Arosa ClassicCar

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The Arosa ClassicCar is an international hill climb for historic sports and racing vehicles that has been taking place in Switzerland since 2005 . It takes place at the end of August / beginning of September on Schanfiggerstrasse between Langwies and the holiday resort of Arosa . The event - an invitation race - is entered in the national sports calendar of the ASS (Auto Sport Schweiz) and in the international sports calendar of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile).

history

An Aston Martin LeMans (1935) before the start in Langwies

The initiative to create a hill climb for historic racing and sports vehicles in Schanfigg came from Peter A. Müller and Koni Strittmatter - Nadine Strittmatter's father - two regular guests from Arosa who are enthusiastic about automobiles. Together with Pepe Hammerer and a Liechtenstein bank as the main sponsor , they organized the 1st International VP Bank Hill Climb for Classic Cars in Arosa at the end of August 2005 . They could count on the active support of the local authorities and Arosa Tourism. Around 100 participants from ten nations competed against each other in two categories. There was a "Competition" class for cars built between 1905 and 1976 with a Historical Technical Passport (HTP) (open only to pilots with an ASS / FIA driver's license), and a "Regularity" test for vehicles built between 1905 and 1976 and a valid road approval as well as a special class for historical museum vehicles that started out of competition. The spectators paid a one-time entry fee of 5 or 10 Swiss francs (including access to the paddock) .

In the two years that followed, the OK team around Peter A. Müller coordinated the 2nd and 3rd VP Bank Classic Arosa with their own production company, Oldtimer Marketing und Management AG. In 2007 the field of participants had grown to 120 vehicles and 20 francs were now required for entry (without access to the paddock). When differences arose between Müller and the Arosa service providers and the further financing of the event seemed unclear, Arosa Tourismus decided in 2008 to hold the event with the ACS and new sponsors under the name "Arosa ClassicCar" and under the OC -Organize the Presidium of Koni Strittmatter. The Arosa ClassicCar association was founded for this purpose in 2009 and has been hosting the event ever since. At the same time, the event could be extended from two to three days of racing, and the previously binding maximum number of 120 vehicles was increased.

Bench of the 2013 winner Armin Zumtobel at Grünsee

As a result, the popularity of the race steadily increased and at the 7th edition in 2011, dozens of interested participants had to be turned away despite an increase to 150 starting places. The Arosa ClassicCar is one of the most important and popular tests of its kind in Europe today. Entry to the hill climb is free for spectators outside the official grandstands.

The 2014 anniversary edition, which was again fully booked with over 160 drivers and with around 25,000 spectators, was the last with the direct involvement of Koni Strittmatter, saw Roger Moser as a local winner of the day for the first time. At the same time, 95-year-old Gody Naef set a new age record among the drivers. The first noteworthy self-accident of a pilot occurred in the area of ​​the Arosa property in Sandhubel, in which five spectators were slightly injured.

The Arosa ClassicCar is now the event with the highest turnover in the Schanfigg summer season and has a balanced budget of around CHF 1 million thanks to a broad sponsorship structure.

Racetrack

Racing scene at Rütland 2007

On the 7.3 km route, a gross height difference of 422 m has to be overcome and 76 bends - including three hairpin bends - to be negotiated. The start takes place at the Langwieser Säge immediately after the bridge over the Fondeier - / Sapünerbach . From there the route climbs gently through the Ronggwald to Sunnenrüti , where it turns into a 1.2 km long counter slope towards Litzirüti . At the end of the straight in the Stritwald there is a chicane made of bales of straw to slow down the speed for safety reasons.

