Historical motorcycle sport

2007 at the DAMC 05 Oldtimer Festival at the pre-start in the new paddock of the Nürburgring

Historical motorcycle sport is motor sport with historical motorcycles and sidecars and thus a sub-area of "motor sport with old-timers or veterans " . The events are often held as rallies , circuit races or regularity runs .

General

So-called "oldtimer race" in Monschau 2008

Historic motorsport connects classic car enthusiasts with motorsport and uses regulations from both areas.

The scene is characterized by consideration for the material and the “sporty togetherness”. Accordingly, classic car events are often carried out in a "sporty defused" variant. Many classic car events are exemplified by the title rally, but are carried out as a tourist event in compliance with all road traffic regulations. In the same way, many classic car races are started as regularity races - compare regularity races and regularity tests (GLP) - i.e. not under racing conditions.

Among other things, the regulations are mostly based on the age rules for classic cars (see also: Classic car classification ) and are also incorporated into the rally and racing regulations of most national motor sport associations. In Germany this is z. B. controlled by the German Motor Sport Federation (DMSB) .

Special features in historical motorcycle sport

Historic BMW class N racing team in the VFV championship

The German historical motorcycle sport is shaped by the German Historical Championship of the DMSB. The championship was launched by the Veteranen-Fahrzeug-Verband (VFV) and is based on its championship regulations, which regulate the year of construction, compliance with the original condition, technical features and the specific implementation regulations.

As a result of these strict and often technically complex requirements for the participants, a broad scene outside of the VFV has now developed.

Delivery modes

Regularity runs

Regularity runs are not designed to achieve top speeds and protect the historic vehicle material. All runs of the VFV and the entire German Historical Championship of the DMSB are carried out as regularity runs.

In a hill climb , the specified route is driven several times, usually twice; the participant who has the smallest time difference between these two runs is then the winner. In the case of round courses, the chief scientist, corresponding to the race director, determines the lap whose time is taken as a measure. All subsequent rounds must be completed in the same time as possible, the amounts of the respective deviations are added up in penalty points. Here, the participant with the lowest score is the winner.

Erwin Aldinger with his Imperia

They are not races in the strict sense of the word, because in order not to expose the expensive and rare old motorcycles or automobiles (and often older drivers as well) to unnecessarily high levels of wear and tear, you drive laps as smoothly as possible instead of the fastest possible times. However, personal ambition can lead to the fact that there are participants who cover the prescribed distance at racing pace.

"Because an old veteran's rule is: You can only set consistent lap times at full throttle. '"

- Helmut Krackowizer : at the Oldtimer Grand Prix Salzburgring.

run

Races, i.e. competitions in which the fastest participant wins the run, are advertised in Germany in historical motorcycle sport by, among others, Klassik Motorsport and IHRO and are becoming more important again with the growing youngtimer scene. Races dominate events in classic motorsport across Europe.

Scoring drives

These are trips without time limits, but with skill exercises and the like. on a one-day or multi-day trip; the focus is on extending the vehicles.

Rallies

The sporting demands of the competitions for vintage vehicles vary greatly. In the majority of the events, the sporting aspect is limited to the awarding of trophies to the best points in an almost arbitrary evaluation (derogatory term: "coffee trip"). However, there are also old-timer rallies that present difficulties for the driver and co-driver (e.g. orientation tasks or regularity tests with hidden time controls) and in which only fast drivers with knowledgeable co-drivers can achieve good placements. Such events take place more frequently in Great Britain, Belgium or France than in Germany.

Exits

Excursions form an important part of many clubs and motorcycle clubs. These trips are carried out without evaluations or timekeeping and usually have a tourist destination of the day.

Different start modes

Mass start

Before the start of the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in 1975

A so-called mass start is carried out for circuit courses . All participants of a certain class start together by starting a traffic light or by lowering the start flag. After the competitor who was the first to complete the prescribed number of laps has been flagged, or after a certain period of time, all other participants will also finish the run, regardless of their number of laps.

A distinction is made between:

Clutch start: Here the engine runs before the start
Push start : Here the engine is off when starting and the motorcycle is only pushed when the start signal is given ( motorcycle sideboards and racing bikes before 1987)

Single start

On hill climbs or other routes on normal roads, the start is made at time intervals, whereby you should start with the strongest vehicles so that faster vehicles do not overtake or overtake slower ones; which could lead to unnecessarily dangerous situations on narrow streets.

requirements

The drivers (and possibly co-drivers) must name the event organizer, i.e. register for the event by submitting a nomination. For an event registered with the DMSB, both require an event license or an A, B, C or H license. The motorcycle is to be set up as described in the tender, usually referring to the series or national regulations (e.g. the DMSB regulations).

history

Norton Manx , built in 1954

Historic motorcycle racing began around 1960 when a generation of racing drivers retired after World War II. At that time, vehicles that were rusting on farms or backyards were often given away or sold for a small fee. The first motor veterans clubs and associations in Europe were founded. Great Britain was the pioneer.

The first major veteran events took place around 1970, for example at the Nürburgring (Germany), Brooklands (England) or the Salzburgring (Austria). However, towards 1990 stricter noise and exhaust regulations in some European countries meant that these veteran events could only be carried out to a limited extent.

A new wave of veteran events began in the mid-1990s with, for example, the Klausenpass race in Switzerland or later the Gaisbergrennen (Salzburg, Austria) or the Grossglockner Trophy on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in the Salzburg region, Austria.