On the weekend of August 7-9, visitors were once again able to immerse themselves in memories of the fascinating races of the past. The three-day historic motorsport festival AvD Oltimer-Grand-Prix took place at the Nürburgring for the 43rd time and once again this year, the 52,000 spectators were treated to a number of highlights. In more than 20 excellently contested races, spectators were not only able to admire fast classics from all sporting categories, but also experience world-famous racing stars up close. Teams and partners of the event also showcased rare gems from their history in the paddock.
Focal points and special features
This year's edition of the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix had some very special treats in store: to mark Jaguar's 80th birthday, one round of the Jaguar Heritage Challenge did not take place on the British Isles for a change. In addition to Jaguar, "50 years of the Alfa Romeo GTA" was also celebrated. What appeared on the race track in honor of the latter anniversary was truly unique - when do you see 15 GTAm on a race track at the same time and in full action?
A focal point on Friday was of course the 4-hour race (AvD Historic Marathon) on the Nürburgring and the Nordschleife, which was held for the 25th time this year!
There is also a lot going on in the pit lane, especially in endurance races like this, because refueling, driver changes or repairs are often necessary to get to the finish line.
Other highlights were, of course, the fast Formula 1 and sports cars from the historic FiA championships.
Le Mans winner at the Nürburgring
In addition to fascinating vehicles, a motorsport festival like this also includes famous racing drivers. For example, contemporary witness Jacky Ickx, six-time Le Mans winner, was invited to the Nürburgring and was closely surrounded by fans during the interview and autograph sessions.
André Lotterer, who will be back at the Nürburgring in three weeks' time as part of the Sports Car World Championship, but then with the modern Audi R18 e-tron quattro prototype, delved into his own past during the weekend: in the DRM revival race, he competed in a Nothelle Audi 80 Coupé 2.0, to which he has a special emotional connection: "Back in 1981, the Kamei-Crew-Nothelle team was commissioned by Audi Sport to build the Quattro for the DRM and did it in an amazingly short time," explains the sports car star. "My father was responsible for the engine in this team at the time. It was a wonderful, sentimental experience to drive this car, which my own father had helped build the year I was born."
Joachim "Jockel" Winkelhock, who took overall victory at Le Mans for BMW in 1999, drove an Opel Ascona during the "Legends of Opel Motorsport History" presentation run: "I had the pleasure of driving a rally Ascona. It was Walter Röhrl and Jochen Berger's European Championship car from 1974. And some of the racing cars I saw here on the track also brought back childhood memories for me."
The group of Le Mans winners was finally completed by Richard Attwood who competed in the AvD Historic Marathon on Friday in his Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA. He drew clear conclusions about the changes since his earlier Nordschleife outings in the 1960s: "Everything was different here 40 years ago - even the road surface was different, very rough. With the Cobra that I drove here in 1964, I took off 30 times on one lap. The Alfa today always stayed on the ground."
Rally drivers on the circuit
Prominent rally drivers were of course also on site and at the wheel. World Rally Champion 1984 and Vice World Champion 1985 Stig Blomqvist started in his 1963 Ford Galaxie.
Matthias Kahle, seven-time German rally champion, was also very successful in endurance rallies. He completed a double start at the AvD Historic Marathon, where he drove the Skoda RS200.
Jaguar celebrates its 80th birthday
Jaguar prominently presented its long brand history: in addition to the brand-new models, many classics were also on display in the open Jaguar area. In a 40-minute race, the only international Jaguar Heritage Challenge, vintage Jaguars built in 1965 competed against each other in 5 classes. The duels between the small-looking E-Type and the Mk1 saloon cars were particularly impressive.
Andy Wallace, the successful racing driver from Great Britain, who celebrated long-distance successes primarily with Jaguar and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1988), Daytona (1990, 1997 and 1999) and the 12 Hours of Sebring (1993 and 1994), drove a 1957 Jaguar MK I in the Jaguar Heritage Challenge.
Ford Capri Zakspeed
This year, Peter Mücke, the head of a very successful racing team, competed in a perfectly restored 1980 Ford Capri Zakspeed. Alongside a sister vehicle, this Ford Capri Zakspeed is the only example of its kind still running. The beautiful vehicle used to be driven by the highly famous driver Klaus Ludwig. However, Mücke would never dream of letting "King Ludwig" behind the wheel. "The Capri is far too valuable for that," he grinned.
