From August 31 to September 2, 2018, the annual Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort took place near the town of the same name in Holland. Since its first staging in 2011, the event has experienced a meteoric rise and is now one of the largest historic racing events on the continent.
The Grand Prix features many different racing categories, each with their own prizes. Every year, the organizers come up with new combinations, which ensures that the event never gets rusty. The excitement is always great to see which categories have been "invented" again.
The race track itself deserves special mention. Situated close to the Atlantic Ocean and in the middle of the dunes, sand is constantly blowing onto the track and makes driving even more difficult, but also contributes to the unique character of the facility.
A drive through the center of Zandvoort is certainly one of the highlights of the Grand Prix. This gives spectators the unique opportunity to see the drivers up close and maybe even have a chat with them.
Touring Car Classics
One of eleven categories this year was the "Touring Car Classics". As is well known, it is mainly DTM and ITC touring cars built between 1980 and 1990 that compete here. The one-time favorites - Mercedes Benz 190 Evo 2 and the BMW M3 - were of course also at the start in Zandvoort.
In this class, two Mercedes Benz C-Class driver teams, Hatscher-Ludwig and Thorsten Koch, were able to look forward to a podium finish. Hatscher-Ludwig took first place with starting number 3 and Stadler second with starting number 1.
Meanwhile, Gerhard Füller, driver of the only Opel in the race with the number 86, basked in third place.
FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship
Only prototypes from the sixties to the mid-seventies were entered in this race. Many of these vehicles had previously competed in the famous Le Mans race, among others.
Local heroes David Hart and Nicky Pastorelli prevailed in their Lola T70 MK3B and took first place. They were followed in second place by the Voyazides-Hadfield team, also in a Lola T70 MK3B. Third place also went to a Lola.
Special Guest Porsche 961
Porsche is an important sponsor of the annual Historic GP in Zandvoort. No wonder some of the German carmaker's gems also took part this year.
Among others, the Porsche 908, 906 Carrera 6, 911 RSR 2.1 Turbo and the extremely rare Porsche 961 were represented.
The 961 celebrated its endurance racing debut in 1986 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at that time still in all-white livery.
It was based on the Porsche 959 and made a number of improvements. For example, it was the first Porsche racing car with all-wheel drive, a decisive advantage in less than ideal weather conditions. Compared to the predecessor model, the aerodynamics were improved, the large rear wing was adjustable and additional cooling openings were intended to keep the engine running at peak performance at all times.
However, the vehicle had its problems. For example, the all-wheel drive was not ideal at high speeds, as it braked too hard. The 961 also constantly struggled with transmission problems and extremely high fuel consumption (suboptimal aerodynamics).
The sum of these shortcomings and a fire that broke out during the third race in 1987 (also Le Mans) ultimately led to the suspension of development work by Porsche.
Despite its shortcomings, the 961 can be considered a success, as the knowledge gained had a lasting influence on the development of Porsche sports cars.
Attractive cars on the racetrack
Not only in the races, but also in demo runs, extremely interesting vehicles could be observed, such as the two Ferrari 156 F1 "Sharknose" from 1961 driving in a duet, which unfortunately only exist as replicas.
BMW brought Le Mans cars from the past to Zandvoort, including the 1999 winner, the V12 LMR, as well as the McLaren F1 GTR BMW from 1996.
The list could go on and on, e.g. with Jaguar or Porsche (including Gijs van Lennep at the wheel of a 908/3), but we recommend taking a look at the picture galleries instead.
The official website of the event provides further information about the Grand Prix.
All the results of the individual races can be found on the Timeservice page.
