We just returned from our very first visit to the Hockenheim Historic, and we found a worthy candidate for our spring season classic car race. The event celebrated its 21st anniversary, and the organisers reported 46.000 visitors, a number that would make even serious classic car shows proud. For more info see their website.
Indeed, we witnessed tribunes full of spectators and a comprehensive array of spectacles, not just on the track but also in the race track’s interior, offering insight into the teams’ preparations (or rest). As in most classic car races, visitors get a hands-on experience with access to paddocks and tents.
This year’s event honoured the memory of two-time Formula 1 world champion Jim Clark, who passed away on 7 April 1968 in an accident. The organisers dedicated a minute of silence during the main attraction to commemorate his tragic loss.
Opel celebrated 125 years of Opel Motorsport
One of the special programmes included an exhibition honouring 125 years of Opel Motorsport history from the prewar 12 hp race car through the Black Widow and Elektro GT to the Calibra V6 4×4 ITC and Astra TCR.
The oldest Opel was a white 1903 model with a 1885cc two-cylinder inline engine.
The next car in the timeline is the Green Monster, a prewar mastodon with a 12.3 litre engine delivering 260 hp and a top speed of 230 km/h, as early as 1914. Quite a step up indeed.
Arguably, the most memorable car of the exhibition was the 1928 Opel RAK 2. The RAK series was Opel’s experimental rocket project, the world’s first large-scale rocket program, significantly advancing rocket and aviation technology.
The RAK2 was Opel’s second rocket-powered prototype, following the successful tests and demonstration of the Opel RAK1 in April 1928. The prototype was commissioned for a presentation at the AVUS racetrack in Berlin. Piloted by Fritz von Opel, the car set a new land speed world record of 238 km/h (140 mph). The experimental vehicle was powered by 24 solid-fuel rockets mounted in the rear. The chassis was based on an Opel Model 80 road car, but the large lateral stabilisers provided sufficient downforce, while making it an unmistakable showstopper in the process.
The red GT represents Opel’s coolest postwar car, a miniature version of a Corvette. This red specimen was on display, recalling the special role of Hockenheim, as the international dynamic launch of the car took place on the racetrack in October 1968.
The next GT proved that Opel relied on electricity even before it was cool. The grey Elektro GT from 1971 still makes it a prime decoration for Opel at international car shows. 55 years ago, Georg von Opel took the E-GT to the Hockenheim track, setting a total of six electric car world records on the circuit.
Fast forward to the modern day, we particularly loved the iconic race car of the ‘90s-the black Opel Calibra V6 4×4 ITC, with its memorable ‘Cliff’ livery. Manuel Reuter and Opel secured the 1996International Touring Car Championship title with the 2.5-litre V6 race car.
The organisers managed to secure a diverse selection of racing classes
The organisers managed to secure a diverse selection of classes reflecting every category and race, from prewar grand prix cars through modern Formula Junior series to recent Formula-1 legends.
Group 4 and 5 race cars are divided into several series, while the golden era of touring cars amassed a gigantic field, with several dozen race cars, ranging from ‘70s Ford Sierras and DTM cars to fairly modern specimens.
The agenda was constructed to offer a diverse set of entertainment, with special programs like access to the paddock and the grid before the start of the F1 cars on Saturday, or the constant action within the dense field of touring cars. In total, the organisers secured the participation of twelve racing series with more than 500 race cars, to the thrill of the spectators.
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The crown jewel of the event is the BOSS GP, an international racing series officially authorised by the FIA (see the website of the series). This series brings together legends from Formula 1 with cars from GP2, Indy Cars, Renault’s World Series, A1 GP and other high-end open wheel cars.
The official name of the series did not come from a title sponsorship with Hugo Boss, but rather from an abbreviation that stands for Big Open Single Seaters. The top classes from the international single-seater categories, past and present, are competing in the races, attending five classic car events this year:
8-10 May Hockenheim (Germany) – ADAC Hockenheim Historic
12-14 June Nürburgring (Germany) – Nürburgring Classic
3-5 July Magny-Cours (France) – Racing Cup Magny-Cours
28-30 August Red Bull Ring (Austria) – Red Bull Ring Classics
2-4 October Mugello (Italy) – Gran Premio Storico d’Italia
There are two different classes in the BOSS GP series. The OPEN class lists the most powerful cars, such as Formula 1 and IndyCar, while the FORMULA class features GP2, AutoGP, Renault’s World Series, and the cars of Superleague Formula. At the end of the season, every class will crown its own BOSS GP champion.
BOSS GP open paddock and relaxed atmosphere, recalling some of the world’s most famous and powerful cars. The show also brought back the traditional grid girls, a memento from the golden era of F1.
The other extreme was the touring car golden era (see the website of the series), with a wide selection of cheaper and more expensive cars and a very dense field.
The Golden Era is defined rather broadly, encompassing the German Racing Championship DRM (1971-1985), the DTM (1984-1996), the Super Touring Car Championship STW (1993-1999), and the European and World Touring Car Championship ETCC/WTCC (2000-2006).
From these diverse eras, the door was open to all. Hence, the organisers managed to secure a massive field, with plenty of action, from crashes to smoking brakes.
Hockenheim is a small, modern racetrack with well-laid-out stages that offer more visual access than traditional long tracks. It also has a long history, which connects well with classic racing series and thematic exhibitions. Altogether, we spent a very enjoyable weekend with additional discoveries, such as the magnificent transport museums in Speyer and Sinsheim, and the Autovision Museum about 20 minutes away.