Klaus Ludwig was still at the start, however, and did so twice: at the Nürburgring Trophy on Friday, he took to the Nordschleife with Christian Jäger in the 1971 Porsche 911.
On Saturday and Sunday, he then switched to a 1979 Group 4 Porsche 930, which he shared with Ralf Schnitzler. He shared the track during the DRM Revival with many other Porsche racing cars and a handful of BMW M1...
For Ludwig, the start at the AvD meant a journey back into his own past. For it was here that he celebrated his first major successes. After the runner-up titles in 1975 and 1976 in the Kremer-Porsche 935, the championship titles soon followed in 1979 and 1981. He won these in the Zakspeed Ford Capri Turbo, which was driven by owner Peter Mücke as described. "It's beautifully built," Ludwig enthuses and grins: "The car is much nicer today than it was back then. Peter is also really fast with it, or - as he says - the car is fast with him."
Every year again
This year's AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix once again welcomed familiar faces. Among them is the longest-standing participant in the event - Uli Sauer (Iserlohn) - with his BMW 328, who has been taking part since the event was first held and has not missed a race since then.
Christian Graf von Wedel (Frankfurt) has also been there since the beginning, taking part in all of the 25 races held so far in his Austin Healey 3000 MkI, which means he has now driven around 3,000 Nordschleife bends.
Hanno Schumacher from Grafschaft competed in the AvD Historic Marathon in the 1968 Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider that he drove in the longest Nordschleife race of all time, the Marathon de la Route in 1971.
Duncan Rabagliati, the chairman of the FJHRA, will complete the 499th race in his Formula Junior Monoposto with his Alexis HF, which he has driven every year since 1989.
Paddock becomes a treasure chest
Every year, the historic paddock of the Nürburgring becomes a treasure trove, with over four dozen vehicles coming together once again this year. In the world's only original paddock from the 1920s still in use, the oldest cars of the weekend could be admired, competing in the Vintage Sports Car Trophy and the ASC Trophy. These vehicles, ranging from the Renault Rennsport of 1907 to the Veritas sports cars of the immediate post-war period, offer a unique opportunity to take a trip back to the beginnings of motorsport, such as the Mercedes-Benz 680 S Rennsport of Peterheinz Kern, in which Rudolf Caracciola won the opening race of the Nürburgring in 1927.
The oldest vehicle of the weekend is the Renault Rennsport from 1907, of which only very few examples remain today. One year after the first Grand Prix in history in 1906, the US American William K. Vanderbilt Jr. had a small series of sister cars built, which were powered by a 7.5-liter engine. Only some of them date from the "brass era", i.e. the time before 1918, when it was not yet possible to chrome-plate car parts.
Among the many vehicles worth seeing are two supercharged Mercedes models. Markus Kern's 710 SSK is particularly noteworthy. The so-called "GP10" is the original vehicle that Malcom Campbell bought and drove. Today, the car has the English registration with the license plate "GP 10" because this was Campbell's tenth Grand Prix car.
In addition to the many well-known cars, vehicle brands that have long since ceased to exist were also presented. Lokomobil, Alvis, Lagonda, Riley and Talbot are just some of the companies that have long since ceased to exist or have been transferred to other groups. Today they are classics and there are often very interesting stories behind them.
Long-distance classics in the twilight
Once again this year, the flair of the great endurance classics was palpable as the headlights of the beautiful racing cars flashed in the twilight. Maserati Birdcage and 250SI, Lister-Jaguar, Porsche 356 and RSK 718, the Lotus models, exotic rarities such as the Ferrari 250GT SWB Breadvan or the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato are just a few of the cars on the colorful list of two-seater racing cars and GTs up to 1960/61 that took part in the one-hour race on Saturday evening.
Once again this year, the 50 vehicles included extremely rare or historically important examples. For example, the very rare Maserati 250SI from Marc Deviis or Alexander Sator with his Maserati 300S, which was taking part for the first time.
