From July 21 to 24, the Ennstal-Classic once again led through the most beautiful regions of Austria. 227 teams from 15 nations came to Ennstal despite the sometimes difficult entry regulations for man and machine. Six women's teams were at the start and one of them even took second place overall.
Difficult conditions
Helmut Zwickl opened the event with the words: "It's almost a miracle that this Ennstal-Classic is taking place at all."
The decisions for the event had to be made at a time when it was far from clear whether an event of this magnitude would even be possible. Only the heavy storms in the Salzburg area just a few days before the start forced a spontaneous route change. The stage from Bad Ischl to Schladming via the Postalm had to be postponed as the road was impassable. But the spontaneously created new route over the Gschütt Pass on Lake Hallstatt delighted even the long-time participants.
Mini men ahead of Giulia ladies
The team of Friedrich Radinger / Thomas Wagner in the Mini 1275 GT won the rally for the fourth time. This enabled the top team to catch up with the legendary duo of Rudolf Schraml and Helmut Artaker, who won the event four times in the two thousand years. Can we speak of total dominance? "More like full focus and maximum concentration. You have to ski like you're in a tunnel the whole time and not let anything distract you."
This time, however, the magnificent victory only took shape from Friday's marathon onwards, when a considerable gap from Thursday was made up after all.
In second place and thus in the top three for the first time: an all-women's team. Siblings Margarita and Magdalena Voglar were able to complete the race almost faultlessly in their Alfa Romeo Giulia TI and are now aiming for overall victory in next year's anniversary edition. Margarita Voglar: "We certainly learned what we can do from our father. But from now on, our father can learn from us."
Celebrities in the starting field
Numerous fans of classic vehicles once again lined the routes across Austria, hanging out behind garden fences, sitting on benches along the way or using the rally to dust off and take out their own "oldies". Many celebrities were also guests again. Rock 'n' roll singer Peter Kraus, rally star Rauno Aaltonen, touring car legend Dieter Quester and former McLaren race director Jo Ramirez from Mexico are sure to be regular starters. But the premier class of motorsport was also well represented with Mark Webber and Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard.
Classic car rally as an economic factor
Last year, the Ennstal-Classic had to take a break for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the 28th edition planned for 2020 was not postponed or repeated, but still counted as a regular event, so that the 30th edition will be held next year. The Ennstal Classic has been held annually since 1993 and has become an important economic factor for the Dachstein region. Thomas Reingruber, Mayor of Gröbming, says: "The advertising value for Gröbming and the surrounding area is enormous. 25,000 overnight stays speak for themselves." It is a region that accepts and appreciates this rally without any ifs and buts, with great friendliness and also without unnecessary controls. Despite the ever-increasing green power, we should never forget our past.
Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs, Tourism, Europe, Science and Research, believes that the past and the future do not have to be mutually exclusive: "The industry is changing, technology is changing, we will be driving 'emission-free' cars in the future. But none of this means that we have to demonize the past. Classic events with these cars and their great history exert a great fascination - for everyone, including me." Ernst Hausleitner, ORF Formula 1 presenter: "You can't forget about history in Formula 1 or in the 'normal' car world. It plays a much bigger role than you might think."
It starts on a small scale: don't we all like to remember the many trips we took in our grandfather's or father's car as we get older? Don't we still have the rattle of the VW Beetle or the rattle of the Fiat 500 in our ears? Didn't we all marvel at a sunroof or car radio, even if its reception was miserable? Today, everything is so perfect that we long more and more for the good old days.
Real driving
The final word from Jens Svete, Managing Director of Scuderia Gohm, the only official Ferrari dealer in Austria: "Driving classic cars like these is still real driving. Today, the cars are made electronically drivable, with the old vehicles, muscle power still counts."
