Klausen Historic GmbH plans to hold the Klausen Race for historic vehicles at regular intervals from 2026
From 1922 to 1934, the Klausen race for cars and motorcycles on the Klausen Pass (1,948 m above sea level) in Switzerland was considered the toughest mountain test in Europe. Man and material had to prove themselves on 21.5 km of gravel road and documented the progress of technology in the pioneering years.
Between 1993 and 2013, five memorial races were held on the Klausen with great national and international resonance. Since then, participants and visitors have missed this highlight of historic motorsport in the unique Swiss mountain landscape.
On August 6, 2022, the 100th birthday was celebrated as part of a memorial event with show drives by several hundred classic vehicles. It brought the fascination of the "Klausenrennen" back into the memories of many people.
The newly founded Klausen Historic GmbH has set itself the goal of holding the Klausen Race again on a regular basis from 2026 as a contemporary classic car event for vehicles built up to 1945. Younger and older generations should feel the spirit of progress of the early 20th century and experience the joy of technology and conviviality live. The cantons of Glarus and Uri should be able to highlight their touristic, cultural and social values throughout Switzerland and beyond its borders.
Key data for the first planned staging of the international Klausen Race in 2026
- Date (planned): September 25 to 27, 2026
- Route:
As for the historic races, from Linthal (GL) to the top of the Klausen Pass (UR) - Course profile:
Length 21.5 km, difference in altitude 1,286 m, 136 bends, 5.9 % gradient, with time neutralization on the Urnerboden - Vehicles:
Open to around 250 cars and 150 motorcycles built up to 1945 and special categories of later model years - Categories:
Regularity tests with personal target times and race categories according to absolute time driven - Field of participants:
International field of participants with drivers from Switzerland and abroad - Audience:
Public event with around 20,000 spectators - Program:
Friday, 25.09.2026: Vehicle exhibition and acceptance in Glarus
Saturday, 26.09.2026: Practice run and 1st competition run
Sunday, 27.09.2026: 2nd race and ranking announcement
25.-27.09.2026: Supporting programs for participants and spectators in Glarus, Linthal, Urnerboden and Altdorf
Regular organization planned
The historic Klausen races from 1922 to 1934 are also intended to be a symbol of the key importance of technology, progress and change in the cultural and social environment of modern times. At that time, the racing cars represented what was technically feasible and inspired people for progress through automobile technology.
Today, these vehicles still exert a great fascination because, despite their advanced age, they are capable of impressive performance and impressively demonstrate what was technically possible at the time. They show us how technology in general has had a significant impact on the changing times. With this in mind, the new Klausen races are intended to revive the joy of both old and modern technology.
To achieve this, the new Klausen races will be organized according to the following principles.
Purist: The events will be organized as sporting, historic hill climbs - with regularity tests and race categories as well as the necessary safety arrangements - and will be based as far as possible on the original races from the pre-war era. They are clearly geared towards the needs of the drivers and their racing and sports vehicles.
Modern: The means available today in the field of video, streaming or GPS tracking should be used to be able to experience the Klausen races as closely and intensively as possible during, before and after the event.
International: There is nothing quite like the "Klausen myth", as Bernhard Brägger aptly described the legendary Klausen races in his book of the same name. And the myth still lives on in the minds of many people around the world. The new Klausen races are therefore aimed at both national and international participants and audiences.
Regularly: The new event is to be given a permanent place in the historic motorsport agenda by holding the Klausen races at regular intervals. By holding the Klausen Race on a regular basis, it should become a reliable, predictable part of the event calendar for the cantons of Uri and Glarus, the population and local businesses and generate sustainable value for the region.
About Klausen Historic GmbH
Klausen Historic GmbH was founded in July 2023 by Christian Walti and Alexander Roosdorp with the aim of organizing the Klausen Race as a regular, historic motorsport event. The two founders are united by their decades-long passion for classic vehicles and their conviction that the racing and sports cars of the pre-war era are both fascinating contemporary witnesses to the cutting-edge technology of the time and also emotional, appealing vehicles that still inspire enthusiasm for technology and progress today.
Further information will be published on the event website in the near future.
