As usual, the 25th Ennstal-Classic from July 19 to 22, 2017 once again offered a lot of fun "driving in the last paradise". The route was changed considerably and so the event no longer started with the mountain stage on the Stoderzinken, as was usual in the past, but first drove the prologue over the Sölkpass and the Nockalm, a lap of around 408 km. The Stoderzinken was on the program at the crack of dawn on Friday, followed by the 421 km marathon to Steyr and back to Gröbming. The participants were totally enthusiastic about the newly designed route.
For once, the weather didn't go crazy and so, apart from a brief but heavy Thursday evening thunderstorm, everything was fine.
Everyone at the finish
In the end, after more than 800 km, all 220 participants crossed the finish line safely, although not always without problems. Hermann Schwarz's Devin Porsche suffered a puncture on the left rear tire on Friday, but he was able to bring the car to the stage finish with the emergency wheel he had brought with him, where the spare wheel was already waiting for him.
Meanwhile, Rauno Aaltonen was at the start of the Stoderzinken mountain stage with a clutch problem and had to tackle the 8.5 km in first gear. Alfred Jodl had to park his AC ACE early to protect the engine, whose cylinder head gasket no longer quite lived up to its name, from major damage.
Specialties at the start
Among the 220 cars, there were once again many specialties that you don't see at every rally. The weakest of the field was the Steyr 50 "Baby" from 1937 with just 22 hp.
In contrast, the 500 hp of the most powerful car, a Shelby Cobra 427 from 1965, seemed almost like something from another planet.
One of Porsche's most valuable pieces of family silver is the 110 hp 550 Spyder in which Hans Hermann took a sensational third place in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana Mexico behind two monstrous Ferraris.
This original car from back then was driven by Porsche's sports car world champion Mark Webber. With a displacement of just 1.5 liters and an output of around 110 hp, the 550 Spyder with its four-camshaft engine from Austrian Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann made automotive history by repeatedly defeating Goliath as David.
Almost like 25 years ago
The jewel of the first Ennstal-Classic is now 25 years older, but not a bit older. The Fiat 1100 S (1089 cc, 51 hp) finished 2-3-4th overall in the 1948 Mille Miglia, ensuring the car's place in motorsport history. Zwischengas recently reported in detail about this car, which was driven by Herbert Völker and Hans Geist at the first Ennstal-Classic in 1993. For the 25th anniversary, it was brought back from the Fiat Museum and entrusted to the Rudi Roubinek/Günter Schreis team.
Actor and heartthrob Patrick Dempsey, also known as "Mr. Cool", was, like ex-GP driver Mark Webber, totally enthusiastic about Austria, its roads, the fans, the cuisine and everything else, and both have already announced that they will be taking part again. Dempsey, now 51, became a charismatic global star between 2005 and 2015 thanks to 237 episodes in the TV series "Grey's Anatomy", in which he played the role of neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd.
Until 2015, he was still at the wheel of a Porsche from his Dempsey-Proton Racing Team, which he drove with great passion at Le Mans and Sebring. At the Ennstal-Classic, he drove a white Porsche 356 Speedster 1500 from 1955.
The sensation was achieved
This year, the champagne shower after the Zenith Grand Prix in Gröbming was accompanied by tears of joy and thunderous applause. Because Alexander and Florian Deopito achieved the sensation par excellence at the big anniversary edition of the Ennstal-Classic. The multiple winners of the Racecar Trophy were the first team in the 25-year success story of the Ennstal-Classic to achieve a feat that had previously seemed almost impossible. They won the overall classification in a thrilling final with a pre-war car! With their Lagonda LG 6 Le Mans Special from 1938, they were at the top of the standings right from the start, "chased" by numerous starters with much younger cars. Nevertheless, they were able to secure victory in the end with a narrow 45-point lead.
"It got really exciting again at the end, but we had a sufficient lead and brought it home with aplomb. We are incredibly happy. It was a dream come true for me. Winning the Ennstal-Classic as an Ennstaler is of course amazing. And that with a pre-war car that is actually not at all suitable for an overall victory," Alexander Deopito declared overjoyed at the finish.
They were followed by the winners of 2015 and 2016, Friedrich Radinger and Thomas Wagner (Mini 1275 GT). "It was a very mixed and probably the most difficult Ennstal-Classic we have ever driven. We couldn't show the continuity of previous years. That's why it didn't work out by a hair's breadth. But that's just the way it is. But we are still very satisfied. It was a great race and, as always, very well organized. We will definitely be back," Friedrich Radinger summed up.
Helmut Schramke and Peter Umfahrer (Jaguar XK 150 DHC) finished in third place. And here too it was very close, with Michael Haberl and Theresa Moser in a Porsche 911 just 58 points behind. "I've been driving the Ennstal-Classic for a few years now, but it's never been as great as this year. Thanks to the new route, it was very entertaining and the weather mostly played along. Simply fantastic! For me it was the most beautiful Ennstal-Classic I have ever driven," explained Schramke.
Father and daughter win the Racecar Trophy
This year's Racecar Trophy, which as always focuses on racing cars and is held parallel to the Ennstal-Classic, was dominated by the father-daughter team of Kunz.
Marlene and Florian Kunz did not show any weaknesses on the last day either and drove their Mini home to victory.
"It's just so much fun to drive here. I didn't want to stop," said Marlene Kunz, the woman behind the wheel of the winning Austin Mini Copper S, summing it up. On the last day of the race, she - together with her father Florian - was able to secure victory with an eighth place and only 21 penalty points. According to Marlene, the key to her success was extensive training in the run-up to the Racecar Trophy. Her personal highlight was definitely the unique performance on the Tauplitzalm on Friday, where she only picked up a single penalty point in the two runs. Next year, the pair will be competing in the Ennstal again, but no longer in the Racecar Trophy but in the Ennstal Classic.
Being part of the car is only possible in a classic car
Walter Röhrl when asked about the difference between a classic car and a current car:
"When you drive a 356, you simply have the feeling that you are part of the car. The GT3 always drives well, you're more likely to be driven. But in the 356, I'm still the deciding factor when I'm going faster and still get around the corner cleanly. What's more, I can have fun with the classic car on the public road in an area where I only have one foot in prison. With the modern car, I'd be in with both feet straight away, that's the problem."
Smiling faces
In the end, there were only happy faces and laughter everywhere. One participant praised the perfect mileage in the road book and said that he was able to ride to within three per thousand. To which the answer came immediately: "What are you still driving a rally with three per mille?"
