“Standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards in a rapidly changing world.”
As the famous Lauren Bacall quote says, the temptation of unprecedented success should not get in the way of the thirst for change. Our vision is a moving target in itself and every year we find new things to refine and improve.
The St. Moritz Automobile Week is a textbook success story. What started over nine years ago with the Bernina Gran Turismo has now morphed into a full week dedicated to car culture. The historic vehicle competition has been followed by more races, rallies and automotive garden parties, all converging to make St. Moritz a pivotal destination in the classic car world.
The success didn’t go unnoticed on the awards scene where the outstanding work of the Int. St. Moritz Automobilwochen AG, the entity behind the events, has achieved its due recognition as one of the leading organisers on the classic cars scene. This reputation was cemented by recently winning the coveted international OCTANE Award as "Motoring Event of the Year" two years in a row - in 2022 for Kilomètre Lancé and in 2023 for the entire St. Moritz Automobile Week.
The company has experienced continuous growth, exceeding expectations even in the face of the challenging times of the pandemic, by nurturing a culture of innovation, constantly reinventing and redesigning the events so that not a single one was cancelled due to Covid.
In the words of Florian Seidl from the organising team: "Our journey so far has been marked by amazing successes. Never before has an organiser created and implemented five new concepts within three years. We must now draw the best from this experience, and we are grateful for the trust of our participants and the support of our partners, sponsors and all contributors from Graubünden/Switzerland.
Now is the right time to reflect and realign ourselves for the future. Our aim is to further improve our already high standards and offer our customers even more extraordinary experiences - and above all to bring in a breath of fresh air.
We are currently working intensively on the development of new strategies and concepts to ensure that St. Moritz Automobile Week remains at the forefront of automotive events by optimising our services and offers.
Our commitment to authentic luxury and the joy of mobility remains unwavering and we are firmly convinced that only continuous change will keep the scene fresh. There really is a lot of stagnation and also perhaps there are many outdated concepts still out there. We will be attractive to the next generation of collectors and the generation after that,"
As a first result of the realignment, the series of events will be condensed into five days in 2024, with the Bernina Gran Turismo hillclimb taking place in a different format than before. Longtime fans can look forward to the "Kilomètre Lancé" acceleration race at Engadin Airport in Samedan, as well as the "Super Stick Shift" supercars rally, while the automotive garden party will be held under the new name of "St. Motors", shifting its style while bringing in some exciting new features.
We will make sure to share more news on the progress on our website, as well as via press releases. As always, we extend our welcome to the car culture scene of Switzerland, Europe and around the world to join us for an authentic celebration and a one-of-a-kind motorsport experience.
The Int. St. Moritz Automobilwochen AG is also already looking forward to creating another unforgettable experience for the 10th anniversary of the Bernina Race in 2025.