From the museum to the Red Bull Ring: On the weekend of 9th ‑11th June, Spielberg will effectively be transformed into a living motorsport museum. This is your chance to marvel at legendary F1, sports and endurance cars as well as some amazing touring cars in action on the race track. You will also have the opportunity to see them in close-up. “Some of these old cars are already part of our cultural heritage,” says Red Bull Motorsport consultant Dr Helmut Marko. “They put more physical strain on the driver and are more difficult to handle compared to today’s cars with their power steering and the like.
Seen in that light, it’s admirable and almost a bit crazy to take these cars out on the race track, because some of them have enormous value and the drivers push them to the limit.” Apart from the ten racing series, fans can look forward to seeing some rare specimens of motorsport history that will be doing demo runs at the Red Bull Ring. The legendary Lotuses from ChromeCars in the black-and-gold livery will be among them. The design is among the most famous in F1 history and is associated with success.
Biplane versus jet
Lining up alongside the Lotus 72 driven by Jochen Rindt, the rest of the 1970 grid looked distinctly passé. After the initial teething troubles had been sorted out, the car made it seem as if Rindt’s opponents were competing in a biplane against a jet plane. Between 1970 and 1973, Lotus won two drivers’ and two constructors’ titles. What else might Jochen Rindt have achieved with this car? The fatal accident he was involved in at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza leaves this question forever unanswered.
After a temporary slump in the mid-1970s, the Lotus 77 returned the constructor to the podium, as Sweden’s Gunnar Nilson drove the Lotus 77 to third place in the 1976 Austrian GP at the Österreichring. 47 years later, the original Lotus returns to Spielberg. No fewer than six of the black-and-gold beauties will be on parade at the Red Bull Ring Classics: Lotus 76 (#12), Lotus 77 (#), F1 Lotus 88 (#11), F1 Lotus 92 JPS (#12), Lotus 94T and the Lotus LMP2 or Lotus T128 (#31).
Fun Fact: The Lotus cars would be worth the trip to the Red Bull Ring Classics in their own right, but as an added bonus, they will also be driven by some top names from the sport. For example, three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner will be at the wheel of the Lotus LMP2.
At the Red Bull Ring Classics, you will have the opportunity to inspect the black-and-gold Lotuses up close and reminisce about the good old days with Marco Werner and other racing stars. Your event ticket gives you free access to the paddock and the pit lane walk.
