The Arlberg Classic Car Rally transforms Vorarlberg into an Eldorado for classic car enthusiasts and car lovers. The variety of makes and models from bygone times and not least the route make the Arlberg Classic Car Rally something special. The Arlberg Classic Car Rally is characterised by the high standards of a historic rally in the midst of a magnificent Alpine landscape with a very special, individual atmosphere. And while it was scorching hot in the valley, the weather at the start of the rally was very changeable, it rained on and off throughout the day, but that didn’t stop the Concorde Classic Team from spreading good humour. And to win!
Beforehand, the two classic car drivers Kay Fischer and Concorde Marketing Manager Markus Freitag had made themselves available for an exclusive photo shoot at the start of the rally in their participant vehicle, a Bentley 4 ¼ litre roadster “Eddi Hall” from 1937. Dressed in the style of a historic rally, both braved the onset of rain. During the preparations, the opportunity arose for an interview with Kay Fischer, the head of the Concorde Classic Team.
Mr Fischer, how exactly do classic car races work and what are the biggest challenges for you?
There are electronically and mechanically timed races. In the electronically timed races, we set off with a logbook on a daily stage that is between 200 and 400 kilometres long and takes us along country roads. The co-driver notes down the day’s kilometres and guides me from point to point. He reads me the instructions and tells me where to turn right, left or straight ahead.
In between, there are checkpoints where you have to be on time: Not too early and not too late, but exactly at the minute calculated from the start. The second challenge are special stages, which are more or less sporty depending on the rally. For example, there may be a time limit for a certain route and there may be light barriers along the way that have to be driven through precisely. Sometimes there can be several dozen of these light barriers in a special stage, which you first have to find in order to pass through them to the nearest hundredth. Last year, I took part in an event where we had to deal with 550 light barriers within three days.
What does it take to overcome this?
Above all, of course, concentration. The times are extremely sporty and when we drive a bit faster on closed-off terrain, it quickly gets a bit hectic. In the sporty area, there are drivers who are always accurate to 200-300ths of a second. You have to train hard for that.
And the passenger is important, right?
(With a view to Markus Freitag) Yes, he or she decides on victory or defeat, has to guide me to the right barriers again and again and make sure that I drive through them correctly. One mistake and we’re at the wrong barrier – then it’s actually already lost. That’s why the tension in the cockpit is extremely high. The interaction between my co-driver and me is crucial. It goes so far that I agree with him that if there are twelve seconds to go, he will say twelve when the time is reached and the first letter of this word is the signal for me. You have to practise this beforehand and get used to each other. For example, I know that when I drive with my daughter, it’s always very precise, whereas with others it might be two tenths of a millimetre difference. That’s how you get to know each other and adjust to each other.
How do you approach a competition like this yourself?
I’m usually there two days beforehand and train to get into the flow, i.e. to get a feel for how I drive through the barriers. It’s always a big challenge, even physically – especially when you’re driving in an open car in wind and weather. But it’s also a lot of fun. Not least because we can present these fantastic vehicles to the public. And how they celebrate it: sometimes tents are set up in the villages and people sit there and celebrate every single car that drives past. Especially in Germany: nowhere else in Europe do I experience such enthusiasm for motorsport.
The number of participants in the races is growing – how do you experience this?
Yes, there are more and more participants and also more and more teams who are very ambitious, take the whole thing very seriously, train a lot and prepare themselves. There are also great prizes to be won, but above all, the rallies are a unique experience!
Is the impression deceptive or are more and more participants travelling by motorhome?
I’ve noticed that too. Instead of pulling the classic car with the car on the trailer, you see a lot more motorhomes. Especially those who really do it as a sport, like me. I also come from a motorsport background, but in the historic sector it’s a bit more relaxed, for example I travel without a trailer. So I can simply travel here with my Concorde, which has my vehicle on board. Not only does it fit a small car, but I also take one of my classic cars with me, such as a 1959 Jaguar XK150. And for me personally, it’s the most comfortable way to travel: I don’t like hotels, I love the fact that I have my own bed, bathroom, pillows and blankets with me and never have to change.
“At Concorde, we not only build motorhomes out of passion, the Liner 1090 GIO also documents our passion, which belongs to the history of the automobile in general. ” – Marketing Manager Markus Freitag on the activities of the Concorde Classic team.
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If you don’t have the opportunity to travel to the mountains for the Classic Car Rally, you can visit Bentley in Böblingen:
Gohm Sportwagen GmbH | Bentley Stuttgart
Graf Zeppelin Platz 1
71034 Böblingen
Tel.: +49 7031 2055-516
E-Mail: info@bentleystuttgart.com
Web: https://stuttgart.bentleymotors.com/eu/de/startseite
Opening hours
Sales
Monday – Friday: 08:30 – 18:30
Saturday: 09:00 – 13:00
Service
Monday – Thursday: 07:30 – 17:00
Friday: 07:30 – 16:30
Saturday: Closed
