For the first time in the history of the "Battle of the Dwarves", the time-honored Sachsenring was the venue. As part of the Sachsenring Classic, which focuses mainly on motorcycle history, the dwarves had the opportunity to present themselves, race their bikes on the "North Loop of the East" and showcase exciting battles.
And they did. The very demanding track in Hohenstein-Ernstthal showed its most interesting side. Mixed weather conditions made it relatively difficult for the 46-strong starting field. At least when it came to choosing tires.
Maluch Trophy as guest starter
In addition to the well-known participants from the championship, we were also pleased to welcome Werner Liebers with his Zastava from the HAIGO.
Not to forget the guest starters from the Polish Maluch Trophy, who had come in large numbers from Poland to compete together with the dwarves once again.
After a dry practice session, Christoph Wilde on Simca Rallye took pole position. He was closely followed by Andreas Vielgut in an NSU and Michael Weissenborn in a Lada. The first Mini from the British Car Trophy, Detlev "Faxe" Wassong, took fourth place in practice.
The first two rows on the grid were therefore occupied by four different brands.
Race 1 with rain tires
At the start of race 1, the track was still wet, which prompted most of the participants to start on rain tires. Christoph Wilde dominated the race at the front, but had to give up the lead due to technical difficulties and ultimately finished in 10th place.
Due to many spins and slips into the gravel and the associated Code 60 phases, there was always tension at the restarts.
The winner was Hans Joachim Thomas on an NSU TT ahead of Herbert Wein jr. and Detlev Wassong both on Mini. Two more Minis followed in 4th and 5th place, before the only Lada in the starting field crossed the finish line in 6th place.
Werner Liebers, who finished in 7th place overall, also deserves a mention. In his Zastava, which he has been driving since 1984, the now 73-year-old is still faster than many of the younger drivers.
The 2nd race was just as exciting
The 2nd run was no less exciting. Andreas Vielgut started from pole with the NSU on slicks, but had to let the rain-soaked Minis of Wein Jr. and Wein Sr. go first on a wet track.
The polesitter from the previous day, Christoph Wilde in a Simca, made a good start to the race from 10th place. He celebrated a remarkable catch-up race that took him to the front. However, his efforts were not rewarded. Due to new technical problems, the Simca rolled out. As a result, Andreas Vielgut on NSU was able to regain the lead on the drying track and take the win. The podium was completed by father and son team Wein in their Minis.
The next race of the Battle of the Dwarves will take place on the Ardennes rollercoaster at Spa-Francorchamps.
As always, all reports on the Battle of the Dwarves can be found in the dedicated topic channel.
