The second edition of the Historic Airfield Race on September 25-26, 2021 in Zweibrücken can probably best be described with the word "split in two". This applied both to the weather and to the simultaneous use of the airfield as a race track and a regular airfield.
With almost 180 starters for the actual race on an approx. 2 km long circuit in the eastern part and a slalom in the western part of the airfield area, organizer Wolfgang Heinz had put together a respectable field. The field of motorcycles, sidecars and cars was divided into a total of eight classes, each of which was allowed to drive two heats on both days.
As a treat before the event, the participants who were already present were able to take part in a closed corso (including a police motorcycle escort) into Zweibrücken city center, six kilometers away, on Friday afternoon, which ended in a one-hour presentation on the Schlossplatz and was presented there by the track announcer Klaus Lambert to an enthusiastic audience.
Only taking off during the race breaks
The special feature of Zweibrücken Airport is that it remains open during ongoing motorsport events and is used for normal flight operations during the breaks between races, meaning that it is actually "split in two" in terms of use. On the first race day, when the weather was glorious, there was an extremely large crowd of pilots and therefore longer breaks between races.
In addition, there was a 45-minute interruption in the second race for motorcycles built in 1981 and later, as a motorcyclist who had crashed had to be rescued. Fortunately, the rider involved in the accident did not suffer any back injuries, but "only" several broken ribs. Despite all the delays, all the riders in the following classes still had the opportunity to ride their second run.
The weather was also divided into two parts. After the continuous sunshine of the previous day, the approaching rain was in the air on Sunday. However, the first round could be completed almost entirely in the dry. In the second-to-last class with the sidecars, the sky was already dark gray, but the tricycle artists just managed to finish their run in the dry.
During the demo run of the touring and racing cars, it then started to pour down with rain. Many participants then packed up and decided not to take part in the second run, although the weather had improved considerably.
The Pop Palindrome and Formula 1
Probably the most eye-catching car at the event was the 1981 ATS-Ford D5, with large ABBA stickers emblazoned on the side of the car. Whether the Swedish driver Slim Borgudd (who played drums on several of the band's studio albums), who was active for the Palatinate ATS racing team in 1981, actually received financial support from ABBA or was just hoping for it in vain is assessed differently depending on the sources and therefore remains unclear.
In any case, the D5 was driven by Manfred Winkelhock the following year. Today, the car belongs to Walter Lais. He only acquired the ATS in Lyon last October after a year of negotiations and due to the coronavirus. Its racing history is not particularly long. In the first ATS BMW Turbo year in 1983, the Cosworth-powered car served as a replacement vehicle, but was no longer used. This was followed by many years as an exhibit at ATS in Bad Dürkheim.
A few years ago, the son of former team owner Günther Schmidt finally sold the entire stock of Formula 1 vehicles, i.e. three ATS and two Rial (the successor team), to a French investor. He had rebuilt the car in question and then handed it over to Lais.
Continued existence secured
The race will continue next year in Zweibrücken, again on the last weekend in September. However, this will not be the only circuit event that Heinz will be managing next year. The man from Losheim has pulled off another coup in his home town and will be organizing a similarly designed event on a 1.5 km road circuit on the extended Whitsun weekend for at least three years.
