The third new edition of the Rossfeldrennen near Berchtesgaden last weekend was also lucky with the weather and all six races could be held on Saturday and Sunday without rain, despite moderate weather forecasts.
Once again, 140 historic and rare racing cars, three historic motorcycles and 25 vintage buses (for spectator transportation to the viewing points) gathered to revive the legend of the Salzberg races from 1925 to 1928 and the successful European championship races of the Roßfeldrennen from 1958 to 1977.
Celebrities in the cockpit
The approximately 8000 spectators, who, following the wishes of initiator Joachim Althammer, increasingly dressed in the style of the 60s and 70s, were offered an incomparable experience and PS celebrities to touch. Above all, of course, the ambassador of the Roßfeld Revival, two-time rally world champion Walter Röhrl, who was the center of attention of the audience.
No sooner had he stepped out of his former rally car, the recently restored 911 Porsche San Remo, than he was surrounded by a large crowd of autograph hunters.
82-year-old Eberhard Mahle, a veteran of the Rossfeldrennen in the service of the Porsche factory, was at the start in an original Porsche 911 from the first series. And Thomas Frank from Audi Tradition also had a prominent driver at the start with former rally champion Harald Demuth in a Hartmann DKW built in Berchtesgaden.
Formula V ...
This time, J. Althammer had set two focal points for the "Bavarian Goodwood on the mountain". To mark the 50th anniversary of the Formula Vee junior series, which was first launched in Europe in 1965 and began its triumphal march in June 1965 at Roßfeld and became a springboard for many later stars, such as Jochen Rindt, Dr Helmut Marko, Niki Lauda and many others, 15 original vehicles were brought to the start.
Among them was an Austro Formula Vee, driven in 1968 by its former driver, the likeable Manfred Schurti from Lichtenstein, the 1972 European Formula Super Vee champion, who finished second in this very car at the same venue in 1970. And Bernd Köberle from Berchtesgaden also started an extensively restored Austro V (No. 80) on the mountain for the first time again.
... and Abarth
In addition, 20 racing cars from the oeuvre of the ingenious developer Carlo Abarth were lured to the Roßfeld. Here you could admire the diversity of Carlo Abarth's work, which his widow Anneliese Abarth did not miss out on.
Abarth collector Leo Aumüller, also a participant in the earlier races, brought four of the rare cars to the start with his team alone.
Vehicle presentation in Berchtesgaden
The first treat for the spectators was the vehicle presentation on Friday afternoon in the pedestrian zone in Berchtesgaden, which was expertly and vividly presented with plenty of background knowledge by Siegfried Schlüter, an excellent expert on the Formula Vee scene, and Hannes Mayerl, also known to spectators as the spokesman for the Salzburgring.
Track announcer legends Schlüter and Braun
Another highlight for the spectators at the start was certainly the witty commentary by the congenially complementary track commentators Siegfried Schlüter and the commentary legend Rainer Braun, who has previously commentated at the Roßfeld and has driven Formula Vee himself.
Rainer Braun then entertained the audience between the races in front of the Legends Tent in his inimitable way with a relaxed round of talks with the stars of yesteryear, enriched with lots of history.
In addition to the drivers already mentioned, former NSU tuner Siegfried Spiess, 1971 GT winner in the 3000 cc class Johannes Ortner and Cologne architect and Kremer Porsche driver Klaus Pfeffer also took part.
Engine sound and drifts at their finest
Once again this year, the Schnitzer BMW 2800 CS from 1970, skillfully driven by Franz Ostermeier, was one of the loudest vehicles at the Roßfeld. This car always caused the spectators to burst into raptures, which of course Walter Röhrl also achieved with his skillful drifts.
Not only the spectators got their money's worth, but also the active participants and team bosses such as Dieter Landenberger, the head of the Porsche Archive, were full of praise for the event, which was meticulously on schedule, and assured in unison that they would be back again next year.
The main objective of the event, the financial support of Lebenshilfe Berchtesgaden, was also not forgotten thanks to the numerous donations from active participants and spectators.
Awarded
As in previous years, the winners in the classes were not determined by the time required, but a jury assessed the history of the vehicles at Roßfeld as well as the visual impression of the participating drivers. Comments of sympathy from the spectators were also included in this evaluation. The overall winner was Liechtenstein racing legend Manfred Schurti in his Austro Vau Formula V from 1968.
Second place went to Eberhard Mahle in a 1967 Porsche 911, while third place went to Harald Dietz in a 1938 Lancia Aprilia Zagato Spider.
And Joachim Althammer is already bubbling over with ideas for the focal points of the 2016 edition. Of course, Walter Röhrl will once again be at the center of his considerations. But more is yet to be revealed.
Motorsport fans can already look forward to a new edition from 23.09 to 25.09.2016.
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