AvD Historic Marathon and Nürburging Trophy
For the 25th anniversary of the AvD Historic Marathon, everything that historic motorsport has to offer was on display: Historic touring cars and GTs ensured a perfect start on the world's most beautiful and legendary race track. This year, the drivers had to contend with the high temperatures above the 30-degree mark. In the end, the experienced team of Marcus von Oeynhausen and Frank Stippler in the Jaguar E-Type won the race and celebrated their sixth marathon victory.
Mark Bates and Sean McInerney crossed the finish line in second place in the Porsche 911 RSR. The British duo also clinched victory in the Nürburgring Trophy, which was open to cars from 1967 to 1975.
Third-placed Mike Stursberg and Olaf Manthey provided a surprise. With their Ford Escort RS 1600, they finished ahead of many more powerful teams.
Early end for the IMSA rookie
Piero Siragna had less luck with his Porsche 924 GTR Turbo IMSA in the Touring Car Revival races.
This was because it leaked fluid during the race. The system was sealed, but this created excess pressure that could not be compensated for by the pressure relief valves. As a result, the Porsche lost 80 liters of fuel in just 20 minutes. Because the vehicle had only been imported from the USA two weeks ago, there was no time to carry out detailed checks. Visually, however, the very rare racing car still thrilled the audience and was photographed almost continuously during the race and in the paddock.
However, Piero Siragna does not want to be discouraged by the premature end. Instead, he wants to use the time until his return to next year's AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix to get to know the new sides of his "Lady" and to get used to the new driving style. "My lady has challenged me and she will continue to do so," says Siragna, "but we are getting closer."
All results in brief
R1 - FIA Masters Historic Formula 1 Championship
- Loic Deman, Tyrrell 010
- Michael Lyons, Hesketh 308E
- Andrew Wolfe, Tyrrell 011
R2 - FIA Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior cars
- Andrew Hibberd, Lotus 22
- John Evda, Brabham BT6
- Philipp Buhofer, Brabham BT6
R3 - FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship
- Wolfe-Gans, Lola T290
- Mark Piercy, Lola T290
- Mike Donovan, Lola T70 Mk III B
R4 - Revival German Racing Championship
- Peter Mücke, Ford Capri Zakspeed
- Achim Heinrich, BMW M1 Procar
- Michael Kammermann, BMW M1 Procar
R5 - Two-seater racing cars and GTs up to 1960/61
- Tony Wood, Lister Chevrolet knobbly
- Mark Lewis, Lister Chevrolet
- Julian Majzub, Sadler Mk III
R6 - Historic Grand Prix cars up to 1960
- Julian Bronson, Scarab Offenhausen
- Tony Smith, Ferrari 246 Dino
- Guillermo Fierro, Maserati 250F 2523
R7 - Jaguar Heritage Challenge
- Marcus von Oeynhausen, Jaguar E-Type
- Jamie Boot, Jaguar E-Type
- Harry Wyndham, Jaguar E-Type
R8 - Formula 3 cars from 1964-1984
- Valerio Leone, March 783 Toyota
- Michael Ringstroem, March 753 Toyota
- Thomas Warken, Ralt RT 3/84 Alfa
R9 - Gentlemen Drivers GT until 1965
- Andrew Haddon, AC Cobra
- Gans-Wolfe, AC Cobra
- Jamie Boot, TVR Griffth
R10 - AvD Touring Cars and GT / Alfa GTA
- Nicolai Kjaergaard, Lotus Elan 26 R
- Malte Fromm , Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAm
- Markus Niestrath, Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAm
R11 - AvD Historic Marathon
- Marcus von Peynhausen & Frank Stippler, Jaguar E-Type
- Allen Tice & Chris Conoley, Marcos 1800 GT
- Andrew Haddon & Martin Stretton, AC Cobra
R12 - Nürburging Trophy
- Mark Bates & Sean McInerney, Porsche 911 RSR
- Mike Stursberg & Olaf Manthey, Ford Escort RS 1600
- Frank Stippler & Dieter Klaus Frers, Porsche 911 Carrera RS
Vintage Sports Car Trophy GLP 1
- Gerald Tschörner, Bentley Derby 4 1/4 H
- Michael Grotzki, Alvis Firefly
- Karl J. Kraus, Bentley MK VI Special
Touring Car Revival 2015
- Peter Röllinghoff, BMW 320 i WTCC
- Andre Wax, BMW 320 E21
- Friedhelm Tang, Volvo 850 TR
