In view of the current situation, "planning security" is a pretty foreign concept. Even the organizers of the 15th OCC Jungfrau Rally could not be sure until the start whether the official regulations would suddenly change.
Fortunately, they did not and the completely sold-out rally could be held as planned on August 28 and 29, 2020.
The 85 registered teams were delighted accordingly. For many, it was practically the first classic car event they had ever been able to complete this year.
In the center of Switzerland
The start and finish of the two daily stages this year were in Flüeli-Ranft in the canton of Obwalden, close to the geographical center of Switzerland. Vehicles from the years 1938 to 1988 were at the start. As always, only ladies were allowed behind the wheel, men were allowed in the passenger seat.
Most of the teams came from Switzerland, but there were also teams from abroad, including Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and even Portugal.
Diverse starting field
In many cases, it was the men's cars that were made available to the women for two days. But anyone expecting only automatic Beetles, DAFs or relatively new vehicles was mistaken.
A magnificent Bentley 4 1/4 Litre from 1938 was at the start with the number 1, but an Austin-Healey 100 or a Jaguar E-Type Series 1 (with Moss gearbox) are not exactly considered typical women's cars either.
Among the eight dozen cars were some exotic cars that you don't see every day, such as a Renault Floride, an AMC Marlin, an NSU Prinz 1000 TT, a Lancia Flaminia Zagato or a Panther Kallista.
In general, it was a colorful and cheerful mixture of vehicles, in which of course the VW Beetles, the Karmann-Ghias and the Mini could not be missing.
Passes and lakes
The two daily stages covered a total of around 350 km in the surrounding area. On Friday, the Glaubenberg Pass was crossed and Lake Sempach was circumnavigated.
On Saturday, a short visit and a special test at the Museum of Transport in Lucerne were on the agenda.
The classic cars were allowed to drive directly into the area, which was not only a highlight for the teams, but also for the visitors. The Saturday route then continued to Engelberg. There were numerous other tests to complete along the way.
The weather was still good on Friday, but it turned wet on Saturday, which did little to dampen the good mood - after all, it was anything but a matter of course that the rally could take place at all.
Victorious Alfa team
The overall victory at the 2020 Jungfrau Rally went to the Niederhauser / Müller team in a 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider. The Schmid/Steffen team in a Triumph TR6 (7th place overall) led the ranking of the women-only teams. It was their first time at the rally - a successful debut.
The average year of manufacture of the top ten cars was almost exactly 1970, so despite the younger age categories that have now been admitted, the almost-youngtimers by no means dominated.
The next OCC Jungfrau Rally will take place on the last weekend in August 2021. The venue will once again be in the Bernese Oberland, more precisely in Kandersteg. The organizers expect to reveal further details in the second half of October. We can look forward to it!
