The last historic airfield race in Kassel-Calden in August 2019 was a complete success with over 400 starters. But then came Corona, and the 2020 edition was canceled at short notice, as was this year's. Not primarily because of the pandemic, however, but because the former airfield is currently being used as a parking area for VW lease returns - and will probably continue to be used in the coming years.
However, organizer Heinz Jordan was not so quick to admit defeat and instead looked for a suitable alternative route. He finally found what he was looking for in Obermehler-Schlotheim, around 115 kilometers away in Thuringia. The military airport, which was built by the Red Army in the 1950s, is now used as a regional landing strip and has also often hosted races in the NAVC circuit championship.
Unlike the events organized by the New Automobile and Transport Club (NAVC), which only use half of the actual airfield and parts of the huge aircraft parking area as a track, the first event, dubbed the "Classic Motor Weekend", used the entire airfield with a few chicanes and a length of approx. 2.7 km, while the parking area served as a paddock for the 300 or so participants.
The tried-and-tested event concept was not changed. A total of four motorcycle and six car groups were given plenty of opportunity to race on the three days of the event and were able to complete their laps to their heart's content without any timekeeping or racing stress. There was only one unpleasant incident: when braking before the big chicane on the runway on Saturday afternoon, a Maico pilot crashed and had to be taken to hospital in Nordhausen with shoulder injuries.
Spectators were admitted, but there were far fewer of them than in the past in Calden. With a greater advertising effort, more fans would certainly have turned up, but in the volatile corona times it could also have happened that they would all have been spontaneously disinvited again. Perhaps it would help to give the "child" a different name or at least an additional name such as "Historic Airfield Race". Then it would be much clearer that this is a motorsport event and not just a pure classic car meeting.
Another annoying aspect was the completely incorrect weather forecast, which predicted a 90 percent chance of rain for race Sunday and prompted numerous participants to leave early on Saturday evening - and probably also put off many potential spectators. But of course this was not the organizer's fault. The actual amount of rainfall on Sunday, however, was zero. All runs took place without a single drop of rain.
Be that as it may, a start has been made and participants and spectators alike are looking forward to a new edition next year!
