For classic car enthusiasts with a thirst for adventure, there is now a considerable range of events on offer. After Peking-Paris and the snow flurry in Vorarlberg, the Aflenz Winter Classic in Hochsteiermark must surely be counted among them. The amount of snow is an indication of how challenging and big the adventure is.
To the point of disorientation
Not only is driving extremely challenging due to constantly changing road conditions and sometimes dense fog (visibility less than 10 meters), but the navigator is also faced with new possibilities of misnavigation and even complete disorientation.
Even local petrol station employees found themselves so overwhelmed by the road book that they suddenly no longer knew where they actually were.
The road book map sections are meticulously put together in different scales and cardinal points. Each page has to be explored anew. There are also very simple hand-drawn sketches.
Treacherous roadbook, difficult road conditions
There is hardly a participant who does not have to struggle with the pitfalls of this roadbook. But of course this makes even the simplest navigation an experience and it is not unusual for participants from all four corners of the world to come together at a junction.
Added to this are difficult road conditions, which often force the teams out of the more or less heated car. Whether it's their own slip-ups, a competitor needing help or the need to fit chains, almost every participant has a story to tell about problems, difficulties and special experiences at the finish line.
All of a sudden, time controls, cut-off tables and final classifications are forgotten. Suddenly all you want to do is reach the finish line, and preferably not alone.
A lack of camaraderie and a sense of fairness?
But even here, in a group of friends who are actually willing to help, we sometimes lack that last bit of camaraderie. For example, six of us help a Mercedes team back onto the road and when a Volvo gets stuck in the snow shortly afterwards and we would have desperately needed twice the manpower of the Mercedes team, the driver says: "We can't stop again, firstly we've already helped competitors twice and secondly we have a low starting number and are seriously behind!"
As if we weren't all already minutes, if not hours, behind.
Chains are also put on in the middle of the road in a completely disorganized manner, or even entire wheels are changed with jacks. The entire rally is blocked, regardless of whether the twelfth car in the stationary convoy has long since fitted the chains or could even climb the incline without any driving assistance. Everyone has to lend a hand or wait until the lane is finally clear again.
Helpfulness prevails
But there is also the other, extremely helpful and friendly side and this is much greater than the opposite. You help each other wherever you can and a short time later you get the help back twice as much.
When a Porsche driver is hit by a bridge railing and barely recognizes his own car in its cold, deformed state, the shocked team is driven to the hotel by the BMW 2002 touring behind without any ifs or buts, even though the Bavarian team has to give up their rally day.
The local farmers are also on hand to help with their heavy tractors. If human strength is no longer sufficient to get the car back on the road, help can always be obtained from the nearest farm.
Not for concours vehicles
It goes without saying that you should not take part in such an event with a concours car. It's not just the many heavily salted roads that cause problems for the cars, the grit also leaves its mark and, of course, there is also bodywork damage here and there.
Both the crews and the vehicles show increasing signs of fatigue every hour. You reach your own limits and more and more mistakes creep in. It's not a 50 km coffee run, no, the total distance covers just over 700 km over one and a half days and leads through fairytale landscapes of snow-covered hills and deep forests, right through the no man's land of Hochsteiermark.
Unfortunately, there is no time to enjoy this unique landscape, as the driver has his eyes focused on the route and the co-driver can hardly take his eyes off the road book.
But this is precisely why it is probably one of the last great adventures that you can still take part in with your classic car in Central Europe at favorable conditions. Far from a five-star arrangement, what counts here first and foremost is driving and friendship.
Everyone is a winner
Every participant can feel like a winner at the end if they have survived the exertions in one piece. But of course there are also those who made it a little faster.
The overall winner and first in the green class in the 2013 event was Erik Skreiner / Philip Mittelbach in a VW Beetle (1959) with a time difference of 01:58:06 hours. They were followed by Gert Pierer / Martin Rettenbacher in a Volvo 122 S (1965) with a time difference of 02:03:42 hours. In the slipstream in third place were Heiko Dlugos / Marc Dennerlein in a Fiat 128 3P (1978) with a time difference of 02:06:01 hours
Bernhard Brägger / Manfred Tragner in an Alvis DKC 731 (1936) won the green class up to 1949 with a time difference of 12:54:29 hours.
