Following the success of the book "Legendary German racetracks", which was published in 2012, the author and rally driver Hans-Peter Lohmann worked on the next book, which we present here. In the foreword, the author explains that it was much more difficult to deal with the topic than "just" describing racetracks. After all, the latter are always in the same place and change very little. Rallies, on the other hand, change almost every year, with different start and finish locations, constantly changing routes, different rules and sometimes even changing organizers.
Very personal
Hans-Peter Lohmann lives and loves German rallies. In the beginning, he was an enthusiastic spectator, and still is today. In addition, however, there were his own events as a driver (mostly in a Wartburg 311 Rallye) and he skillfully weaves his collected impressions of these into many parts of the book. And when you dedicate yourself to a topic over the years, you get to know more people and facts. The author has spent many an evening talking shop with rally legends such as Walter Röhrl, so much of the information in the book comes from first-hand experience and is presented in an unadulterated way.
Comprehensive all the way to the GDR
Walter Röhrl sums it up in the foreword: "For the first time, this book gives rally fans the opportunity to get a compact yet detailed overview of rallies in Germany, even the interesting races in the GDR are not missing. Equally exciting are the chapters on rallies that no longer take place today.
Far back into the past
The book is roughly divided into three main topics: First, you are catapulted back to 1906, where the Herkomer-Fahrt took place, a rally over 1697km in length, from Frankfurt via Munich, Vienna, Klagenfurt and Innsbruck back to Munich.
After the review of the origins of the German rally, the main chapter of the book follows, rally after rally is presented, always exciting to read thanks to the author's insider information. The pictures complement the text perfectly.
Finally, the most important rally cars are presented. The Audi Quattro S1 is of course included, as are the Lancia Stratos HF, 037 and Delta. But the drift kings Opel Kadett and Ascona are of course also documented, as well as the characteristic Trabant, Wartburg and Skoda legends.
Slowly Sideways, Eifel Rallye Festival and Reinhard Klein
Interesting background information can be found in the chapter on the legendary rally cars. First of all, it explains why there are now more frequent events where you can experience the rally cars live. It is explained that Reinhard Klein, probably the best-known rally photographer, had the initial idea of letting the legendary rally cars drive again, to bring the vehicles closer to the spectators again. And so the organization "Slowly Sideways" was born, which, together with the main event "Eifel Rallye Festival" (we reported on it), is a real treat for rally fans and has certainly become an annual focal point in the rally calendar.
The book has a high entertainment factor, it reads quickly and fluently, the pictures are strong and the printed maps of various special stages are also great. A book for all rally fans!
List of all events described
- Rally Bavaria
- International Bavarian Winter Rally Marktredwitz
- Rally Germany
- Eifel Rally
- Eifel Rally Festival
- Grabfeld Rally
- Sachs Winter Rally
- Hesse Rally
- Hesse Rally Vogelsberg
- Hunsrück Rally
- Cologne-Ahrweiler Rally
- Lausitz Rally
- Metz Rally Stein
- Mobil Pegasus Rally Sulinger Land
- Munich-Vienna-Budapest (3-city rally)
- Olympic Rally
- Pneumat Rally
- Lutherstadt Wittenberg Rally
- Rally Sachsenring / Saxony Rally
- Trifels Rally
- Rally Vorderpfalz
- Rally Wartburg
- Westphalia-Lippe Rally
- Rally Wiesbaden
- Rally Wismut/Erzgebirge
Bibliography
- Order book at Amazon
- Order book at McKlein
- Publisher: Motorbuch Verlag
- Author: Hans-Peter Lohmann
- Format: 22 cm x 24.5 cm, hardcover
- Photos: approx. 260 in color and 80 in b/w
- Number of pages: 240
- Language: German
- Price: 29.90 €
- ISBN-13: 978-3613036369
- ISBN-10: 3613036363
