History 1960s

1962 Coupes des Alpes Maritimes / Monte Rosa Rally (Italy/Switzerland)

Overview Route Results Cars Challenges

Overview

Event Name: 1962 Coupes des Alpes Maritimes / Monte Rosa Rally

Date: June 1962

Start/Finish Location: Domodossola, Italy – Brig, Switzerland – Monte Rosa region

Total Distance: Approximately 1,200 kilometers

Total Entries: 44 crews

Total Starters: 41 crews

Total Finishers: 29 crews

Running through the lesser-known passes of the Pennine Alps, the 1962 Monte Rosa Rally served as a regional warm-up to the Coupe des Alpes. Tight mountain roads, snowmelt-flooded switchbacks, and summer fog made this event a test of balance, brake modulation, and co-driver synchronization.

Route

Domodossola Start: The rally opened with a long liaison through mountain hamlets before the first timing sections.
Simplon Pass & Gondo Gorge: Narrow cliffside routes with steep rock faces and slippery runoff sections.
Monte Rosa Sectors: The final leg included gravel-trimmed tarmac climbs and fast descents into valleys lined with glacial streams.

The route wound through Italy’s Aosta Valley and into Switzerland’s Valais canton, with challenging climbs and rapid transitions between countries:

While less known internationally, this rally tested local champions and visiting teams against some of Europe’s most technical driving environments.

🏆 Results

Overall Winner
Carlo Maria Abate & Enrico Pinto · Ferrari 250 GT SWB
2nd Place
Gianni Balzarini & Piero Carini · Fiat-Abarth 1000
3rd Place
Erwin Müller & Jean Studer · NSU Prinz TT

Abate and Pinto leveraged the Ferrari’s grand touring speed on the longer straight sections, while the smaller Abarth and NSU entries were more nimble in the switchbacks. The result reflected a balance between raw speed and agile consistency.

Navigation & Challenges

Though scenic, the route was treacherous and unpredictable — requiring mental focus and constant coordination:

  • Alpine Fog: Morning and dusk stages were run in heavy cloud cover, reducing visibility to mere meters at times.
  • Snowmelt Runoff: Rapid streams across the roads made braking zones slippery and corners unpredictable.
  • Cross-border Logistics: Customs and communication differences between Italy and Switzerland slowed service access and forced tight planning.

The 1962 Monte Rosa Rally proved that even mid-tier Alpine events demanded top-tier driving — where precision often outweighed horsepower, and finishers were few.

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