The ADAC Eifel Rallye Festival (July 24 - 26, 2014) attracts everyone to the Volcanic Eifel. The largest rolling museum of historic rally vehicles is not only developing into an exclusive gathering of almost every piece of sports equipment that has ever conquered rally tracks, but the drivers of the time are also becoming more and more interested in organizing an annual meeting in Daun.
Hubert Böffgen from Gerolstein, who, as the rally manager in the Eifel, pulls the sporting festival strings, has an explanation for the great popularity: "Our organizing member Reinhard Klein has built up a huge network with all participants in his many years in the world championship. He has an incredible archive of historic vehicles and knows exactly 'who drove it back then' and 'who owns it now'."
Together with patron Walter Röhrl, his long-time co-driver and Eifel co-organizer Christian Geistdörfer and John Davenport, who himself was a successful co-driver in the WRC, Klein has activated worldwide contacts. Böffgen explains, "This is how we keep getting new and interesting vehicles and their drivers to the Eifel Rallye Festival."
Walter Röhrl as patron
Double world champion Walter Röhrl has once again taken over the patronage, he is fascinated and says: "For me it was very nice to experience many eras in rally history live. That's why it's particularly great for me that we have a portfolio from 40 years of this fantastic sport at the start."
His world champion colleagues Björn Waldegård (Mercedes) and Stig Blomqvist (Audi Quattro) are also almost part of the 'inventory' on the rally mile in Daun.
Two-time German rally champion Harald Demuth has also never missed an edition of the festival. "We really grew into the sport back then. It was just this transitional period, away from orientation and away from map reading to the sprint stages, where people were driving really fast on closed-off routes for the first time. And then it all culminated in Group B. And we were right in the middle of it. It was fascinating for everyone: for the technicians, for the engineers and for us as drivers, because you can never have enough horsepower."
Demuth can experience this Group B fascination again in the Eifel, driving an Audi Sport Quattro. However, the list of international stars, some of whom will encounter the original cars from their active days at the festival, is much longer.
Jean-Claude Andruet on Lancia 037
Frenchman Jean-Claude Andruet was the 1970 European champion. He won three WRC races, including the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally in a Renault Alpine A110. And that was, after all, the very first WRC race in history. In the Eifel, he competed in a Lancia 037.
To say much about the Belgian motorsport all-rounder Marc Duez would also be to carry gravel onto the tracks in Greece. He will thrill the fans around Daun with his driving style in an MG Metro 6R4.
Philippe Gache is also a jack-of-all-trades in motorsport. The Frenchman took part in the 1992 Indy 500, competed ten times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished twelfth in the 2006 Dakar Rally. In 2013, one of the SMG buggies he built even took a stage win at the Dakar. In the Eifel, Gache drives a Mazda RX-7 from Group B. As at the Dakar, Gache will also meet record-breaking German champion Matthias Kahle in the Eifel, who thrills fans with his spectacular drifts in the Škoda 130RS.
Rally Beetle in action
As a partner of the Eifel Rallye Festival, the Autostadt is making it possible to use two of the legendary Salzburg Beetles. Managing Director Otto F. Wachs explains, "As a likeable ambassador for Volkswagen, the Beetle is particularly popular with Autostadt guests. A special version from Volkswagen's early motorsport history will be used at the Eifel Rallye Festival - the Salzburg Beetle. On the Daun Rally Mile, visitors can also visit the Autostadt lounge and find out about the offers of the automotive theme park."
Yves Loubet in the Opel Ascona 400 and the Swedish amazon Susanne Kottulinsky in the Audi Quattro A2 already made fans' eyes light up last year and their autographs were coveted collector's items.
Harri Toivonen announced at the finish line of the last festival that this was his first participation, but certainly not his last. This year he is driving his original MG Metro 6R4 from 1986.
Vaclav Pech in a Ford RS200 or The Beetle Armada with its drivers from back then - the list of prominent participants is just as varied as the list of participating vehicles. But just like the entry list, the list of celebrity starters is not yet complete. After all, the closing date for entries is June 15.
The front runners are off
In addition to the 150 participants in the festival, there are also the 15 advance cars - or as rally director Hubert Böffgen puts it, "the advance drivers or advance car group. They show the fans along the route: 'Here we go! This also gives us the chance to show selected youngtimers that are not yet part of our historic main field."
The drivers include Georg Berlandy in the Opel Ascona A, who is the reigning German rally champion, and Nikolaus 'Niki' Schelle. The Bavarian was twice runner-up in the DRM between 1997 and 2000 and twice won the 2WD classification in the Opel Astra Kit Car. He has also competed successfully at international level, including as a Suzuki Junior in the Junior World Championship. The Bavarian is also known to many for his moderation and car tests in GRIP - the motoring magazine on RTL2. Schelle drives a Suzuki Ignis S1600.
The 'Vorturner' will be coordinated by Jürgen Lenarz from MSC Daun. He himself thrills the fans with spectacular drifts, especially on the evening circuit through his home town of Sarmersbach. In addition to his well-known Opel Kadett C Coupé, his new 'drift car', a powerful BMW M3, will be used for the first time.
Tickets and program booklets - advance sales are underway
All important information about the Eifel Rallye Festival can be found in the comprehensive program booklet. The collector's edition contains detailed descriptions of the individual special stages, the designated spectator points, all overview maps and the list of participants. All vehicles are presented in words and pictures.
A visit to the Rally Mile in Daun is free of charge, while various tickets are available for visiting the special stages. These range from a one-way ticket for the shakedown on Thursday in Brück to a weekend ticket for all three festival days.
The Eifel Rallye Festival timetable
- Thursday, 24.07.2014
15:30 - 20:00: Shakedown at the 'Mantaloch' in Brück
from 19:00: Open-air rally cinema with cult filmmaker Helmut Deimel - Friday, 25.07.2014
09:00 - 13:30: Vehicle scrutineering, rally mile in Daun
from 14:30: Bosch Super Stage on gravel with water passage, drift curve and jump crest
from 19:00: Spectator circuit in Sarmersbach at night - Saturday, 26.07.2014
08:00 - 17:00: Asphalt stages in the Vulkaneifel region
in between: Daun rally mile with many attractions
from 19:00: Rally party
Further information can be found on the event website.
