This year, the rumble of thunder at the Eifel Rallye Festival (July 21 to 23, 2016) is likely to be particularly striking. Thirty years after the end of Group B, the high horsepower, high-sounding cars will be rushing to the Eifel for a revival. For this special occasion, some of the special stages in the Volcanic Eifel around Daun have been changed to offer teams and fans new challenges.
"The route has been decided and the permits from the municipalities concerned have all already been granted," said a delighted Peter Schlömer, Head of Organization at the organizing MSC Daun. "This early planning security is also a result of our really great relationships with the municipalities concerned and the approval authorities. You can always tell that our festival is very welcome in the region."
The 'Kelberger Land' competition, which was held for the first time last year, has been further upgraded. "To make it even more attractive for fans, the special stage now starts with a circuit with two village crossings," explains Schlömer. The two villages of Borler and Bodenbach are now each passed through twice. Another change concerns the classic 'Lehwald', which cannot be driven in its usual form due to roadworks. In order to preserve the popular spectator point 'Lehwald Arena' for the fans, a new form of the circuit will be driven there. This time, the vehicles will come from the other direction and can be seen three times.
Looking forward to real rally rarities
The desire of participants to attend the festival remains high. "The inquiries clearly show that our event has become very well known internationally," says Reinhard Klein (Cologne), who is responsible for registering the vehicles as the head of 'Slowly Sideways'. "The fans can already look forward to many new and rare rally cars." The focus this year is on Group B, which was banned from active sport 30 years ago. "Our clear goal is to bring all the top-class Group B cars to the Eifel. We have already made great strides in this direction, but there are still a few hurdles to overcome," says Klein with great confidence. However, the rally photographer does reveal one thing: "There will be vehicles and prototypes on display that have never been presented to the public before."
The age, technical complexity and, above all, the irretrievable originality of the cars of the time often make it impossible for the lovingly preserved one-offs to compete in all the special stages. Last year, very special vehicles therefore only took part in the 'Parade' and drove across the night stage in Sarmersbach before the main field. The parade will be seen twice in 2016. These special vehicles will start on Friday from 7.30 pm on the Hilgerath special stage with the passage through Sarmersbach, and on Saturday they can be seen again from 1.00 pm on the second run of the 'Kelberger Land'.
Escape the rush: Secure your tickets now
The ever-increasing interest in the Eifel Rallye Festival also means that the queues in front of the sales stands are getting longer. To avoid losing valuable time at the ticket booths, fans from other European countries can order tickets and program booklets in advance. This means you can plan the three days of the festival from the comfort of your sofa at home. "Spectators can expect a Group B show that has never been seen before. As a rally fan, you can't miss it. That's why I can only advise everyone to secure tickets and hotel rooms already," explains co-organizer Christian Geistdörfer. His former driver Walter Röhrl is once again the patron of the Eifel Rallye Festival. With their contacts in the rally scene, the two double world champions ensure many encounters in Daun that would otherwise hardly be possible.
All important information about the Eifel Rallye Festival can be found in the comprehensive program booklet. The collector's edition contains detailed descriptions of the individual special stages, the designated spectator points, all overview maps and the list of participants. All vehicles are presented in words and pictures.
A visit to the Rally Mile in Daun is free of charge, while various tickets are 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.
Program booklets and weekend tickets can be ordered in the rally store until 8 July 2016.
