The racing cars from the 1961 German Grand Prix will be "revived" at the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix 2020. There will be a revival run for these vehicles, which will take visitors back to the days of the German Grand Prix. The participating vehicles are simply too beautiful for the museum and will therefore once again do the honors on the race track and thus delight the spectators.
Big revival race
The AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix 2020 has defined the first details of the event program. As part of next year's 48th edition of the renowned racing festival for historic vehicles, there will be a revival run commemorating the 1961 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring: At the original venue, owners of the historic Formula 1 cars from one of the most legendary races that the Eifel circuit has seen in its history want to come together.
They complement a program for which many other highlights have already been confirmed: Sportscars from the 50s in the popular evening race on Saturday, the revival of the DRM cars, touring car and GT races will be seen as well as single-seaters from Formula Junior to Formula 1. Together with the Drivers' Association of Historic Racing (FHR), the new edition of the AvD Historic Marathon on the Nordschleife on the Friday of the event is planned as well.
The expected event date on the second weekend in August (August 7-9, 2020) has also already been set but still has to be confirmed by the FIA at the beginning of December.
Too bad for the museum, too valuable for racing
The 1961 Grand Prix Revival was a real coup for the organizers of the largest classic race in continental Europe: The vehicles presented here are rarely enough to be seen in the "wild". As the beautiful vehicles are far too good for the museum on the one hand, but should not be exposed to the rigors of racing due to their considerable value, a demonstration run was created. This was announced by the organizers of the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix and the organizers of the revival at a press conference on the occasion of a book presentation about the Ferrari 156 "Sharknose" at Heimerzheim Castle on 23 November.
"With the 1961 Grand Prix Revival, we want to organize a kind of high-speed parade," describes initiator Jason Wright. "Even if it's not a race, it will bring back great memories. Spectators will have the chance to see and hear these wonderful machines being used for what they were built for - but without the risk of accidents." The first confirmations have already been received and promise a meeting of rare and beautiful formula legends. In order to bring the contemporary atmosphere to life, the participating vehicles will be housed in a separate area of the historic paddock - in other words, in the exact same environment in which they were prepared for the race almost 60 years ago.
An era of excellent drivers and exciting vehicles
There are several reasons why the 1961 Grand Prix of all things is the subject of the revival. The monoposti that visitors can look forward to seeing are from the era of driver personalities such as Phil Hill, who was the first to break the nine-minute barrier on the Nordschleife in the Ferrari 156. Stirling Moss delivered one of his greatest races at the Nürburgring and the unforgettable Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips was in the middle of the fight for the world championship title one race before his tragic death in an accident, which was ultimately won by the equally legendary Phil Hill. The introduction of the 1.5-liter Formula 1 racing cars (from 1961) ushered in an era of great Grand Prix racing, with drivers in Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, Cooper and BRM battling it out. In fact, the starting field from back then reads like a "who's who" of famous personalities. Graham Hill, Jack Brabham and John Surtees battled with Bruce McLaren, Jo Bonnier, Hans Herrmann and Richie Ginther for world championship points. It was a decade of excellent drivers that is now being revived.
Further information
Further information can be found on the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix website.