On July 26, 2016, the "Indianapolis Oerlikon" racing demonstration was held for the 14th time on the open racecourse in Oerlikon, a former suburb of Zurich (now an outlying district). And not only did the weather cooperate, the spectators also came in droves and were enthusiastic.
Three times a dozen laps
Not quite three dozen racing cars with four wheels and about two dozen motorcycles plus sidecar teams, as well as a Morgan Three Wheeler, were at the start and were allowed to show three times for a few laps what the technicians used to work out.
In between, the beautiful vehicles were presented in the indoor area of the small cycling oval, which was also much appreciated by the audience, as sometimes you could hardly see the racing cars because of all the people.
And the bikes
Between the car/motorcycle demo laps, the bicycles, which were actually the main event of the evening, completed their laps in the form of various elimination and points races. The bikes rode pretty fast, with speeds of 55 km/h and more demonstrating this impressively. Only the sound was missing.
There was only the quiet whirring of the tires on the concrete and occasionally the voice of the announcer and the bell that heralded a sprint. But it was still exciting, even for the spectators who had actually come to see the cars.
With gasoline instead of methanol
A number of the racing cars that were at the start in Oerlikon may well have been powered by methanol in the past, which also provided some horsepower. But those days are largely over; today, even the old racing cars run on unleaded Euro 98 fuel.
It was easy to do without the extra horsepower on the 333 m long concrete oval, especially as it wasn't about the best times, but about a rolling museum, as the track announcer tried to explain.
Lots of celebrities on site
You don't meet a four-time Le Mans winner every day. Marco Werner won three times with modern and once with a historic racing car (Porsche 936 at the Le Mans Classic 2016) at Le Mans and was visibly delighted by the good atmosphere in the Oerlikon oval. Kurt Waltisperg, Rolf Biland's former co-driver, was also present, as were many more or less well-known representatives of national and international racing.
They also liked the racing cars and, just like the other spectators, they soon chose their favorites, whether it was Kurt Hasler's Maserati 8CM or the Bugatti Type 35B driven by Peter Hürlimann. Marcel Hayoz's Lotus 23, which was so wonderfully sparkling, and the exotic Indycars from the 1930s were also sure to appeal to many visitors to the event.
Collegial get-together with sausage and beer
The charm of an event like Indianapolis Oerlikon is not least the informal and cozy get-together with colleagues from the past and present. There was hardly anyone who didn't soon meet up with friends or acquaintances, and thanks to the numerous food stands, no one went hungry or thirsty.
And what could be better than comfortably eating a bratwurst, watching beautiful racing cars from the past on their fast laps and enjoying the background noise?
Let's hope this tradition stays with us for a long time to come!
