The "Kilomètre Lancé" event, which was held as part of the St. Moritz Automobile Week 2021 from September 10 to 12, 2021, was for early risers. At least that was the impression on Saturday, when the first spectators arrived before 07:30 to catch a glimpse of the speeding cars getting ready for the start.
The event had already started the day before, with test runs for photographers and the first visitors.
Racing and demo runs on Saturday
From 08:30 on Saturday, the fast cars were at the start at the Samedan airfield in the Upper Engadine, not far from St. Moritz, and individually they drove the kilometers on the start and landing runway as fast as they could. This resulted in impressive top speeds and the times achieved were also impressive. It goes without saying that the most modern cars came out on top. But the historic racing cars also left nothing to be desired.
The cars were followed by the "Classic Sprint" over the quarter mile for the 16 or so motorcycles.
This was followed by demo runs over the kilometer and finally the "Power Class" with more motorcycles over the quarter mile.
In the afternoon, there were further motorcycle races (1/8-mile man against man with a knockout system) and demo races for cars.
The event ended with the "KML" party in the evening and a quiet Sunday.
Without problems
The races on Saturday went off without a hitch for the most part, although occasionally a car had to be persuaded to start, but that was no different 60 or more years ago.
While there was a certain amount of tension on the part of the organizers, the participants took it easy, were happy to talk to the visitors and were photogenic in their often historic racing suits.
Interesting mix of vehicles
There were some highly interesting racing cars from the past at the start. The Blitzen Benz from 1909 is a true displacement monster. 21.5 liters of displacement are spread over just four cylinders. With the right sprockets and corresponding gear ratio, the chain-driven car can theoretically reach a speed of around 190 km/h per kilometer.
The world record, which was set in Daytona in 1911 with aerodynamic bodywork, was an incredible 228.1 km/h. This record stood for ten years. However, the Benz was not quite that fast in Samedan, but 27.48 seconds for 1000 m with a standing start was quite respectable.
The Jaguar XK 120 was once considered the fastest production car in the world. "MDU 524" (XK 120 from 1952) reached 141 mph under Norman Dewis, only to lose this record again shortly afterwards to a Pegaso Z-102 BS 2.8.
Jaguar then decided to settle the matter once and for all and competed again in Jabbeke. With a few new modifications, the car finally reached 172.4 mph = 277.5 km/h.
The 1958 Fiat Abarth 500 Record Pininfarina no longer had much in common with the well-known 1950s small car from Fiat; only the engine with two cylinders and 479 cm3 was retained.
Thanks to the sleek body made of thin aluminum, the car weighed only 370 kg and, despite a modest 36 hp, managed a smooth 180 km/h - a proud speed in this class!
The Fiat-Abarth 1000 Record Pininfarina "La Principessa" from 1960 is one of the last creations trimmed for top speed that Pininfarina and Carlo Abarth brought into the world.
With a drag coefficient of 0.27, even manageable horsepower and displacement were enough to achieve high speeds.
The Wisconsin Special from the 1920s, with which Sig Haugdahl set a land speed record in Daytona Beach on April 7, 1922 at 180 MPH (approximately 292 km/h), was also at the start, although this was not recognized by the AAA. Thanks to a Wisconsin aircraft engine from the First World War with a displacement of 13.6 liters, the streamlined monster produced 250 hp on the road. On the Samedan runway, the Special needed 30.56 seconds for the 1000-metre standing sprint.
However, the vehicles mentioned were neither the strongest nor the fastest vehicles in the Engadin on this Saturday. After all, there was also a Maserati 250F, a Ford Galaxie 500, a TVR Griffith 400, an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint SZ, some pre-war specials, various Porsches and some modern super sports cars at the start. Incidentally, a Bugatti Divo set the best time of the day with 17.2 seconds for the kilometer with a standing start at Engadin Airport.
For the public, however, the old record-breaking vehicles were probably the main reason to travel to Graubünden, even if interest was no longer focused on the equally exciting motorcycles.
Taking part before winning
At the end of the day, of course, it was the Olympic idea that counted. With the first staging of the "Kilomètre Lancé" as part of the International St. Moritz Automobile Week, the foundations have been laid for further increases in the coming years.
The " St. Moritz Automobile Week " has only just begun, because during the week, but especially on the weekend of September 17 to 19, 2021, there is also a Concours d'Elégance, an RM/Sotheby's auction and finally the already well-established Bernina Gran Turismo mountain race on the Bernina Pass to visit in the St. Moritz area.
