Rally sport has become somewhat sterile in recent years, and spectator interest has declined significantly compared to the times when Munari drove the Lancia Stratos or Röhrl the Audi Quattro. But the public is still enthusiastic about rally cars today, as the Eifel Rallye Festival shows year after year.
The 2017 edition, which once again attracted thousands of rally fans to Daun in the Volcanic Eifel from July 20 to 22, 2017, was no exception.
Best conditions
The weather gods provided the participants and spectators with almost perfect conditions. It was mostly slightly cloudy the whole time and dry apart from a brief shower on Saturday.
It wasn't too hot either, which the engines certainly appreciated. The tracks were also well prepared and offered the best conditions for attractive rally action.
A folk festival
The festival is not a rally in the conventional sense, it is not about best times. What is important is the spectacle and the show. This is also appreciated by the visitors, who can choose whether they want to watch the vehicles standing on the rally mile or driving on the special stages outside Daun.
Those who opted for the latter were able to get up close to the rally cars driving across the road during driving demonstrations. An unforgettable experience.
Many original vehicles
What makes the Rallye Festival so special is the breadth and density of the starting field. There were around 160 cars in 2017 and hardly any important rally cars were missing, if you ignore the Lancia Stratos. Unfortunately, it was not always possible to get all the cars running, which meant that one or two cars were missing from the special stages, but overall the cars entered were impressive.
More than a third of them were even original rally cars from back then (and today). Together they represented six decades of rally history, starting with the cars of the sixties, including a Ford Falcon Sprint as it almost won the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally or the Mercedes-Benz 300 SE as it was seen at the 1963 Acropolis Rally.
Cars in almost mint condition, such as the 2016 Hyundai i20 WRC or the 1999 Peugeot 206 WRC, represented the other end of the age spectrum.
The legendary Toyota 222D
For the planned Group S, Toyota developed a prototype that could have been used in both a rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive version. At the time, the two-wheel-drive version was said to have an unladen weight of around 750 kg, and the engine was rated at up to 750 hp.
Visually, the 222D was based on the MR2, but technically the two vehicles had hardly anything in common, apart from the position of the engine (in the middle). It is said that 11 prototypes were built and only three vehicles are still alive. One of them was on display at the Rallye Festival and even drove in the parade, a minor sensation!
Authenticity written in capital letters
Originality was not only a priority in the parade, which was of course exclusively contested by original vehicles, including two Ford RS200s, a Nissan 240RS, a Ford Escort RS1800 and a Skoda Fabia RS WRC.
The majority of the cars taking part in the festival were at least visually close to the historic originals. For the spectators, these "replicas" were often even the more grateful objects, as their drivers did not have to pay attention to a one-off and were able to let it fly.
Just don't give up
Although nothing but honor was at stake, this did not mean that the competing teams, including mechanics, were not pushed to the limit. One example of this was the Fricker-Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 driven by Harald Demuth.
A drive shaft broke towards the end of the shakedown on Thursday. This could be repaired overnight, then the gearbox went on strike on Friday.
This mishap was also repaired overnight, but a defective V-belt ended the race halfway through on Saturday. Harald Demuth was sorry about this, but the fans were still delighted.
Don't underestimate the degree of difficulty
However, it wasn't just technical problems that made it difficult for some of the participants. The route also presented some difficulties that not everyone was always up to. Changing road surfaces, jumps, water crossings, etc. - It was easy to make a mistake.
The difference between amateur and professional became apparent from time to time.
Celebrities behind the wheel
Of course, the rally celebrities did not miss the opportunity to pay a visit to Daun. Belgian Hyundai works driver Thierry Neuville, who drove his i20 HRC around the track with such enthusiasm that the fans went into raptures.
Former champion Stig Blomqvist and Hannu Mikkola enjoyed the great atmosphere. The usually taciturn Stig said: "I had a lot of fun this weekend and so much to do, because I got to drive three different cars. I really enjoyed that."
German champion Matthias Kahle had the opportunity to compare the Skoda 130 RS from the seventies with the modern Fabira R5: "I had my own personal journey through 40 years of motorsport," he enthused and said: "It's just incredible how many fans are here at the track."
Prizes for originality and authenticity
There were also some awards again. The prize for the best original vehicle went to Ernst Kopp's Toyota 222D.
The BMW 2002 by Wolfgang Schröder/Detlef May was honored as the best replica.
Dave Kedward and Felix Wiseman received a special prize for their night drive with the Peugeot 205 T16 E2, in which the turbo almost glowed like a raging fireball.
The rally stars presented the Trabant P 1800 RS with the Chamions' Choice Award. Finally, Stig Blomqvist was honored as Rally Ambassador.
Drifting for a good cause
Rides with Thierry Neuville and Harri Toivonen were auctioned off for a good cause, so the Verein zur Förderung der Jugendarbeit im Landkreis Vulkaneifel e.V. (Association for the Promotion of Youth Work in the Vulkaneifel District) received an unexpected donation of EUR 2000 - a nice gesture that also shows a little how well the Eifel Rallye Festival is embedded in the local community.
