• Fantastic atmosphere with almost 20,000 visitors, notably with many families in attendance: entertainment for both young and old alike
• 400 participants thrill spectators with racing and demonstration runs on the GP circuit, highlighting the great variety in motor sport
• Unique supporting programme: exhibitions, autograph sessions and much more
• Visit www.hockenheim-historic.de for all the results
The cool spring weather didn’t dampen the spirits of almost 20,000 visitors who attended the Bosch Hockenheim Historic this past weekend – quite the opposite in fact. Whether in the paddock, the stands, among the commotion on the pit roof, at the exhibitions or during the autograph sessions – there were interested and enthusiastic visitors everywhere, notably with many families in attendance. And on the Grand Prix circuit, almost 400 participants once again served up everything that enthusiasts of historic motor racing could wish for – from relatively recent Formula 1 cars to the big bangers from the CanAm Cup, not forgetting various different touring cars and single-seaters. Ex-formula 1 and sports car star, and general motor racing legend, Jochen Mass explains with a smile as he signs autographs for the fans: “The event is becoming more and more popular – it’s clear to see. There is excellent sport on show here.”
Leisurely pastime for the older guys? Yeah right! Pure racing at the Hockenheimring
There is always a great atmosphere, especially in the inner stands at the Sachskurve. The BOSS GP and the CanAm Cup were particularly popular among spectators. The stars of the BOSS GP, a Toro Rosso Cosworth from 2006 and a Jaguar R5 Cosworth from 2004, brought F1 machinery from recent history back to life with their ten-cylinder screaming engines. Here Dutchman Klaas Zwart, no stranger to success in this competition, made an awful start to this FIA racing series which comprises seven events, each with two races: His green Jaguar suffered a heavy crash in the very first sprint race. This meant that his main rival, Austrian Ingo Gerstl, scored full points, taking the opening two races in fine style in his wonderful Red Bull Toro Rosso. A qualifying time of 1:20.174 minutes shows just how competitive this series is; Nico Rosberg took pole for the 2016 Formula 1 race with a time of 1:14.363 minutes.
Double-win in the spectacular CanAm Cup, too: Swiss driver, Felix Haas, laid down a marker in his Lola T294 with victories both on a damp track on the Saturday and in the dry on the Sunday. The first race saw his compatriot Philipp Brühweiler take the second spot on the podium (Chevron B19), just ahead of German pilot Georg Hallau (Lola T310). On Sunday Henry v. d. Amalien in his 800 BHP cult car, the McLaren M8C7D, claimed second place ahead of Dirk Waajengerg (NL) in the Chevron.
With almost 40 cars in the field, the Lotus Cup Europe served up plenty of action and excitement. Christophe Lisandre, Champion of the 2-Eleven Category, was the man of the hour in his open four-cylinder Lotus. The Frenchman took a win and a second place to lead the standings after the first of seven events. A Lotus was also victorious in the open-wheel car series – the FIA Lurani Trophy – on Sunday. Last year’s winner and championship runner-up, Manfredo Rossi Di Montelera, was second again on the Saturday but took victory on the Sunday at the wheel of his Lotus 22 with a winning margin of 16 seconds. Philipp Buhofer in his Lola Mk5A was first past the chequered flag in the first race. On the grid for the first time at the Jim Clark Revival: HRA Classic Formula 3. Both victories went to Thomas Warken in his Ralt RT3.
Historic touring car racing at its best – action at the Sachskurve
Four touring car championships delivered door-to-door battles, most notably the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy H&R Cup with 25 starters. Conclusion: great racing cars, great duels! Colombian Oscar Tunjo managed to come out on top in both races in his Mercedes GT AMG, on Saturday against Betzdorf native Jürgen Alzen in his Ford GT and again on Sunday against Neckarsulm’s Jürgen Bender in a Chevrolet Corvette. The Autopassion Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge commenced with touring cars spanning the 60s, 70s and 80s. Achim Heinrich secured both victories in the classic BMW M1. In the Dutch UPS4ALL Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge, the wins went to Eric van Es and Ruud Poels (both Porsche 964), and in the highly competitive Scuderia Alfa Classico two French drivers were able to taste victory.
Demonstrations: Scuderia Serenissima, Race Clubs, Maserati and Porsche
No fierce duels but plenty of fun nevertheless – that was the case for the demo runs, for example the highly exclusive runs of the Scuderia Serenissima with the M1AF Formula 1 and the 308 Jet Competizione. Or those of Raceclub Germany with their perfectly prepared and not exactly shy and retiring F1, F2 and F3 cars (Maserati 250 F, Cooper T53, Brabham BT 36 F2, March 732) and Raceclub Germany powered by FNT specialising in F1 and F3000 machinery of a more recent era (e.g the 2008 Toyota of Timo Glock). The Passionata Maserati demonstrated 100 years of automobile history and in the Elevenclassics presentation Porsche enthusiasts got their money’s worth.
Supporting programme: Exhibitions, pit roof party, design prize and much more
The carefully presented memorabilia of the Jim Clark Exhibition witnessed great crowds again this year; the special tour “Auf den Spuren Jim Clarks” (On the trail of Jim Clark) and the wreath-laying ceremony also attracted plenty of visitors. “Only” four cars featured in the anniversary exhibition “85 Jahre Hockenheimring” (85 Years of the Hockenheimring), but what a collection! Michael Schumacher’s World Championship-winning Benetton Ford from 1994, Bernd Schneider’s title-winning Mercedes AMG CLK 55 DTM from 2001, a Condor-Porsche from 1969 from the Interserie and a Lotus 69 F2 from 1971 – all of them fantastic examples from the ‘Ring history. Former Formula 1 driver, Christian Danner, was an interested and enthusiastic guest of event partner Allianz – he was also in Formula 2 at the start of the 80s. “I love coming to the Jim Clark Revival every year, it’s just lots of fun,” explained the now Formula 1 commentator.
The supporting programme on the pit roof was another cracker – with the historic fair, numerous exhibitors, a fashion show from days gone by and a moped race. The highlight: the big party celebrating 10 years of the moped garage on Saturday evening with the cover band “Me and the Heat” and a fire artist. All ticket holders were invited! The numbers alone speak for the success of the automobile club area: 800 cars were on show there over the weekend; a shuttle bus brought interested visitors to this meeting point of interest groups, regulars and clubs. The design prizes of the course “Transportation Design” on offer at the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences were presented in person by Prof. James Kelly again in 2017, introducing his group of students with the words: “Here you see the future stars in automobile design!” Georg Hallau received a trophy for his Can-Am-Lola T310, and a second one went to the owner of an elegant Brabham BT6 from 1963.
Partner Bosch: “Thrilled guests”
The two main partners of the event, Bosch and Allianz, were on display with stands directly at the entrance to the paddock. Fritz Cirener, Head of Bosch Classic, was happy with the outcome: “We invited 500 guests so that they could get the chance to see our brand from a different perspective here in Hockenheim. They were totally thrilled.” Allianz had their stand right next door and presented, among others, the 1993 DTM Mercedes of Ellen Lohr who was in attendance as a brand ambassador for the classic car insurance division. “A fantastic event,” explained Lohr, the only woman ever to have won a DTM race (1992 in Hockenheim!) was full of praise of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic. “I’m already looking forward to next year.”
