It will be a feast for all fans: at the Eifel Rallye Festival (from July 21 to 23, 2016), at least 65 vehicles from the legendary Group B and the Group S prototypes that never officially started will rock the Vulkaneifel. Around Daun, there will therefore be the world's biggest ever meeting of these extraordinary and spectacular cars.
Remembering the highlights of rally history
A total of 150 historic rally cars from five decades of this fascinating sport will be on display over the three days of the festival in the Rally Mile in the middle of Daun. On the special stages in the Volcanic Eifel, the visual enjoyment will be complemented by acoustic reminders of the highlights of rally history.
The range of Group B cars extends from the Opel Manta 400, Mazda RX-7 and Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo to the wing monsters such as the Audi S1, Peugeot 205 T16 and Lancia Delta S4. Models from at least twelve different brands are represented, including exotics such as the only drivable example of the Group B prototype Ford Escort 1700T. All available quattro types - long, short, with or without wings - are represented, and not just from Audi.
"All the top-class players from the Group B era are at the start. I had hoped for it, but hardly believed that we could succeed. There is only one exception: the Citroën BX 4TC is the only top car not to be seen in the Eifel. We searched for a long time, but couldn't find a BX that could drive even one meter," explains Reinhard Klein (Cologne), the head of "Slowly Sideways", looking at the provisional entry list. "Either way, this is a sensational field, it's unique in the world," adds the rally photographer. "We are also experiencing a new awareness of the history of rallying here. Many owners have the unique, irreplaceable and now almost priceless originals at home. With us, they start with faithful replicas and thus keep the visual and acoustic memory of this time alive." For fans, it will be July 1, 2016 before the final entry list for the 2016 Eifel Rallye Festival is published.
Italian power: Miki Biasion and Niki Schelle in the Lancia Delta S4
Italian Massimo "Miki" Biasion won the World Rally Championship in the Lancia Delta Integrale in 1988 and 1989. He was only the second driver after Juha Kankkunen to defend his World Championship title. He won his first WRC race in 1986 in Argentina in a Group B Lancia Delta S4. In the Eifel, the double world champion and long-time Lancia works driver will be driving just such a Group B car, a Delta S4 from Bruno Ianniello's collection in the traditional Martini livery. The sister car in the black and gold Esso colors is driven by Nikolaus "Niki" Schelle from southern Bavaria.
The successful rally driver and presenter of the RTL2 show Grip says: "I'm really looking forward to this assignment, which will not only fulfill a lifelong dream as a rally driver for me, but also for my long-time friend and co-driver Thomas Fuchs. I've had the pleasure of driving a lot of great rally cars, but this is the crowning glory." Last year, he and "Faxe" Fuchs competed on Tuscan gravel, "if you can read that out loud, you should be able to cope as a co-driver in a Group B car." Schelle promises one thing: "We will put on a great show on the Eifel stages."
Traditions: "Autostadt Welcome Evening" and "Bosch Super Stage"
Despite many innovations, the tried and tested traditions of the Eifel Rallye Festival will of course remain. On Thursday evening, directly after the Shakedown, Otto F. Wachs, Managing Director of Autostadt, will invite the participants and guests to the "Welcome Evening" in the Daun Rally Mile. Helmut Deimel, the cult rally filmmaker from Vienna, will be showing very special excerpts from his seemingly inexhaustible archive in the open-air rally cinema. In particular, he will showcase the top drivers present, such as double world champion and patron Walter Röhrl, double world champion Miki Biasion, world champion Stig Blomqvist, Harald Demuth and Mike Kirkland.
One of the highlights of Friday is the Bosch Super Stage. The only gravel stage during the festival weekend shows the rally cars in the most extreme driving scenes. It doesn't matter whether the fans gather at the drift curve, the jump or the water crossing. It is always spectacular.
New advance service for fans
The organizers of the Eifel Rallye Festival, led by Peter Schlömer (Daun), have provided a new, unique service for spectators. From now on, you will find a number of videos about the respective spectator points on the demonstration routes at http://eifel-rallye-festival.de/de/zuschauerpunkte.html. The exact location and directions to these spectator points can be found in the program booklet.
All important information about the Eifel Rallye Festival can be found in the comprehensive program booklet. Visiting the rally mile in Daun is free of charge, while there are various tickets available for visiting the special stages. These range from a one-way ticket for the shakedown on Thursday in Brück to a weekend ticket for all three festival days. The program booklets and the weekend tickets can be ordered in the rally store until 8 July.
The DVD of the 2015 Eifel Rallye Festival
The best action, spectacular onboards and interesting interviews - with the official DVD, you can relive the unique atmosphere of the Eifel Rallye Festival and watch the spectacle from different angles. A special highlight of the fifth edition of the festival were the five world stars Walter Röhrl, Sandro Munari, Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist and Timo Salonen, who captivated the audience. The 2015 review will focus on the motto "Originality". Some of the most spectacular originals and replicas and their stories are shown. The bonus material also includes driving footage of the more than 150 participants. The 50-minute DVD of the 2015 Eifel Rallye Festival can be ordered for 19.95 euros at www.rallywebshop.com.
