This year, the weather has not been kind to motorsport events: Fog made for the shortest 24 hours ever at the Nürburgring, while prolonged rain at the 24 Hours of Le Mans resulted in a safety car phase lasting several hours. And the Solitude Revival almost fell through too. But one thing at a time.
The track at the Glemseck should be familiar to all motorsport fans, so a detailed description is superfluous. I'll just quote "Striezel" Stuck, who was enthusiastic about the track, saying that for him it was second only to the Nürburgring in terms of driving character. The drivers used to have to really fight. There are some interesting corners, he says, and he should know.
First of all, the numerous visitors were greeted at the entrance by the neatly lined-up vehicles that would later take part in the "Corso Classico". A museum on wheels was on offer. Vehicles from A to Z, whether two, three or four wheels, large or small, heavily or lightly motorized, pre-war vehicles or young racing cars whose active time was not so long ago - there was everything to see. With 400 entries, there should have been something for everyone. As expected, the event on the outskirts of Stuttgart was somewhat Mercedes- and Porsche-heavy, but this did not detract from the event.
Richy Müller, who most people know as Targa-driving crime scene inspector Thorsten Lannert, did not miss the opportunity to switch models. He was allowed to drive the Porsche Museum's Carrera GTL Abarth, which the racing-enthusiastic actor clearly enjoyed. In his private life, the trained toolmaker has enjoyed driving a brown 911 Targa, which looks very similar to the car from the TV series.
District Administrator Roland Bernhard, who had approved the event, was driven around the course in the red ONS safety vehicle as a thank you. He would have liked to enjoy another lap, but the schedule did not allow it. The Porsche 914/6 GT was Herbert Linge's first ONS service car in 1972 and soon established itself as the fastest fire engine in the world
Wet Saturday
Saturday morning went smoothly, but then at 1:25 p.m. it became "the day the rain came" - not the long-awaited one, as in the Dalida song, but rather the one feared by the visitors and the organizers.
Richy Müller and all the others who were still on the track with their vehicles - even those without roofs - still had to finish their lap, which resulted in some beautiful photos and, despite slick tires, went off without any accidents.
Afterwards, it was said twice - visitors to the Nürburgring 24 Hours know this phrase well enough - "we'll know more in half an hour", while some operators of the stands on the traffic practice area literally sank into the water. In short: the race had to be abandoned.
Walter Röhrl is reported to have said during one of his earlier drives at Solitude that rain was not a problem, but merely a question of attention and the vehicle. In the Porsche tent, he answered questions from the enthusiastic spectators and was available for photos and autographs.
The organizer's off-road vehicle, which lived up to its name as a "towing vehicle", had longer to do. The meadow, where many visitors had parked, had been completely soaked by the rain, which led to numerous low-traction departure problems. Lucky those who used the well-organized shuttle service from the parking lot in Leonberg.
Dry Sunday
The weather held up on Sunday and offered visitors the expected entertainment. Those who walked through the underpass to the traffic practice area were able to thoroughly inspect the participating vehicles, discuss with the owners, dine exquisitely or watch Porsche celebrate "50 years of Turbo". Rarities such as the "Dreikantschaber", a Porsche 2000 GS Carrera 2 with a bizarre light-alloy body, were also on display. Meanwhile, "stadium announcer" Johannes Hübner told interesting stories about the track, its history and the vehicles.
Of course, a number of motorsport celebrities were present: You could get into conversation with Jochen Mass, Karl Wendlinger, Bernd Schneider or even Norbert Haug, just to name a few. The successful Stuttgart racing driver Günter Steckkönig, who has close ties to this race track, drove the Martini Porsche with the number 926 - not only to the delight of the spectators, but also to celebrate his 88th birthday.
Despite the forced wet break on Saturday, the racing car show on the historic circuit on the outskirts of Stuttgart was a successful event. And in contrast to the Nürburgring, more than half the "race distance" was driven here. We are already looking forward to 2025 when the weather will hopefully be more stable.
