The ADAC Eifel Rallye Festival will see the tranquil Eifel town of Daun literally bursting at the seams on the last weekend in July: 165 historic vehicles from five decades will transform the district and spa town into the Mecca of historic rallying and is expected to attract more than 40,000 spectators to the Vulkaneifel.
The diversity of the field of participants has been increased once again compared to last year and is unparalleled: 75 different vehicle types from 33 different manufacturers make up the world's largest rally museum on wheels.
Crossover drivers of the "Youngtimer" group
Unlike the 150 cars in the main field, the advance cars, which can be recognized by their starting numbers V1 to V15 and of course by their spectacular driving style, do not have to comply with the strict rules regarding originality of "Slowly Sideways".
Walter Röhrl and Björn Waldegård
These two rally legends lead the main field, with numerous European and German champions following in their wake. A newcomer is the Finn Harri Toivonen. The son of 1968 European champion Pauli and brother of Henri, who was killed in an accident in 1986, had little chance of escaping motorsport in his younger years. The works driver for Austin Rover in the Metro 6R4 (1986) was also successful on the circuit. In Daun, he drives an Opel Manta 400 owned by Wolf-Dieter Ihle.
Robert Droogmans
Robert Droogmans is one of the most successful drivers in rally-mad Belgium. He became champion in his home country in 1986, 1987 and 1992. In 1990, he also won the European Championship title in a Lancia Delta. Droogmans is returning to the Eifel in a Ford Escort RS1800, his original car from the 1981 Belgian championship!
Matthias Kahle
Not many words need to be said about Matthias Kahle in Germany. With 41 victories and seven championship titles, the Cologne-based Saxon is the most successful driver in the history of the German Rally Championship. The long-standing Škoda works driver won the last Eifel Rally with modern cars in 2010 and has also been successful in desert rallies for years. In the Eifel, Kahle will start in a Škoda 130 RS from 1977.
Exotics at the Eifel Rallye Festival
In recent years, the Eifel Rallye Festival has also developed into a playground for exotic vehicles. The Citroën DS and SM models from France are the best examples of this. Both cars are replicas of earlier prototypes that were only produced in very small numbers for rally use. Equally rare but of a completely different caliber is the Peugeot 405 T16 Grand Raid. In the Eifel, the former Dakar car is venturing into very unfamiliar territory.
31 Group B vehicles at the start!
However, the biggest highlight for fans this year will probably once again be the 31 Group B cars, which triggered a real rally boom when they were active. We are talking about cars such as the Lancia 037 Rally, Audi Sport Quattro, Ford RS200 or Peugeot 205 T16. Since 1986, these 'drifting monsters' have been excluded from any kind of competition. However, as the Eifel Rallye Festival is not about best times and victories, they are still allowed to make the forests tremble. To the delight of their owners and, of course, the fans along the Eifel stages.
We will be there and will of course be reporting on this exciting event.
