Great Mountain Prize of Austria
The Great Mountain Prize of Austria is the name given to various motorsport events in Austria . Motorsport mountain races have existed all over Europe since the beginning of motorsport in early 1900. What the Grand Prix are on circuit races , the "Great Mountain Prizes" are on hill climbs. They took place in Germany , Switzerland and Austria, but also hill climbs in Italy and France .
History of the "Great Mountain Awards" in Austria
In the pre-war and interwar period, Austria was not lacking in mountain races per se: Exelberg near Vienna , Semmering mountain races , Gaisberg near Salzburg (since 1929) and others. But there were hardly any major international mountain races such as the Klausenpass race in Switzerland (since 1922) or the Schauinsland near Freiburg im Breisgau (since 1923).
Only with the Gaisberg race from 1929 to 1933 and in 1935 with the first international Großglockner mountain race did two well-known mountain races take place in Austria. At that time, however, this was not called the “Grand Mountain Prize”, but “International Hill Climb”.
It was not until after the Second World War , on August 15, 1957, that the first “Great Mountain Prize of Austria” with international participation took place on the Gaisberg near Salzburg. This hill climb was advertised for both automobiles (13 times) and motorcycles (four times).
Even if the designation Grand Mountain Prize of Austria was not in use before the Second World War, the mountain races in Salzburg on the Gaisberg and on the Grossglockner can definitely be described as such. All three mountain races on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road were advertised for both automobiles and motorcycles.
In the 21st century, the Rechberg race bears the addition "Great Mountain Prize of Austria".
The Great Mountain Prize of Austria on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road
The Großglockner High Alpine Road in particular, as the central Alpine crossing , then offered, in addition to the tourist objective, the function as an Alpine transit route, the opportunity for Austria to create a mountain race route that met international requirements.
The race course
When, after five years of construction of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, this north-south route was completed in 1935, the prominent figures of Austrian motorsport gave a powerful demonstration of their presence. The first international Großglockner race took place on August 4, 1935, just one day after the road was officially opened. Two more were to follow, in 1938 and 1939; In line with political developments, they were already called the Great Mountain Prize of Germany .
The International Hill Climb 1935
Despite political problems ( one-thousand-mark ban ), many foreign racing drivers took part in the first race in 1935: Swiss Christian Kautz in an Alfa Romeo , French Pierre Rey in a Bugatti , Carlo Maria Pintacuda and Mario Tadini from Scuderia Ferrari in an Alfa Romeo, the German Bobby Kohlrausch on 745 cm³ machine guns, Roy Seaman from London on ERA , Max Christen from Zurich on Maserati .
For motorcyclists, the situation was reversed: here the Austrians led the majority with the mountain experienced Martin Schneeweiss , Michael Geyer , Hermann Deimel and Otto Steinfellner , while only a few foreigners took part.
Ladies in the 1935 race
Women also took part in this first international hill climb: in the case of automobiles, it was Miss Eileen Ellison with a Bugatti . She achieved a very remarkable time in the racing car class up to 1500 cm³, placed herself honorable and received the women's prize.
With the motorcycles, it was Anita Wachter from Bürs, Vorarlberg on 250 cm³ Puch , who started first in the motorcycle classes. However, she was eliminated in the course of the race.
The course of the race August 4, 1935
On the 19.5-kilometer route, which was initially still wet from rain and at that time largely made of rolled sand, the Italian Bianchi won in the 250 cm³ class on his Miller Balsamo (the fastest was actually Ludwig Zangerl on Rudge from Salzburg ; but disqualified for a rule violation); In the 350 cm³ class, the Viennese Hermann Deimel won on a Velocette with an average speed of 72.7 km / h; Michael Gayer , also a Viennese, was successful in the half-liter class on his factory Husqvarna two-cylinder and achieved an average of 75.4 km / h. The fastest motorcycle time was completed by Martin Schneeweiss , who was not yet specialized in sand tracks , also from Vienna, in the 500 cc class. With his Austro Omega (600 cm³ JAP engine) he achieved an average speed of 76.5 km / h, which corresponds to a time of 15: 17.57 minutes.
The best sports car time in automobiles was achieved by the Italian Carlo Maria Pintacuda , whose Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo achieved an average speed of 76.7 km / h (15: 15.69 minutes), just under two seconds faster than the fastest motorcyclist . The highlight of the racing cars was the drive of Mario Tadini , who shot up in his Alfa Romeo , also from Scuderia Ferrari, in a time of 14: 42.74 minutes (79.59 km / h).
Despite the absence of the Auto Union and Daimler-Benz brands, which were at the zenith of general interest at the time , the 1935 Großglockner race was a brilliant event.
The Great Mountain Prize of Germany 1938
The events that followed in 1938 and 1939 brought the large factory racing stables from Germany to Großglocknerstrasse, but the atmosphere was severely affected by bad weather conditions. The number of starters also remained within modest limits. Bergkönig Hans Stuck in Auto Union , Hermann Lang in Mercedes-Benz and Manfred von Brauchitsch took part in the automobiles, Ewald Kluge in DKW , Leonhard Faßl in NSU , along with many participants in the first race of those years.
