On the weekend of 9th ‑ 11th June, the Red Bull Ring Classics will be whisking fans off on a sentimental journey back through decades of motorsport history. At the press conference in Graz, Red Bull Ring General Manager Erich Wolf, Red Bull motorsport consultant Dr Helmut Marko, gentleman racer Prince Leopold of Bavaria and Rene Binna of BG Sportpromotion gave a foretaste of what lies ahead.
Out of the museum and into Red Bull Ring
Erich Wolf expressed the concept succinctly: “Straight out of the museum and into Red Bull Ring! Cars that are usually exhibited in a museum of technology will be seen in full racing trim. Fans can immerse themselves in a bygone – though by no means forgotten – era as they are transported back to the early days of motor racing. The Red Bull Ring Classics provides the perfect framework for our programme of major events at Spielberg.”
At the Red Bull Ring Classics, iconic racing cars that filled the pages of the record books in the 20th century will bring historic motorsport to life. Prince Leopold of Bavaria travelled to the press conference in Graz in a BMW 3.0 CSL. The 52-year-old ‘Batmobile’, the precursor of all later models built by BMW M GmbH, is powered by a climate-friendly mixture of Super ECO and e-Fuel. It was on display in front of the Lendhotel for the duration of the press conference.
“The BMW 3.0 I arrived here in was bought by our Royal Bobsleigh Automobile Club,” explained the Prince of Bavaria. “We chose this model to highlight the merits of sustainable solutions and show the public that other options exist.” The German aristocrat will be taking his BMW out for demo drives at the Red Bull Ring Classics and making himself available to fans who wish to talk about the motor racing days of yore: “My special memory of those wonderful times is that the cars did precisely what I wanted them to do. And there was something very special about the sound they made.”
For Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull Motorsport consultant, the old cars that will be competing in the Red Bull Ring Classics are already part of our cultural heritage. “These are vehicles that make more physical demands on the driver and are more difficult to handle compared to the cars of today with their power steering and other aids. On the negative side, of course, they are less safe. But those misgivings are more than balanced out by the sheer enjoyment that they give to their semi-cult following, the community that keeps these cars alive.”
If you want to immerse yourself in the history of high-powered sports cars, weekend tickets start at € 42 and day tickets at € 28. Children up to 15 years of age are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult, providing that they have a children’s ticket booked at the same time. Your event ticket gives you free access to all open grandstands as well as to the paddock and the Pit Lane Walk. If you don’t have a ticket yet, then get one today!
