view of the Langkofel, Sella, and Ciampinoi mountains. We park our Cayenne behind a curve and wait eagerly for the Passion Drive, which will soon cause another sensation here. My finger is on the shutter release of my camera, as this is the moment that brought us here. And then we’re treated to an extraordinary sight: a varied panorama of colorful sports cars and lush fields, the mountain chain in the background. The procession accelerates out of one curve no sooner than it disappears again behind another, the moment living on for an instant as the sound of the engines subsides. During the next pit stop, we enjoy an espresso with Carlos Rivas, the driver of the Black Falcon team, and Jan-Erik Slooten of the IronForce Racing by Phoenix team. “Carlos is my strongest competitor on the racecourse,” explains the 37-year-old Slooten, who has just climbed out of his yellow 911 Carrera GTS (type 992). “But here we’re friends, on vacation together.” That’s what sets the Passion Drive apart. Rivas, the 45-year-old Luxembourger, agrees, laughing. He’s driving a 911 Cabriolet (G series), which was provided to him by the Luxembourg Porsche center. In his personal life, modern technology is more his thing. “Driving a classic car for a longer period of time is something new for me,” he explains. “But also a welcome experience.” The next weekend, Rivas will be back in the cockpit of a race car and celebrate a victory in the ProAm class in Imola – just the same as Slooten.

With the Gardena, Falzarego, and Pordoi mountain passes ahead of us today, the roads are occasionally so empty that you almost get the feeling you’re actually on a racecourse. Every curve is followed by another – each providing a new spectacular view. We delve deeper and deeper into the Dolomites – as the culinary journey continues. For lunch we all gather at SanBrite in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The MICHELIN restaurant has its own dairy farm and vegetable garden, which provides all of the ingredients for today’s meal. A culinary highlight, followed by some more mountain passes that take us back to the Hanswirt hotel.

Stage 3: Past Lake Garda to Bologna

Unlike his father, Fabian Heydgen has turned this passion into a career. The absolute desire to work on the racecourse has led the 21-year-old to the CarTech Motorsport by Nigrin team. He’s in his final year of training in automotive mechatronics and has been working as team manager since this season. For him, the Passion Drive also represents the end of his training and the start of his career. “It was my first time driving winding roads like these,” says the youngest participant with delight. “And driving alongside such experienced drivers makes it all the more fun, of course.”

The final stage is all that’s left. The Alpine panorama gives way to Italy’s Mediterranean flair, with curves as plentiful as fishing boats on Lake Garda. Four hours later, we’re seated at Piazza Minghetti in Bologna as the final evening comes to a close. If we were on a racecourse, we’d see the black and white checkered flag waving in the distance. Hurui Issak looks back on the first Passion Drive: “What brought us together at the beginning was our passion for motorsport,” he says, his gaze exploring the piazza. “But at the end, it’s all about community. We share moments, stories, and adventures that we’ve only experienced together.”

These words echo in my mind as we drive the Cayenne into the warm night. For us, the journey ends here. The drivers will continue on to Imola tomorrow for the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany. While none of them will win, the past few days have shown us that it’s about more than just the next spot on the winners’ podium. It’s about the people, the community – and the passion.