From August 11 to 13, 2017, after a summer break of almost two months, a large number of the dwarf participants and their fans met up at this year's small car meeting at the French Circuit Chambley, which is located near the French city of Metz. All vehicles with a displacement of up to 1300cc were allowed to compete on the 3.3-kilometer race track, regardless of make.
Rare vehicles such as Hillmann Imp, Renault Alpine A110 and Ginetta G15 were among the participants, as well as a number of road-going NSU with steam or those from the slalom, mountain and circuit scene, many Mini Coopers, from tame road cars to 180 hp Hayabusa motorized plastic monsters, some like it, some don't. But diversity was welcome! But diversity was welcome at this event!
Not advertised as a racing event but as a small car meeting and TrackDay, the drivers of the "Battle of the Dwarves" series were given the opportunity to test their vehicles again after the summer break and try out any modifications.
NSU Trophy strongly represented
One highlight was certainly the high density of NSU TT vehicles, rarely do you see so many at once.
Among the TTs there were also special models such as the so-called Reich-TT by Dieter Gerber with an impressive rear spoiler.
The participants really stepped on the gas. The road-going NSUs with normal tires clocked lap times of around 2:25 minutes. The Schneider NSU from the Eifel was very impressive: father and son rushed the red Prinz around the course in 2:18 minutes.
The Jägermeister NSU of Martin Wahl, now with a newly tuned KW suspension, was driven around the course in 2:08min. The beautiful Group 2 Koch NSU completed the 3300m course in a remarkable 2:07min.
Two riders were even faster with 2:04min: Thorsten Weth and Andreas Vielgut.
For the first time, we were able to admire the new circuit NSU built by Achim Thomas and Andreas Vielgut for the TT Trophy. The perfectly prepared car worked right from the start and crossed the finish line after 2:01 minutes.
The TTs were only beaten by the "plastic monster", a home-made Mini with 180 hp and a Hayabusa engine. It managed a lap in under two minutes!
Where were the ducks?
According to the program, a 2CV duck race was to take place in Chambley. Only one racing duck had found its way to France and so the schedule was changed without further ado and the driving times of the dwarves were extended considerably.
A few exotics on the track thanks to TrackDay
At the same time, all other visitors had the chance to switch sides and take to the track in their own small cars as part of TrackDay.
However, we noticed a real rarity, a Fiat Abarth T124 from 1966.
In complete contrast to the dwarves, this red car with a displacement of six liters thundered around the track, equipped with 12 cylinders and 600 hp.
25 years of the battle of the dwarves
After the 25th anniversary had already been celebrated with the drivers and their families at the "Eifelrennen", this anniversary was celebrated again on a somewhat larger scale in Chambley.
From fresh baguettes to late-night beer
The event was organized and well thought out by the Belgian association ENJOY TPV. The participants were provided with culinary delights around the clock, from fresh baguettes in the morning to a barbecue stall that was open all day and cool beer at night. An exhilarating weekend was celebrated together with many international friends and their various small cars.
All our articles on this topic can be found in the dedicated special channel Kampf der Zwerge.