Oliver Schramm / Robert Zschocke on Alfasud (1980) won the red class from 1979 onwards with a time difference of 04:07:20 hours
Overall results
| Pos | StrNo | Group | Vehicle | Year of construction | Crew | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 39 | 2 | VW Beetle | 1959 | Skreiner Erik / Mittel bach Philipp | Group winner |
| 2 | 35 | 2 | Volvo 122S | 1965 | Pierer Gert / Rettenbacher Martin | |
| 3 | 16 | 2 | Fiat 128 3P | 1978 | Dlugos Heiko / Dennerlein Marc | |
| 4 | 6 | 2 | Ford 1300 GT | 1970 | Peherstorfer Kurt / Baier Christian | |
| 5 | 38 | 2 | Porsche 911 | 1965 | Haberl Michael / Haberl Sebastian | |
| 6 | 19 | 2 | Porsche 924 Turbo | 1979 | Schott Karl Heinz / Wohlenberg Karsten | |
| 7 | 25 | 2 | Porsche 924 | 1979 | Patsch Peter / Irger Manfred | |
| 8 | 24 | 2 | Volvo 1800 E | 1970 | Neugebauer Klauspeter / Howacker Florian | |
| 9 | 28 | 2 | VW 1303 S | 1973 | Bauder Franz / May rhofer Robert | |
| 10 | 20 | 2 | Maserati Mistral | 1966 | Schorno Edy / Betschart Christoph | |
| 11 | 13 | 3 | Alfa Romeo Alfasud | 1980 | Schramm Oliver / Zschocke Robert | Group winner |
| 12 | 23 | 2 | Opel Kadett GT/E C | 1976 | Jodl Alfred / Jodl Christoph | |
| 13 | 8 | 2 | Mercedes 450 SLC | 1979 | Pan Peter / Krisam Martin | |
| 14 | 17 | 2 | Rover 3500S | 1972 | Perger Gerhard / Gottschlich Roman | |
| 15 | 37 | 2 | Lancia Zagato 1600 | 1973 | Baldini Emilio / Sicher Philipp | |
| 16 | 31 | 3 | Porsche 924 | 1980 | Gesslbauer Johann / Gesslbauer Uli | |
| 17 | 22 | 2 | Saab 96 | 1967 | Fojtik Andreas / Operschal Michael | |
| 18 | 2 | 2 | Opel Mama B | 1976 | Kunz Gerhard / Kunz Susanne | |
| 19 | 29 | 2 | Fiat 132/2000 | 1978 | Huber Robert / Förster Stefan | |
| 20 | 34 | 2 | Alfa Romeo GT Bertone | 1975 | Hürlimann Bruno / Kaufmann Rainer | |
| 21 | 5 | 2 | Ford Cortina | 1969 | Gailhofer Jakob / Zeisberger Oliver | |
| 22 | 11 | 2 | Porsche 911 | 1976 | Bachner Martin / Karion Fritz | |
| 23 | 15 | 2 | Austin A 30 | 1956 | Rohrmoser Michael / Fuchs Georg | |
| 24 | 33 | 2 | Porsche 924 | 1979 | Haunschmid / Höbarth | |
| 25 | 18 | 2 | Volvo 122S | 1969 | Stranzinger Herbert / Stranzinger Josef | |
| 26 | 1 | 3 | Audi sport quatro 859 | 1984 | Stoschek Michael / Walz Rüdiger | |
| 27 | 27 | 2 | VW 1303 | 1972 | Weckerle Pius / Schlager Otmar | |
| 28 | 21 | 2 | Triumph TR 5 Rallye | 1968 | Dravec Chris / Stoll Silvia | |
| 29 | 3 | 2 | VW Type ll | 1957 | Schwarz Hermann / May rhofer Joschi | |
| 30 | 40 | 2 | Alfa Romeo GTV | 1978 | Auer Stephan / Jansen Jens | |
| 31 | 32 | 2 | Porsche 356 B | 1960 | Maszynski Stefan / Marek Thomas | |
| 32 | 7 | 1 | Alvis DKC 731 | 1936 | Bräqqer Bernhard / Tragner Manfred | Group winner |
| 33 | 30 | 2 | BMW 2000 | 1971 | Hess Felix / Hess Philip | |
| 34 | 36 | 3 | Porsche 928 | 1980 | Grosina Herwig / Baier Rudolf | |
| 35 | 9 | 3 | Triumph TR 7 | 1981 | Staudt Rainer / Krieg Jürgen | |
| 36 | 41 | 3 | Porsche 944 | 1982 | Noser Werner / Brägger Annie | |
| 37 | 10 | 3 | Audi quatro | 1981 | Brückner Toni / Brückner Gabi | |
| 38 | 26 | 3 | Renault Alpine 5 | 1981 | Zuhnemer Andreas / ReinersJörg | |
| 39 | 12 | 2 | VW Beetle 1302S | 1970 | Peters Wilfried / Kronberger Gernot | |
| 40 | 14 | 3 | Porsche 944 | 1984 | Greub Stefan / Vonow Alex | |
| 41 | 4 | 3 | Porsche 944 | 1982 | Hauser Thomas / Reinhard Thomas |