The most important results from August 28, 1938 for motorcycles: Ewald Kluge became German mountain champion in the 250 cm³ class on DKW with an average of 68.46 km / h (the bad weather prevented new record times) ahead of Hermann Gablenz (D) and Manfred Magnus (A). He beat the 350 and 500 with his quarter-liter machine! The German Siegfried Wünsche won the 350 cm³ class on DKW, the 500 cm³ class Hofmann from Munich on DKW.
Huschke von Hanstein on a BMW (with two liters of displacement) was third in the class up to 2000 cm³ with an average of 65.77 km / h German sports car mountain champion, as the two participants placed before him came from England and Romania ; Hans Stuck in an Auto Union German racing car mountain champion with an average speed of 74.40 km / h, followed by Hermann Lang in a Mercedes-Benz and Manfred von Brauchitsch, also in a Mercedes-Benz.
By the way, in 1938 they wanted to run the race from Fusch to Franz-Josefs-Höhe at 2346 meters above sea level - 33.5 km: From Fusch to Fuscher Törl (12.6 km) as the first run, then a neutralized route and as second run the route from Guttal to Franz-Josefs-Höhe (7.3 km). But because of bad weather there were insufficient training opportunities, and so the ONS (Supreme National Sports Commission), headed by Corps Leader Adolf Hühnlein , decided that the race should only take place in two runs from today's Ferleiten toll station to Fuscher Törl (12.6 km).
The Great Mountain Prize of Germany 1939
The training days were already rainy. On the day of the race itself, August 6, 1939, the Grossglockner showed itself from its worst side: heavy rainfalls, thunderstorms , sunshine and fog alternated throughout the day. The fog became so thick in places that visibility was less than 20 meters.
In the bike was victorious in the class up to 250 cc of the Vienna Martin Schneeweiss on DKW , the 350-cc class won with an average speed of 63.04 km / h Leonhard Faßl , also from Austria, on NSU . In the 500s, the winner of the first run, Georg Mittenwald in a DKW, with an average of 66.85 km / h.
The really miserable weather was also expressed in times. First run: In the racing car class up to 1500 cm³, Giovanni Rocco from Italy drove an average of 78.13 km / h on one of the five Maserati that started. The highlight of the first run, however, were the really great racing drivers at the time. Hermann Paul Müller on Auto Union achieved an average speed of 84.86 km / h ahead of Hans Stuck , Auto Union (84.70 km / h) and Hermann Lang , Mercedes-Benz , with 84.73 km / h.
Then the second run: Rocco kept his first place, but only with an average of 69.53 km / h. Müller - 65.19 km / h, Stuck - 65.10 km / h, Lang - 67.45 km / h (he was also the overall winner and German mountain champion that day), v. Brauchitsch - 60.68 km / h.
A little later the war broke out.
The Grossglockner Races after 1945
The Grossglockner was never again stormed at racing speed. Today the excursion traffic has become far too dense to be able to block this road for a weekend. It would also no longer be possible to reconcile the security requirements with the circumstances. But the big hill climbs on this famous route shouldn't be forgotten.
So there was already a reunion with motorsport on the Grossglockner: In 1985, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the road, around 100 automobiles and motorcycles from the time before 1940 were shown. Hans Hermann was also there with the Mercedes-Benz W196 , the " Silver Arrow ”, come.
The Großglockner Trophy for historic racing motorcycles
There has been a new edition of the motorcycle races in a different form since 2002. The “Großglockner Trophy” for historic racing motorcycles built up to 1962 has been held every two years since then. This memorial, which is carried out as a regularity event, took place in memory of racing professor Helmut Krackowizer , who died in 2001, in 2002, 2004 and 2006. In 2008 this event was no longer held as a Memorial Krackowizer.
.JPG)
The Great Mountain Prize - Grossglockner Grand Prix for historic automobiles
The legendary racing cars from the historic races in 1935, 1938 and 1939 are also returning to the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. The first “Grossglockner Grand Prix” for automobiles built between 1920 and 1939 and 1940 to 1960 took place on September 20 and 21, 2012. It is the Grossglockner race as a revival event, which commemorates the old races before the Second World War and drove the original route from Ferleiten to Fuscher Törl with a large number of original starter vehicles from the historical races. For example, Mercedes-Benz brought Hermann Lang's original winning car from the 1939 Großglockner race from the museum - a Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow W 125.
Web links
- Grossglockner Trophy
- Motorsport in the state of Salzburg
- International Grossglockner Grand Prix
- Videos for all vehicles
swell
- Peter Krackowizer from the Helmut Krackowizer motorcycle literature and image archive
- Hans Stix, Winfried Kallinger: Racing time. The epoch of the Semmering races from 1899 to 1933. Vienna 1996.