For the eighth time, 13 years after it was first held, the hill climb for historic sports and racing cars took place in Altbüron, in the Swiss canton of Lucerne, on August 20, 2017. Many from the racing scene were eagerly awaiting this year's edition of the renowned hill climb, as it was no longer Peter Dätwyler who was in charge, but Judith Weber and Sepp Ludin.
While previous Altbüron events always had a theme (2015 Rolf Biland, 2013 Le Mans, 2011 Jo Siffert, etc.) and the vehicle registrations were kept correspondingly strict, the new organizing team relaxed the rules: Racing cars and sports cars of any age were permitted, as long as they contributed to the wide range of vehicles.
What the spectators finally saw driving up the 1.4-kilometer-long "Stalten-Steinigchrüz" track in the best late summer weather was something to be proud of. Although the pre-war vehicles could be counted on one hand, there was a broad mix from the post-war period.
Purebred racing cars were also not uncommon and there was also a driving premiere.
Rare Sauber C6 at the start
Visitors to this year's Swiss Classic World Lucerne may have remembered this vehicle, as it was shown there for the first time since its reconstruction. There were only two chassis of the C6, which Peter Sauber developed on behalf of the Swiss plastics and bodywork company Seger & Hoffmann in 1982.
While the front is almost reminiscent of a Porsche 956, the Group C racing car looks completely different from the rear. This is where the most striking feature, the delta wing, is located.
The chassis of the C6 at that time corresponded almost completely to that of the Group 5 BMW M1, but we were unable to find out what was under the bodywork of this C6, but we will make up for this if necessary.
Three-time Le Mans winner in the Audi Quattro
Marcel Fässler, three-time winner of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, was already at the start in Altbüron two years ago. This year he drove a white Audi, which he registered simply as a "Quattro mountain car". Cab passengers and his daughter were allowed to ride along.
Other motorsport greats such as Hansruedi Hugentobler, Hans Peter and Fredy Amweg were also on the list of participants. The former drove an ex-Michèle-Mouton Audi quattro a1:
The original Formula 1 racing car driven by Hans Peter, a Tyrrell 008-4 with 480 hp, was also unique.
A festival for everyone
In the early morning, the entire village of Altbüron began to transform into a huge paddock. Almost every side street and of course the main road up to the start was lined with historic racing cars, still covered early in the morning.
Tents were set up, everyone was getting ready in their own way, while some were still working on their cars or sipping a cup of coffee, others were already setting up the private barbecue, as lunchtime was approaching!
Spectators and participants alike benefited from the fact that everything was very close together and there was no need to cover large distances to say a quick "hello" to another participant. Accordingly, there was a lot of talking, laughing and talking shop about the technology. The new organizing committee emphasized that the original character of the mountain stage should remain in the foreground: A fast-paced folk festival for everyone. One can only say - mission accomplished!
Many Nippon racers on Swiss soil
Three Skylines from the Nissan brand were at the start, two of them in the powerful GT-R version.
Three Toyota and a fairly new Mitsubishi also left plenty of rubber on the tarmac. An additional Toyota from the "Event Center Seelisberg" provided additional smoke for the show. Pretty much every corner was filled with smoke during the drift!
The varied field 4
While the first three racing fields were exclusively occupied by four-wheeled vehicles, the last field was really colorful: over 20 historic motorcycles rattled up the hill.
These were complemented by a few younger demo vehicles and almost ten historic motorcycle sidecars. What the co-pilots showed in the sidecar was extremely impressive.
Success like before?
At the time of publication of this article, it was not yet known whether the new organizing committee would be able to build on past successes with several thousand spectators. In any case, the spectator areas and the streets in Altbüron were very well attended.
In addition, the course ran smoothly, with the participants moving almost seamlessly along the route. This was of course helped by the lack of accidents on the course, but certainly also by the professional radio coordination between the start and finish to get the participants back to the start as quickly as possible. A word of praise to the race organizers, marshals and other helpers is therefore a must!
All photos from Altbüron 2017 at a glance
And finally, on a personal note: thank you Georg for the impressive ride back to the start in pair formation.
See you again in 2019
We can already look forward to the 2019 event. According to Sepp Ludin, it will almost certainly be different than before. Two construction projects are pending in Altbüron. During construction, the road in the village cannot be used as a paddock. A replacement will therefore have to be found.
