The most traditional motor sports event in Germany is without doubt the ADAC Eifel race (Eifel Rennen). The history of this events dates back to the year 1922 as it was titled ADAC Eifel Tour around Nideggen. When the Nürburgring opened in 1927 the owner ADAC Rhineland moved the event to the new track and renamed the event ADAC Eifel Rennen. Motorsport legend Rudolf Caracciola won the inaugural event in 1927. During the fifties and sixties motorcycling races were part of the event as Formula 2 was promoted as the main event between 1964 and 1983. The famous DTM championship settled down in the seventies and eighties. Nowadays the event hosts especially historic motorsports for single seaters, GTs and touring cars.
by Marcel Hundscheid www.speed-o-graphica.com
For the 2013 event several historic motorsports series participated in the event, featuring amongst others the ADAC Graf Berge von Trips Trophy, FHR HTGT, Battle of the Dwarfs, DTM/DRM Revival, Group C Racing, Historic Formula V Europe, Formula 3 Historic 1000 cc. Highlight of the event were the 3 hour ADAC Eifel Rennen on Saturday afternoon and Porsche Kremer Night of the Legends during the early hours of Saturday evening.
Graf Berghe von Trips Trophy
The Graf Berghe von Trips Trophy is a popular German championship open to formula cars built between 1958 and 1980. In this matter Formula 3 cars are represented as well as Formula Ford 1600 and 2000s. The regulations allow cars from 1958 tot 1980 and divide them into six classes. Wolfgang Alexander Albert Eduard Maximilian Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips was a German racing driver. von Trips participated in 29 Formula 1 World Championship races. In the end he won two of them, scored a single pole position and six pofium finishes. He was tragically killed in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix at Monza after he collided with Jim Clark’s Lotus. His Ferrari became airborne and crashed into a side barrier, fatally throwing him from the car and killing fifteen spectators. Thirty-three cars filled the lively grid as German Falk Künster claimed commanding victories in his GRD 374 F3 in both race 1 and 2.
Results race 1:
1) Falk Künster GER GRD 374 F3
2) Kees van der Wouden HOL Royal RP30 FF2000
3) Hans Meskes HOL Van Diemen RF78 FF2000
Results race 2:
1) Falk Künster GER GRD 374 F3
2) Kees van der Wouden HOL Royal RP30 FF2000
3) Peter Richards UK Delta T79 FF2000
FHR HTGT
The FHR Historic Touring car and GT Trophy is Germany’s oldest historic motorsports championship. Originally the championship was only open for touring cars but later on also GTs were allowed and the championship was renamed HTGT.
Battle of the Dwarfs (Kampf der Zwerge)
Tiny touring cars from the sixties and seventies can look back on an extensive motorsport history. Gathered into a single event are the Fiat Abarth from ‘Abarth Coppa Mille, Mini’s from the ‘British Car Trophy’ and NSU TTs from the ‘NSU TT Trophy’. The large grids didn’t have an actual race but held a regularity test on the track. Cars participating in the regularity test were a.o. Mini Cooper, NSU TT, Autobianchi A112 Abarth and Fiat Abarth 1000 TC models.
DRM/DTM Revival
Especially for fans of former DRM (Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft) or DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft) could eat their hearts out seeing a field of around 20 legendary touring cars from the golden era of German touring car racing. One of the highlights was a former Team Rosberg Racing Opel Calibra that saw action in the 1995 DTM championship. Besides this beauty several BMW M3 E30’s and a Mercedes E190 excited the fans.
Group C Racing
The FIA created Group C in 1982, a category designed to replace both Group 5 Special Production Cars and Group 6 Two Seater Racing Cars and lasted until 1993. To relive the great days of sports car racing UK based Group C Racing recreates this remarkable era. Although the amount of cars that found their way to the Nürburgring wasn’t that big fans could see cars like the Sauber-Mercedes C11, the unique Veskanda C1-Chevrolet, Porsche 962, Jaguar XJR16 and Nissan NPTI90. Winners of the sixty minute race on Sunday were Bob Berridge and Gareth Evans in their splendid looking Sauber-Mercedes C11 in C1 as Mike Donovan claimed victory in his Spice SE88C in C2.
Results race:
1) Gareth Evans/Bob Berridge UK Sauber-Mercedes C11
2) Paul Stubber AUS Veskanda C1-Chevrolet
3) Mike Donovan UK Spice SE88
Historic Formula V Europe
Formula Vee is a single seater class based on the pre-63 Volkswagen Beetle originally intiated during the 60s and 70s, creating large grids throughout Europe, Australia and the United States. Like the Battle of the Dwards a regularity test was held that was won by German Marco Wittkuhn who claimed the Jan Wellem Trophy.
Historic F3 1000cc European Trophy
The Historic F3 1000cc European Trophy saw live in 2001 and is open to cars built between January 1st 1964 and December 31st 1970. The cars are especially known as screamers, produced by the tiny 1000cc four cylinder engine. During the first race German Max Blees claimed victory in the very last lap after a thrilling fight with Vincent Rivet and Francois Derossi. During the second race he scored a smashing victory finishing 21 seconds in front of Jim Tims.
Results race 1:
1) Max Blees GER Brabham BT15
2) Vincent Rivet F Brabham BT28
3) Francois Derossi F Chevron B17
Results race 2:
1) Max Blees GER Brabham BT15
2) Jim Tims UK Brabham BT21
3) Vincent Rivet F Brabham BT28
