Grossglockner Grand Prix & Alpen-Challenge 2012

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Grossglockner Grand Prix 2012
International Grossglockner Hillclimb ? Return of a legend to Austria?s highest mountain
The news has reached owners of prewarcars already: There is an approved and organized revival of the ?Grossglockner Rennen? at the alpine road leading up the Grossglockner Mountain (Austria?s highest mountain with 3.798 meters).

From September 20th until 22nd, 2012 the sprint regularity will take place as a revival of the great hillclimb races in 1935, 1938 and 1939. From the paddock area in ?Ferleiten? (1.145m) up to the finish line near ?Fuscher T?rl? (2.428m) the revival will match the exact route of the race in the thirties of the last century.

More than 92 turns and 14 hairpins with a difference of nearly 1.300 meters in height the track leads over a distance of nearly 9 miles. It will be ? again - a real challenge for man and machine. The alpine road of the Grossglockner will be closed for the event only. Spectators can drive up to the alpine road before the race starts and have a close look to the competitors.

In the thirties of the last century the ?Intenationales Grossglockner Rennen? was one of the longest and hardest hillclimb events in Europe. Many well known marques and drivers came to Zell am See ? the nice and well situated town near the paddock. Car participating were Auto Union, Alfa Romeo Typo B, Silver Arrows from Mercedes-Benz (sometimes with 6 wheels / twin rear) , Bugattis, MGs, ERAs as well as BMW 328, FIAT, Austin, BNC, Amilcar and even the very unique but quite fast Neander ?Fahrmaschinen?.

Very well known pilots came as well ? private drivers as well as works team competitors: ?Dick? Richard Seaman, Mario Tadini, Luigi Villoresi, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Hermann Lang, Hans Stuck, Eileen Elisson, Max Christen and Huschke von Hanstein, H.P. M?ller, Count Lurani, Harry Herkuleyns and many more. Drivers came from Austria, Italy, the UK, Germany, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Hungary.

Hillclimb Champion in 1935 was Mario Tadini with his Alfa Romeo (starting for Scuderia Ferrari), in the year 1938 the one and only hillclimb-king Hans Stuck won on the Auto Union C-Type (hillclimb specification) and 1939 saw Hermann Lang in a Mercedes W 125 to become ?Hillclimb Champion?.
The alpine road towards the mighty Grossglockner was built from 1930 until 1935. A road ? being eight meter broad - following the extraordinary route up to the mountains over a distance of 48 km or nearly 30 miles. With tunnels and various challenging turns it was to be the later ?dream road of the alps?.

Only one day after the official opening of the road to the public the first ?Grand Prix? took place on August 4th, 1935.

Later in the years the road was often used by Dr. Ing. Ferdinand Porsche who developed his first Porsche cars in Gm?nd near the Grossglockner and used the alpine road very often as a test track ? Porsche himself had already appeared with two Volkswagen Beetles in the 1938 race to participate and also test the cars. His time; 21:54,5 Minutes for the above mentioned 9 mile run.

After many years of quietness and only a once-in-a-while storytelling of some old specialist the hillclimb tradition at the Grossglockner will see its revival in 2012. The international title ?Grossglockner Grand Prix? will carry the memory to those marvelous grand prix cars from Auto Union and Mercedes Benz and Alfa Romeo but also feature the memory to the historic championship title ?Grosser Bergpreis? under which the event was well known all over Europe in those years.
When the ?Grand Prix 2012? will take place the number of cars participating will be limited to the exact number of teams in 1935 during the first race: 75.

The ?grid? is split as follows: at least 50 prewar cars from 1920 ? 1940. Five cars such as the Veritas (aluminum racecars from the fifties) and 20 cars built in the years 1950 until 1965 to commemorate the hillclimb- and race-events in Europe in the fifties and sixties with cars like the Porsche 550 A spyder or the Ferrari 206 P Barchetta etc.

Check-In of the cars competing will be in wonderful Zell am See where all the hotels are located as well. The actual 2012 race will see ?Ferleiten? as the paddock and start and ?Fuscher T?rl? with the finish line.

The cars need no road registration, but a technical check will make sure the safety is guaranteed and there has to be a coverage-policy from the insurance (temporary or short-term-insurance).

The procedure for the ?Grand Prix 2012? hillclimb is simple: The driver sets his own time going up. The results are scored like in a regularity. Therefore two people per car are allowed.

First there is the practice run to get a better idea about the route ? then there is the run for setting your time. And then there are two further runs to confirm this time from the setting run. The ?Grand Prix? is no race but the minimum time each team should not undercut is the winning time of Hans Stuck in 1938 with the Auto Union and 10 Minutes for 9 Miles hillclimb.

The teams will storm up to the mountain Grossglockner four times because of this set-up.
In the first race 1935 everybody went up just once. Lateron in 1938 and 1939 there had been two sprints only. In the revival 2012 there is the chance to go up the magic 9 miles for four times. A very unique chance.

Deadline for inscriptions is: March 1rst, 2012

More information can be found on: www.grosser-bergpreis.com




 
So it's not a speed race but a regularity run where you need to set a bracket time and then match it?

Probably better considering the historic machinery, but it would also be cool to have a proper hillclimb on a long run like that.

Still, should be a cool event.
 
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