Some scenes describe the situation on Lenzerheide particularly well: The downhill mountain bikers queue up in front of the cable car, meanwhile some men and women in their racing suits circle between them, while racing engines roar and tires squeal from close by.
However, if you look slightly to the right, trees and meadows become visible, mountain peaks tower above the greenery and the blue sky stretches out above everything. At some point, the eye meets the glistening sunshine reflected in the gently undulating waters of the Heidsee. No one is stressed, even the racing cars in the Formula and racing cars group seem to be moving swiftly, but constantly and without aggression.
Stress-free racing
It would also be pointless to try and race into position here. Yes, the time is not even measured. The whole thing is nothing more than great fun. Or, to put it another way: Lenzerheide can afford to dispense with any competitive element, as the focus here is on nothing less than sheer fun, camaraderie and the joy of the historic vehicle. This has a quality all of its own, and this is generally reflected in the tone you hear among the drivers.
It sounds a bit trite sometimes, but this really is one big family. And if anyone needs anything, someone else is quickly on hand. Some riders are quite used to the tension, nervousness and occasional moments of stress that come with racing. Many of the names on the start lists of the nine fields, one of which features motorcycles, are familiar from the Swiss motorsport scene, or at least used to be.
Communication
The fact that there is hardly ever any real hustle and bustle in the paddock has a lot to do with the meticulous planning of those responsible. Their communication is clear and unambiguous. The top priority is safety, but fun comes very soon after that. The clear tone of OC boss Hans Orsatti is reassuring rather than irritating. What needs to be said is said, the rules - such as a ban on overtaking in the fast sections of the course - are clear.
The infrastructure also ensures orderly conditions. As before, each vehicle has its own box in the long rows of tents. And the OC team's office is also located in one of these rows of tents. This ensures short distances, as there is always someone in charge somewhere to be found. Any problems are dealt with quickly and without delay.
But order is really only half the battle. As a participant, you realize that the work here is professional. This means that the guest is still king in some respects. You can feel the service philosophy behind this organization. The paths are short for everyone and you always know where you stand. And there really is everything you could wish for on site: a cold beer, a place in the shade, a grandstand, merchandise and a whole feel-good program - be it at the parade in the village on Friday or at dinner on Saturday evening.
Spectacle
With such conditions, nobody should be surprised that everyone really got their money's worth on the two days of driving. Numerous spectators lined the approximately 2.4-kilometer route, which is basically a section of the main road from Valbella to Lenzerheide as well as a bend that connects the hotels, which are slightly elevated above the Heidsee lake, with this road. At the junction in front of the Rothornbahn valley station, a speed bump provides spectacular pictures of cars in a sloping position, sometimes even on just two wheels.
After the village parade, which some participants extended a little longer - the relatively warm weather made it possible to sit outside until around midnight despite the somewhat cool temperatures at 1800 meters above sea level - it was time to get up early on Saturday morning. Anyone looking for some peace and quiet on this last weekend in May on the "Heide", as the locals call it, would probably have found themselves in bed by seven o'clock at the latest. From then on, the engines were started so that race 1, the "Battle of the Dwarves", could begin at 7.30 am.
From mini to maxi
There were Minis, Fiats and other small cars, some of them in racing trim and some no longer licensed for road use - a wild bunch that nevertheless knew perfectly well how to maintain the necessary respect and not hit each other. Anyone who witnessed the driving skills of some of the drivers in the right-hand bend at the aforementioned entrance, which was negotiated with a huge bounce, will treat some of them with great respect in future. The rear-engined Fiats occasionally almost lifted themselves off the track. The fact that all the action was accompanied by the roar of small-volume, high-revving engines made the spectacle all the more appealing.
The same can also be said of the larger displacement classes. At Lenzerheide, these were simply grouped into three more racing fields under the designation "GT and touring cars". These included numerous vehicles from the 1960s to the early 2000s. The colorful bouquet probably left little to be desired.
Steeped in history
The "Oldies but Goldies" were equipped with special effort. Some pre-war cars such as a Riley TT, a Rally with a Salmson engine and an exciting series of post-war sports cars attracted attention.
Of course, the two original vehicles from the historic hill climb races of 1951 and 1957 on the Lenzerheide also drove in this group: Dr. Christian Jenny's Jaguar XK120 Alu, the winning car from 1951, driven by the talented young racing driver Robin Dönni, who traveled to Goodwood directly after Lenzerheide to make his debut in the Lister Maserati, and Jürg Kohler's AC Ace with a Bristol two-litre engine. Then there was Michael Speh's Aston Martin DB 3/5 , which we recently portrayed on Zwischengas.
The OC was also proud to announce the participation of important DTM vehicles such as Armin Hahne's BMW M3 from 1989 and the Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II from 1992, once driven by Jacques Laffite. In addition, there was a wide range of serious racing cars and GTs in the "wild" group, from the 14.5-liter La France Kettenwagen to the 2005 Renault Megane V6 Trophy.
Racing cars of all classes
But Lenzerheide was also able to send a remarkably broad starting field of monoposti and racing prototypes from 1000 to 6000 cubic centimeters onto the track. Among them was the first Sauber with its own aluminum monocoque, the Sauber C4 from 1975, of which only one was built.
They were joined by several Formula Vau and Super Vau cars, Jo Siffert's Lotus 20 and even a 1973 Shadow, a former Formula 1 car, all of which were driven with great skill.
The owner of the Sauber C4, Rainer Suhr, had the opportunity to use all the gears of the car for the first time ever. Yes, Switzerland still doesn't have a fixed race track. But who knows.
The village group, the local enthusiasts with their classic cars, showed very clearly why such an event can be held here of all places. From the Fiat 500 to the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 G.S. Zagato from 1931 or a Ferrari 365 GTC, everything was there!
Well, Lenzerheide was able to meet the demand for a race track at the 13th edition of the Motor Classics and brought a real motorsport atmosphere to the Grisons mountains this weekend from May 29 to 31. Now equipped with large screens along the track and live broadcasts to the paddock, the Lenzerheide Motor Classics is taking on a form that has long since moved away from the format of an event organized by a group of volunteers and is becoming increasingly professional.
What is very important, however, is that thanks to the Grisons hospitality and the closeness of the organizers to riders and visitors, you still feel personally welcomed on Lenzerheide. Instead of commerce at any price, the focus is on service and thus offers optimal conditions for everyone involved - riders, spectators, partners and dealers.
So we can look forward to celebrating motorsport once again in Lenzerheide at the end of August. That's when the 75th anniversary of the first race from Tiefencastel up to the Heide, or more precisely to the church of St. Cassian, will be celebrated. The aim is to find as many examples as possible of all the vehicle types once listed on the starting lists from 1951 and 1957.
