On September 11, 2021, a piece of motorsport history will be revived at the picturesque Engadin Airport with the "Kilomètre Lancé - Alpine 1000" - after 92 years. The focus will be on sprints over the 1/8 and 1/4 mile.
To do justice to the historical claim, motorcycles and cars demonstrate their acceleration skills even over the distance of one kilometer. Cool locations in the municipality of St. Moritz will turn one of the most famous winter sports venues into a meeting place for the motorcycle scene and petrolheads for three days.
The focal point will be a container city directly on the shores of Lake St. Moritz, with a "Motorcycle & Fashion Show" and many culinary highlights. A film festival is planned to match the theme. Atmospheric overnight accommodation is available at two high-quality campsites in the immediate vicinity of the sprint races.
Solitude GmbH becomes a partner agency of the Int. St. Moritz Automobilwochen AG, which was founded on a historical model, with the common goal of developing the opening weekend into a mobility festival with a focus on motorcycles. The PR and event agency from Renningen near Stuttgart will be represented by two long-standing scene experts: Glemseck 101 founder Jörg Litzenburger and Solitude race and Interserie Revival initiator Tobias Aichele.
Jörg Litzenburger: "We will offer various highlights around the St. Moritz venue to establish an unforgettable festival with a focus on classic motorcycles in the beautiful Engadine."
The event manager for the motorcycle sector adds: "In the sprint races over the established 1/8 mile distance, 16 motorcycles will present a "Classic Sprint" with a focus on the Swiss motorcycle scene.
The announcement and selection of the machines for the "Café Racer Löwen Sprint" will be made via the social media channels of sprint scene great Steven Flier. The fast bikes that have been causing goosebumps and furore for years in the "Sultans of Sprint" and "Internationals" classes at the cult event Glemseck 101, for example, start under the term "Power Class".
All motorcycle sprints will be held over the 1/8 mile as a "man against man" or "woman against woman" or "woman against man" race according to the familiar knockout system.
In the demonstration runs over the kilometer, time will be measured individually using a light barrier. "Here, motorcycles will be able to compete with formula cars and hypercars," Aichele gives a brief insight into the wide range of vehicles and adds: "Petrolheads will get their money's worth in a pure classic sprint for cars over the 1/4 mile. Both organizers agree: the event at the "Top of the World" will be a festival for all the senses.
Part of the St. Moritz Automobile Week
In the 1920s, the historic Automobile Week consisted of a kilometer race on the first asphalted track in the canton of Graubünden between Punt Muragi and Samedan, a Concours d'Elegance at the Kurhaus (today's Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains in St. Moritz Bad), a skills race, a rally and, as the highlight, the Bernina Race. At the time, Hans Stuck in an Austro Daimler (1929) and Louis Chiron in a Bugatti (1930) won the competitions.
Optimistic
The organizers are optimistic about planning security in Corona times "With Bernina Gran Turismo in September 2020, we have proven that we can implement an event excellently even with strict conditions," emphasizes Florian Seidl, head of the International St. Moritz Automobile Weeks AG. In general, the organizers swear by the cooperation with the Swiss authorities that has grown since 2015. "The cooperation with the municipalities, the canton, the tourism offices, the police and all the authorities works brilliantly!" enthuses Claus Müller, who has been coordinating Seidl's team and has experience with classic car events since 1986.
Further information can be found on the event website.
