Cesana-Sestriere, Hill Climb

The Cesana-Sestriere is a historic Alpine hillclimb in the Piedmontese province of Turin, climbing roughly 10.4 km from Cesana Torinese up to the Sestriere pass with a vertical gain of more than a kilometre. First run in August 1961 by the Automobile Club of Turin, it was contested almost continuously through 1973 before the oil crisis forced a pause; it returned from 1981 to 1992, then fell silent for over a decade after road damage near Champlas du Col left the course unusable until the route was rebuilt for the 2006 Winter Olympics. From 1972 onward the event counted toward the Italian championship and the European trophy, and the modern revival regained FIA European Hill Climb status from 2009. Mauro Nesti dominated its golden era with nine outright wins. Today the climb runs as a blue-riband round of the Italian and FIA Historic Hillclimb championships (CIVSA / HHC), pairing period racing machinery with modern entries over a single signature weekend each July, while its narrow mountain road and Olympic-resort backdrop keep it among the most evocative dates on the European hillclimb calendar.

Organised by: Automobile Club Torino