Marco Werner, three-time overall winner of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, sums it up: "The Bosch Hockenheim Historic is a great racing event for all fans. From Formula Junior with 130 hp to Formula 1 during demo laps or in the BOss GP, everything can be seen - and above all heard! There's plenty for the ears."
For three days, from April 26 to 28, the entire spectrum of historic racing will gather at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg for the season opener. In addition to the spectacular racing cars from the BOss GP and CanAm series, this year's highlights include Timo Glock and Ralf Schumacher's Toyota F1 cars from the 2000s, Michael Schumacher's Ferrari from 1997 and a whole handful of Maserati super sports cars - led by Michael Bartels in his GT1 world champion car. A varied supporting program is the icing on the cake of the Jim Clark Revival.
A dozen different racing series do the honors. Marco Werner starts in four of them - which could not be more different: In the FIA Lurani/Formula Junior European Championship, which is teeming with mini monopostos. In the CanAm series, which stands for true horsepower and wing monsters, with a McLaren M8F with an 8.1-liter engine! And in the Youngtimer Challenge in a BMW M1. Full throttle everywhere, of course. Only in the 1988 Formula 1 Arrows do things move at a leisurely pace. "It's great to be able to drive so many different racing cars. I'm really looking forward to it," says the 52-year-old.
It goes without saying that the busy man also does his best at the autograph sessions. Next to him signing: Timo Glock, Martin Donnelly and Harald Grohs - as well as the grand seigneur of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic, Jochen Mass.
BOss GP, Raceclub Germany and Team FNT with Formula 1 cars
Five recent Formula 1 racers form the visual and acoustic spearhead of the BOss GP series, led by Ingo Gerstl in the Toro Rosso and his fiercest rival Phil Stratford in the Benetton. A pack of noisy GP2 racers enriches the starting field.
The fantastic Raceclub of Germany also has five Formula 1 cars in the field, although the participants are careful with their crown jewels in order to preserve their value. As in the previous year, renowned Swiss racing car collector Jo Vonlanthen is bringing Michael Schumacher's 1997 Ferrari to Hockenheim as a special gem. The oldest vehicle in the Raceclub field, a Lagonda from 1948, is also sure to be an eye-catcher.
The FNT team will spoil the spectators with the latest examples of the premier class: the Toyota TF 105 with a ten-cylinder engine, which Ralf Schumacher even drove to pole position in Japan in 2005, and Timo Glock's Toyota TF 108 from 2008, which draws around 900 hp from a sonorous naturally aspirated V8 engine. The DTM star will drive "his" car around the Grand Prix circuit himself on all three days of the event.
CanAm with Gentle Drivers Trophy, Formula 2 and others in the boom
CanAm fans take note: The horsepower and wing monsters have teamed up with the "FHR - A Gentle Drivers Trophy" for Hockenheim. The result is a formidable starting field, including two powerful McLaren cars, Lolas, Porsches and a Chevron, Reynard and De Tomaso each. Brand diversity is the trump card in the "FHR 100 Mile Trophy", with names such as Jaguar, Lotus, Ford, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz providing the sparkle.
Some series have full starting fields, including the Historic Formula 2, which is beautifully and horribly intertwined with Hockenheim. The F1 junior class celebrated its heyday in Baden, but it was also here that Jim Clark had a fatal accident in an F2 race on April 7, 1968. The Lotus Cup Europe is also booming with its diverse starting field of different models - and is a tribute to Jim Clark. Closely associated with Lotus, the Scottish driving genius imbued the brand with the magic that has surrounded it ever since.
Formula racers from a wide range of junior categories (Formula 3, Formula Ford, Renault, VAU) and fierce duels are the sparks that fly in the stands at the Historic Racecar Association races. The huge starting field of the FIA Lurani Trophy/Formula Junior European Championship also gets down to business. Small cars, sharp elbows!
The philosophy of the "Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge" with its 40 or so participants is completely different: pure driving fun, just don't overestimate yourself! The starting line-up of the "Triumph Competition & British HTGT" should be viewed at your leisure if you have a thing for the beauty of British automotive engineering, for the Triumph range and models from Austin Healey, Jaguar, MG or Morgan. No less attractive are the vehicles of the "Passionata Maserati", which is organized by former DTM and F1 driver Michael Bartels. He also leads the group's presentation runs - in his world champion Maserati MC 12 GT1, which conceals a whopping 630 hp under its beautiful bodywork.
Bosch - namesake and committed event partner
In keeping with a fine tradition, Bosch Classic will be presenting historic and groundbreaking exhibits in and in front of its hospitality area. Multi-talented racing driver Mario Ketterer, who is 69 years old and has only been "retired" since 2013, will be on hand to sign autographs and talk petrol. The Bosch Building Technologies division will be presenting itself inside, while vehicles such as the new Formula Student monopostos, an Audi Quattro rally car and VW T1 "Bullis" from Bosch Classic will be on display outside.
Entertainment on the entire Hockenheimring site
The varied supporting program of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic ensures that visitors will not be bored for a minute. Whether it's the Jim Clark exhibition in the Congress Pavilion (a must!), the slot car racing competition in the same place, the special exhibition of two Porsche 917s to mark the 50th birthday of the racing car legend, the presentation of the Design Award or the tribute to Jim Clark at the Memorial. The pit roof proves to be a veritable treasure trove for fans of historic racing and related paraphernalia, while the little ones find their happiness in the Kids Club. A shuttle bus takes fans to the brand club area near the east grandstand, where countless collector's cars are on display.
Moderate ticket prices with taster offer
For ten euros you can have a look on Friday, a day ticket for Saturday or Sunday costs 30 euros each, 45 for the weekend, wheelchair users and children up to and including the age of 14 have free admission - paddock and free choice of seats included. Tickets are available via the online ticket store or by calling the hotline on +49(0)6205 950-222, further information can be found at www.hockenheim-historic.de.