From the Plessurbrücke in the valley the track following the steep trail of the former bobsleigh Arosa at the station Litzirüti over to Rütland where a big crowd field is located. The final part leads through the Usser Forest past the Schwarzsee to the Arosa village entrance. The destination is on the Oberseepromenade between the sports and congress center and the post office . The paddock is in the Obersee car park at Arosa train station . The course record since 2016 is 4 minutes 17 seconds, set by Thomas Amweg , which corresponds to an average speed of over 108 km / h. On the fastest section of the route, top speeds of around 210 km / h are reached. In total, the race track, which is considered to be demanding, crosses the Arosa Railway three times .

vehicles

A 1930 Morgan Three Wheeler

Vehicles built between the beginning of 1905 and the end of 1985 are generally permitted. For Group C and IMSA cars, these are those born between 1982 and 1990. The devices are divided into different racing fields. Recently, historical motorcycles have also been represented in their own demonstration class. They each mark the end of a racing field. In recent years, vehicles of almost all types have been represented at the Arosa ClassicCar, including various earlier Formula 1 and Formula 2 cars, GT vehicles and rally cars such as the Audi Sport quattro S1 “Pikes Peak” by Walter Röhrl . In 2006, a Volkswagen Titan , a racing truck with a 12 liter twin turbo diesel engine with more than 1600 hp, was a guest on the track, out of competition. Due to its large turning circle , it had to reverse briefly in the two tightest corners. Three-wheeled Morgan Super Eros could also be seen at the event .

Race procedure and tests driven

The Arosa ClassicCar extends over four days. Two training runs will take place on Friday after the participants have presented their vehicles in a vehicle parade through Arosa on Thursday afternoon after the opening ceremony . At the weekend, the Weisshorn Trophy and the Arosa Grand Prix will be held in a joint competition and racing class . The demonstration class, which for regulatory reasons consists of a maximum of five vehicles, starts out of competition. The winner of the day and the fastest lady will also be honored. The examinations carried out regularly experience certain changes.

Supporting program

Two racing taxis at the start in Langwies

In addition to the vehicle parade and a visit to the paddock, spectators will also have the option of paid race taxi rides. The (modern and historical) vehicles and the pilots were made available in particular by the previous main sponsor, the Porsche Centers Schinznach Bad and Maienfeld. The racing taxis used from 2012 come mainly from the new main sponsor Audi and were driven by Didier Cuche , Marcel Fässler and Daniel Mahrer , among others . Racing drivers like Björn Waldegård , Roland Asch , Fredy Barth , Marco Werner , Harald Demuth , Matthias Malmedie , Timo Scheider , Rahel Frey or the head of the Porsche Museum , Klaus Bischof, have already offered corresponding services. Finally, there is the possibility of a crossing in one of the participating classic cars from Arosa to the start in Langwies. Various parties in Arosa, Litzirüti and Langwies as well as a variety of catering options along the route complete the supporting program.

traffic

During the Arosa ClassicCar, individual traffic between Langwies and Arosa is generally blocked during the day. There are only short route opening times, which is why the public is recommended to use the Arosabahn. During the breaks there is the possibility to move between the different spectator fields free of charge with a shuttle bus.

Arosa ClassicCar on radio and television

The 2011 event was broadcast live on radio frequency 87.6. Swiss sports television dedicated a one-hour special program to the event in September 2011 with a contribution to the race by, among others, Olympic snowboard champion Gian Simmen . In 2013 the station also broadcast a special Arosa ClassicCar magazine.

Known participants

Peter Kraus in an AC ACE Bristol D2

In addition to many well-known hobby drivers, former racing drivers and other personalities such as Jochen Mass (2005 driver and co-speaker, 2007), Toni Seiler (winner of the day 2005 and 2007), Gody Naef (2012 and 2014), Peter Kraus (2011 and 2012 ) or Marc Surer (2014). In 2013, Armin Zumtobel from Austria won the Arosa Grand Prix for the third time in a row as the fastest of the day. Sue Darbyshire was again honored as the fastest lady in 2014.

Varia

While most pilots transport their expensive vehicles to Schanfigg on trailers, the Englishman John B. Guyatt drove 1,400 kilometers from Silverstone to Arosa in his 75-year-old Talbot-Lago T150 C racing car and an 86-year-old road map in 2011 .

swell

Web links

Commons : Arosa ClassicCar  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Video clip Selbstunfall 2014 on youtube.com
  2. ↑ Aroser Zeitung of September 9, 2016, p. 1.
  3. ↑ a b c http://web.archive.org/web/20150107055322/http://www.autosprint.ch/index.php/termineevents/3705-arosa-classiccar-im-renntaxi-mit-didier-cuche. html / Retrieved September 4, 2012
  4. ↑ Aroser Zeitung of September 16, 2011, p. 7.