This year's AVD Oldtimer Grand Prix offered something for everyone - large and attractive starting fields, fierce battles for position, engine noise at its finest, day and night races and sun, fog and rain. The spectators came in droves and the drivers thanked them with their spirited commitment in their two-seater racing cars and GTs up to 1965, sports cars from the 60s and 70s, historic Formula 1 cars, Formula Junior and DTM vehicles. So much racing history and technology can rarely be viewed in just a few hours and the tour of the paddock alone far outweighed any visit to the museum.
Highlight night race of the two-seater racing cars and GTs
Those who held out until 19:30 on Saturday were rewarded with what was probably the most exciting and interesting race of the weekend. Almost 50 two-seater racing cars and GTs battled for victory for an hour. The entry list was impressive and ranged from a Frazer Nash Le Mans MK2, Vertitas RS, Maserati A6GCS, Allard J2, Alta Sports, HWM Jaguar and Jaguar C-Types to several Maserati T61/T63s, also known as Birdcage. The oldest cars were 62 years old, the youngest 49. It is also rare to see such a complete collection of Lotus sports and GT cars in one field: Lotus Mk IX, Lotus Eleven, Lotus Eleven Le Mans, Lotus 17, Lotus 19 and Lotus Elite. Three Elvas also found their way into this race, two Mk IIIs and a Courier. Several Ferraris, more Maseratis, Mercedes SL and Aston Martins, Lister Jaguar, Austin Healey and Porsche (356) completed the field and even an MG Mistral was entered.
The start went off without a hitch and the pack of sports cars drove off into the night. Most of the cars drove with their lights on, but this could not quite make up for the fading daylight, so that in the late minutes some missed the braking point at the end of the home straight and had to drive in more circles. A whole series of penalties were handed out for driving too fast in the pits, failing to observe yellow flags and undercutting the pit time, or going into the pits too early or too late, which affected the result. The race was characterized by thrilling duels, skilful and spectacular driving at the limit and an incomparable atmosphere at dusk.
In the end, Alan and Jason Minshaw from Great Britain were victorious in their magnificent Maserati Tipo 61 with an average speed of 123.5 km/h. Second place went to David and Simon Ham in a Lister Jaguar, third to Adrian Kraft in a Maserati and fourth to Joos Tollenaar and Rolf Lamberty in a Lotus Eleven Le Mans S2, which was inferior in terms of displacement and performance. Fifth place went to a Kellison J4, followed by the Ferrari 196 S, Maserati 300 S and the first GT, the Austin Healey MK1. In 9th place, a spirited Lotus Elite crossed the finish line with an average speed of 112.5 km/h. It was definitely a feast for the eyes and, above all, the ears - the darker it got, the more you could hear the noises - and was probably the highlight of the whole event.
Newly added Italian Historic Car Cup
The overall program of the AVD Oldtimer Grand Prix 2010 offered many other races worth seeing, including the newly added Italian Historic Car Cup, which brought an incomparable selection of Italian gems to the starting line. From the Alfa-Romeo 33/2 Daytona, Simca-Abarth, Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta, 250 GT Drogo, 275 GTB, 365 GTB/4 Daytona to the Dino 196S, a whole pack of Maseratis 250 S, 300S, Tipo 61/63 Birdcage and Abarth Osella, everything was there to make connoisseurs' mouths water. And fans of a cultivated sound were not disappointed either! It was a shame that the race on Sunday literally fell through.
The weather was generally an issue, with beautiful and warm summer weather on Saturday and almost torrential rain on Sunday. The Eiffel lived up to its reputation. The weather forecast, which predicted up to 70 liters of rain per square meter on Sunday, probably made some potential visitors stay at home on Sunday. With over 60,000 spectators, the attendance fell slightly short of the previous year, but the result is still impressive. On Saturday in particular, the Ring was probably better attended than on the day before a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Colorful revival of the German Racing Championship
In beautiful weather on Saturday, the revival of the German Racing Championship 1972 to 1981 also made its appearance. Klaus Ludwig won the race with the freshly resurrected Porsche 935, Daniel Schrey came second in a Porsche 935 K3 and Paul Singer third in another Porsche 935. Unfortunately, Peter Mücke's fast Ford Capri RS 3100 didn't really get going, but still impressed on the track. As always, the BMW M1, CSL and the Corvette were beautiful to watch and listen to. The field was rounded off by many more Porsche 911s, 914/6s, Ford Escord RS 1600s, Ford Capris and even an Opel Commodore GS and an Alfa-Romeo 2000 GTV. Beautiful cars, most of them skillfully driven, made the hearts of the spectators beat faster.
Sports cars from 1963 to 1973 competed in the World Sportscar Masters . The first three places in the overall results show the breadth of the field: Abarth Osella PA1, Lola T70 MK III B and Chevron B16. Fourth place went to the Porsche 908/3 of Uli Schumacher and Jacob Frank. The other places show Lola T70, Porsche 908 and 910, Chevron B8/B16 and even a Cooper Monaco King Cobra and a Ford GT40. This race was also a highlight for the eyes and ears of the spectators.
It was a shame that the Orwell Supersports were conspicuous by their absence this year, as were the Group C sports cars that made such a spectacular appearance last year. But of course there is not enough room for everything in the daily schedule of the AVD OGP.
The Grand Prix Masters race with Formula 1 cars from the years 1970-1983 was somewhat affected by two safety car phases. However, the cars were definitely worth seeing and brought back some memories of the 1970s.
For fans of racing history from the 1930s to 1950s, the Historic Grand Prix Cars up to 1960 were certainly worth a trip to the Eiffel. Saturday's race was won by Tony Smith in his Ferrari 246 Dino, followed by Allan Miles in a Maserati 250F CM7 and Rod Jolley in a gleaming chrome Monza Lister Jaguar. Hubert Fabri finished fourth in an Aston Matin DBR4. The field was a colorful mix and included rarely seen rarities such as the ERA R9B and the Connaught B4. Here, too, there was a lot on offer both acoustically and visually - a wide variety of engine and drive concepts - and the vehicles were driven with great enthusiasm. On Sunday, the Monza Lister Jaguar took the win.
As always, the event was well organized and the track announcers entertained the spectators with many exciting details from the history of motor racing. The event was rounded off with demo and presentation runs, so there was never a dull moment.
See you next year!
