The first ever Red Bull Ring Classics was a huge success, with 18,200 fans coming through the gates over the course of the weekend to watch more than 200 historic cars compete in 15 races. The ten top-class series – Group C Supercup, BOSS GP, Alfa Revival Cup, CanAm & Sportscars, Sports Car Challenge, 100 Miles of Red Bull Ring Classics, Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge, Dunlop Gentle Drivers ’65, SuperSixties and Touring Cars Golden Era – gave the spectators a thrill they won’t be forgetting any time soon.
Palpable elation among teams and fans
Despite currently hobbling around on crutches, former DTM driver Stefan Mücke wasn’t going to miss out on this very special occasion at Spielberg. “The atmosphere is sensational,” he enthused. “There are so many fans present. During the pit lane walk, our garage was packed.” The German made light of his injury: “That’s what happens when you think you can go just as fast on two wheels as on four.” The fans weren’t put off by the sight of the crutches either, as they queued up to talk to the father and son team of Stefan and Peter Mücke during the autograph session in the Fan Zone. Altfrid Heger, Nick Padmore, Colin Caserani and Dan Setford also made themselves available for autographs and selfies in the Fan Zone.
Action on the ground and in the air
The programme on Sunday left nothing to be desired. When there was no fighting for victory on the race track, the fans got to see legends on four wheels in action. The two Ferrari Sharknoses, the Aston Martin Valkyrie and the ChromeCars Lotus John Player raced around the Red Bull Ring as part of show runs. At 13:00 on the dot, all eyes turned skywards, where the F4U-4 Corsair of the Flying Bulls fleet flew a lap of honour over the Red Bull Ring. The legendary fighter-bomber from the Second World War delivered a great air show.
Event organisers René Binna and Christoph Gerlach (BG Sportpromotion) and Erich Wolf (General Manager Red Bull Ring) expressed their delight with the success of the weekend: “We would like to thank all the racing series for their participation and dedication, and of course the fans for generating such a fabulous atmosphere. Together with our partners, we have made a successful start to something that we hope will become a long-term joint venture. It has been a pleasure working together on this project, and the many smiling faces around us are confirmation enough.”
