There's also a possibility to rent a trackprepared car for your Ringlaps. Everything is possible from a Renault Clio RS to a Porsche 911GT3 RS and even more extreme cars and instruction from experienced racing drivers during your laps is also possible. In the evening we'll dine at Italian restaurant Aviano and the night will be spent in a small guest house near the Ring, where a continental breakfast will be served the following day.
The costs for this additional programme are €80 (+/- £65) per person based on a twin room (single room possible at additional costs).
On Sunday September 12th the Italia Run 2010 will commence. At 11:00AM we will head south from our starting point at the parking of the Nordschleife. This day will lead us over amazing b-roads and long stretches of derestricted 'Autobahns' to the **** Schlosshotel Monrepos in Ludwigsburg. This state of the art hotel is equiped with all the necessary luxury and then some, including a great winter garden with a magnificent view over lake Monrepos, its own swimming pool, bar and a sauna. The hotel is situated in a 600 acres large idyllic parc, just a stone's throw away from the baroque Seeschloss that was built between 1760 and 1803 by the dukes Carl Eugen and Friedrich I.
In the evening we'll dine in this Schlosshotel where we'll also spend the night.
After breakfast at the Schlosshotel, the journey will take us through Austria over the Alps into Italy. It goes without saying that we'll be following amazing roads over the most breathtaking Alpine passes and legendary rally routes. After a long day behind the wheel we'll have seen and driven the most breathtaking and demanding roads Europe has to offer and will arrive at the fourstar hotel Castello Tabiano. While enjoying an excellent four course diner this day of driving fun can be discussed in detail after which we'll spend the night in an authentic room right beside this magnificent 11th century castle which is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman settlement.
After an extensive breakfast at Castello Tabiano we'll leave for Modena in order to visit Maserati. An English-speaking guide will lead us through the museum as well as through the factory, where we can actually see these magnificient cars being built.
After this two hour long tour, we'll leave Modena and drive over some of the most wonderful 'testroads' in the direction of San Cesario sul Panaro where we'll visit the Pagani factory. The doors of this factory normally remain shut for curious tourists, but we've managed to persuade them that we're no ordinary tourists and they've even thrown in an English-speaking guide who will show us the entire factory and answer any questions about these supercars.
After this, some of the most challenging roads of Italy will lead us in the direction of Rimini to **** Castello di Montegridolfo, where a luxury four course diner awaits us and all the experiences of this day can be exchanged. We'll also be spending the night in this castle that dates back to 1336.
After breakfast at Castello di Montegridolfo we've planned a quiet day on this Wednesday. In the morning we'll visit the Ferrari Maranello Rosso museum. After reception in the Galleria d'Arte an English-speaking guide will lead us through this spectacular museum. At the end of this tour every participant will get the opportunity to sign the official Ferrari guestbook. In the afternoon there's a possibility for the real diehards to drive the 'San Marino Run'. We've set out a route over the best driver's roads in the area, but this Run is purely optional, although participants won’t be disappointed by the breathtaking roads. The afternoon can also be used for hitting the shops or drinking a cappuccino in a lovely Italian outdoor café and catch a breath from a busy first half of the Italia Run week. In the evening we'll dine together again and spend the night at Castello di Montegridolfo for the second night in a row.
After breakfast at Castello di Montegridolfo the Thursday will lead us back to Parma. This route will take us past Sant’Agata Bolognese, home of the legendary marque with the bull: Lamborghini. Legend has it that tractor manufacturer Ferruccio Lamborghini was plagued with a troublesome clutch on his Ferrari road car. After discussing this issue with Enzo Ferrari, il Commendatore suggested to Lamborghini he'd better stick with his core business of building tractors and leave the building of sportscars to people who knew what they were talking about. Being Italian, Lamborghini's pride was hurt, so he decided to start building his own sportscars. An English-speaking guide will show us round both the museum (in which Fabio Lamborghini, a cousin of Ferruccio himself will show us around) and the factory so you'll get a complete impression both the history and of the current state of affairs of this legendary marque. And because no visit to Modena is complete without visiting Italy’s most famous brand, Ferrari, we’ll also visit the Museo Galleria Ferrari this afternoon. At a stones throw from the legendary factory, 40 of the most special cars in the history of the marque are gathered which can be viewed and photographed from just inches away. In the evening we’ll dine together again at Castello Tabiano, where the night will also be spent.
After a final breakfast at Castello Tabiano the return journey will commence today. It goes without saying that once again we've set out a route over the best driver's roads Italy and Austria have to offer and the final destination of this day will be the Schlosshotel Monrepos where we stayed the first night of the Italia Run. After a final joint diner here we'll spend the final night of the Italia Run 2010 in this Schlosshotel.
We'll start the last day of the Italia Run with breakfast at the Schlosshotel Monrepos, after which we'll visit the Porsche museum in Zuffenhausen. Many of the company's most legendary cars can be viewed here and the museum gives a fantastic insight into the history of this wonderful marque. After this visit hundreds of miles of derestricted Autobahn are waiting for a quick (or very quick) drive back to the Netherlands.
But the Italia Run week isn't quite over yet. Just before the Dutch border, we've planned a final visit to a special company. It is normally impossible to visit this company unless you're a customer, but the doors will be open this day for the Italia Run participants. The name of this company and its precise location won't be announced until this Saturday morning, but it will definately be a worthy end of a week filled with horsepower and automotive design!
