On the same day and on the same 3.7 km route from Opfertshofen (Canton Schaffhausen, Switzerland) as 71 years ago, a Radclassic and a classic car mountain ride will take place on October 10, 2021. As well as being steeped in tradition, the mountain route also has a well-known name, as it is also known as the "Kleiner Klausen".
Two-part program
On Saturday there will be a "warm-up rally" for the participants of the Sunday mountain runs. This is optional and is intended to give all official participants an insight into the beautiful landscapes of the region on Saturday.
As a team of two, equipped with a road book and rally app (Tripmaster), you will drive individually in normal road traffic from the Rhine Falls via the Zurich wine country, through the beautiful Thurgau to Kreuzlingen and back along the shores of Lake Constance and along the Rhine to Opfertshofen to finish the rally ... of course in compliance with the traffic regulations ... the entire former race track of the "Opfertshofen hill climb", which was last used 71 years ago over the entire length of 3.7 km.
True to the motto "meet, enjoy, inspire", everything takes place without time pressure, timekeeping and stress and offers teams an easy introduction to the world of classic car rallies. No prerequisites are necessary.
A dinner together then brings the day to a close and gives time for friendship and petrolhead discussions.
On Sunday, it will be the races that are set to thrill the spectators. At around 09:30, the racing cars drive around the Berghof, a second run takes place at 09:50, followed by the racing motorcycles and the world's fastest bathtub (escorted by go-karts).
From around 10:35 a.m. onwards, there will be Corso rides and from 11:00 a.m. more classic cars.
In between, the nostalgic racing cyclists will arrive. There will be more races in the afternoon.
With a lot of tradition behind it
The first archive records of the Opfertshof hill climb, which in the early days was organized by the SRB together with the TCS Schaffhausen, date back to 1927.
In the Schaffhauser Nachrichten report of September 24, 1928, the "little Klausen" was mentioned for the first time. Some drivers said that they would rather miss a bigger race than miss the Opfertshof hill climb. The popularity of the route is further illustrated by the fact that this hill climb was one of the best-attended automobile races in the whole of Switzerland. On the same day, cars, motorcycles and "cyclists" competed on the same track.
Over time, the race was organized by the ACS. In 1950, the last race took place on the original 3.8 km route through the village. With 4,000 spectators, the race attracted a great deal of attention even then, far beyond the borders of the canton!
Tradition at the start
Among the many racing cars that will tackle the mountain course on October 10 is Heinz Hofer's 1928 Maserati Tipo 26M with an eight-cylinder in-line engine and supercharger.
Chassis 2523 achieved racing success in Tripoli, Alexandria and at the Targa Florio. In 1932, the car competed in the Monza Grand Prix.
Florian Feustel is bringing another legend to Opfertshofen, namely the 1970 Porsche 911 S in which Björn Waldegaard won the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally.
And that's just two of the interesting vehicles on display.
More information about the hill climb and the entire event can be found on the corresponding website.
