The classic car enthusiasts who open their garage doors before Epiphany each year for the Planai Classic have no salt allergies, no ice phobia and no fear of rail-less chasms. Exposing yourself and your lovable classic car to weather like Patagonia is a real strain.
Praise from Rauno Aaltonen
For Finnish rally icon Rauno Aaltonen, 75, the last Planai Classic in January 2013 was a "feel-good scenario, it was the best Winter Classic, compact route, one SS after the other, the sudden appearance of ice and snow with water-filled ruts was a challenge."
Important co-drivers
Every year, the starting field of the Planai-Classic becomes a kind of "limited liability company": sliding and drifting are the order of the day, and the co-drivers in particular are called upon to act as the navigation system in the next seat.
What does an Aaltonen want from his "next-seat navigator"? Rauno: "A co-driver has to be polite, like an office manager, he has to have leadership qualities and be friendly. He must be able to articulate himself clearly. He has to be in good physical condition, because when he gets tired, his brain gets tired too, and his announcements become too slow."
Helmut Artacker, his "navigator", adds: "It's fun to ride with Rauno, especially in the stages where he has free rein and doesn't have to stick to the 40 km/h pace. One example: If a tourist bus stops us in a SS and I say we're minus ten seconds behind the average, he has the skills to make up that deficit very quickly. I then lose my friendliness and have to shout loudly to slow him down so that we are not too fast."
Experience counts
Pius Weckerle, a winner of both the Planai and the Ennstal-Classic, says: "Experience is everything". As winners of the Planai-Classic 2013, Weckerle/Schlager with their Porsche 912 had only 10.03 seconds off the target times after 21 special stages. The overall runners-up Michael Haberl/Therese Moser (Porsche 911) were 16 seconds off the target time, and Aaltonen/Artacker in the Mini were also only 18.65 seconds off the target time.
Following the tried and tested recipe with a few new features
What delighted the participants in 2013 will be continued and expanded in 2014. The race will traditionally kick off at the Gröbming racecourse.
New: instead of two, there will be three special stages at the Niederöblarn airfield, one of them on Saturday night, before the finish at Schloss Pichlarn. Two further night-time special stages will be uphill and downhill on the Dachstein toll road.
On Sunday, the Planai mountain classification is on the program, which is held in three heats and is divided into four individual SPs by an additional light barrier.
As in the Ennstal-Classic, cars built before December 31, 1972 are eligible to participate. Electronic aids are prohibited.
Register now
The registration deadline for the Planai-Classic 2014 is November 15, 2013. Participation costs 1000 euros.
Further information can be found on the event website.
