Elephant meeting

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The elephant meeting is a motorcycle winter meeting that is held annually on the first weekend in February or on the last weekend in January. It is organized by the Federal Association of Motorcyclists .

It has been located in the Bavarian Forest since 1989 , where it takes place in a snow-sure location in a basin between the places Loh, Thurmansbang and Solla near the Czech border. Every year between 5,000 and 10,000 motorcyclists from all over Europe take part; some bring unusual motorcycle conversions and special designs to the meeting.

history

Zündapp KS601

The meeting was founded in 1956 by Ernst Leverkus , who organized it as a meeting for hardy drivers of the well-known Zündapp KS 601 teams. The KS 601 ( "Green Elephant") gave the meeting its name.

The meeting originally took place in 1956 at the Solitude racetrack in Stuttgart . After changing locations, the BVDM took on the role of organizer in 1961 and placed the meeting at the Nürburgring . After serious problems and organizational changes, it was relocated to the Salzburgring in 1978 - in the first year still as an emergency event with 400 participants, from 1979 regular.

In 1988 the meeting was canceled because the BVDM was no longer able to bear the increased risk and meet the requirements of the location. Only one privately organized emergency meeting took place at the Salzburgring. The meeting has been taking place on the grounds of the Stock Car Club Solla since 1989 . The most important change is the complete ban on all vehicles except motorcycles within several kilometers around the event site.

At the end of 2010, the meeting was called into question again: Due to a change in the law, winter tires were also mandatory for motorcycles in Germany until 2017. For most types, however, there are no tires on the market. Since then, most of the participants have moved in a legal gray area.

Rules of Participation

Since 2015, new rules for participating in the elephant meeting apply:

1. Arrival and participation only for motorbikes on two or three wheels. This includes trikes based on a motorcycle. The car park in Solla is only intended for visitors with cars from the area. Trucks, delivery vans and cars with trailers belonging to participants are not permitted.

2. Two-wheelers and three-wheelers must also be street legal and insured on the event site. Vehicles that are not permitted will no longer be tolerated. They will be shut down on the spot and will only be released after the event from February 1st against payment of an expense reimbursement.

3. A maximum speed of 30 km / h applies on the access road from Solla and helmets are compulsory, in the event area a maximum walking speed is permitted. In the event of disregard, the vehicle can also be shut down on the spot and will only be released after the event from February 1st.

4. As early as the weekend before the event, no later than January 23, 2015, the site is cordoned off with a site fence. Access is only possible for motorbikes on two or three wheels. Trucks, delivery vans and cars cannot be unloaded along the access roads. There will be an absolute no-stopping ban along the access roads. Parking is also prohibited in the local areas of Solla, Loh and Köhlberg. Disregard is punished by the police around the clock.

5. Large tents erected by January 23, 2015 will not be tolerated and must be dismantled immediately. If they are unsuccessful, they will be removed for a fee and only released after the event from February 1st against payment of an expense reimbursement.

6. An early mere cordoning off / tracing of tent sites is not permitted. A cordon that has been closed without setting up a tent may be removed by the organizer or other participants.

7. Fireworks, carbide cannons , sirens and the like are prohibited and will be removed when entering the area. The use of illegally smuggled "noisemakers" during the event will result in immediate dismissal.

Old elephant meeting

After the meeting was canceled in 1988, some private individuals organized a parallel replacement meeting, which has taken place every year since then. Since 1990 it has operated under the name Altes Elefantentreffen at the Nürburgring . It usually takes place two weeks after the elephant meeting in Solla.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.bvdm.de/et_geschichte.html
  2. ↑ Andreas Nigl: Tire breakdown in the Hexenkessel Passauer Neue Presse Online, accessed on January 24, 2012
  3. ↑ 7-point plan of the Federal Association of Motorcyclists , accessed on January 28, 2016.