Fans have been waiting for this: The entry list for the ADAC Eifel Rallye Festival (July 27 - 29, 2023) has been published. Over 160 teams with their historic cars will once again transform the Vulkaneifel into the largest rally museum on wheels. "We can once again offer fans of historic rallying an extremely diverse field. This includes vehicles that are rarely seen, but also real exotics such as the Ford Mustang driven by French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday at the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally," explains Reinhard Klein.
Once again, the head of 'Slowly Sideways' was not to be envied for his task, as he was only able to admit some of the many registrations to the start. "In the meantime, the first vehicles whose active time is not so long gone are also in collectors' hands and will be presented here." Portuguese Group N World Champion Rui Madeira, for example, is bringing the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3, his winning car from 1995, to the Eifel. He will share the transport truck with three other teams from his home country. Or the Ford Fiesta WRC and the Citroën DS3 WRC from Thierry Neuville's collection, driven by his two brothers. The two original cars that Audi Tradition is bringing to the Eifel for Stig Blomqvist and Harald Demuth will then take us back a few years.
After the VIP drivers, four Renault Alpines roll over the ramp - they bear witness to the brand's first WRC title exactly 50 years ago. The next starter group of four original(!) Lancia Rallye 037s commemorates the Italians' one-make title 40 years ago. This is followed by a colorful collection of vehicles that competed in the great rally classics. The RAC Rally kicks things off, followed by the Sanremo, Finland, the Acropolis, Corsica, the Safari, Portugal and Sweden. The great classics will be concluded by the queen of rallies. The Monte Carlo Rally also has the most participants.
After 40 years: Cherry on the cake
It is a minor miracle that a rally car that was used by the factory 40 years ago in the Safari Rally in Kenya and subsequently competed on African soil until 2007 still exists at all. But not only that: The Opel Ascona 400 with the internal identifier RA50 is back today as it was when it rolled to the start of the Safari in 1983. This is thanks to Andreas Hoppe, one of the people who is intensively involved in historic rallying. "The Ascona 400 has always been my dream car.
When the opportunity arose to buy this original found by Reinhard Klein in Africa, all I had to do was convince my wife to join me on this financial adventure," explains Hoppe with a grin. He felt 'like a 15-year-old with pimples proposing to his dream girl'. "I had calculated everything and tried to convince her very emotionally. She just said completely matter-of-factly: Yes! And when she saw the 400 for the first time 'it smells like camel'". Ramona Hoppe is now an enthusiastic co-pilot in this Ascona, which still delicately exudes the scent of Africa. "Everything in this RA50 really is original. The switches, the technology, the bags, even the modifications to the reading lamp for the co-pilot at the time, Lofty Drews."
The last factory Ascona 400 ever built was driven by rally professor Rauno Aaltonen and co-driver Lofty Drews in the Safari exactly 40 years ago. Before the final stage, they were within striking distance of the leaders and clocked in ahead of time so that they could take to the track first without any dust. It is said that team boss Tony Fall had instructed his drivers to radio in the middle of the night to report problems with the oil pressure so that the competition from Audi could be safe. In the middle of the night, Lofty Drews then radioed loudly: "We've got problems with the oil pressure!" and Fall internally confirmed that he had put on a terrific acting performance. But there were indeed problems with the oil pressure and everyone was able to witness the end of the drive unit live on the radio.
After 40 years, Rauno Aaltonen, Lofty Drews, who came all the way from Australia, and the RA50 are now meeting again in Daun. "An incredible way to round off the story, the absolute highlight for me," beams Hoppe, "it's like icing on the cake with a cherry."
CO2-neutral on the road: Inhester in the Porsche 911 SCRS from 1984
For the first time, a historic rally car will be powered by synthetic gasoline. Wolfgang and Rita Inhester will be driving their 1984 Porsche 911 SCRS on the demonstration routes in the Vulkaneifel region in a completely carbon-neutral manner. This is made possible by the supply of the synthetic fuel FuelMotion Synfuel 98, known as e-fuel, by Wirtz GmbH from Ratingen. Its Managing Director Andreas Deul emphasizes: "Our environment is our greatest asset. We feel committed to it in our actions and do our part every day to ensure that we pass it on to our descendants at least as we found it." Inhester adds: "Motorsport has been a pioneer of significant innovations since its beginnings. While most of these have been of a technical nature, it is now important to focus on climate protection, as some current racing series are already proving."
Inhester, who became German Rally Champion in 1980 alongside Achim Warmbold in the works Toyota Celica, explains: "If everything goes according to plan, we will be carbon-neutral with the 40-year-old Porsche, cleaner than any electric car in Germany with the current electricity mix. Historic rallying is facing a clean future!" Organizing Director Otmar Anschütz commented: "It is certainly a step in the right direction to set the course for a clean future in historic motorsport as well."
The Eifel Rallye Festival - timetable
- Thursday, 27.07.2023
15:00 - 19:00: Shakedown in Bodenbach
from 20:30: Welcome evening in the rally mile, open-air rally cinema with cult filmmaker Helmut Deimel - Friday, 28.07.2023
From 08:00: Vehicle scrutineering, rally mile in Daun
11:00 - 12:00: Autograph session with many stars
from 14:20: Hochkelberg 1
from 18:20: Hochkelberg 2 by night - Saturday, 29.07.2023
08:30 - 16:00: Asphalt tests in the Vulkaneifel region
in between: Daun rally mile with many attractions
from 19:30: Rally party with awards ceremony and prize-giving
Further information can be found on the ADAC Eifel Rallye Festival website.
