Oldtimer Grand Prix (Salzburgring)

The Oldtimer Grand Prix on the Salzburgring near Salzburg, Austria, had been brought into being by Prof. Dr. Helmut Krackowizer, the famous Austrian journalist and ex-motorcycle racer.

After his retreat in 1955 from active motorcycle racing he started to search for historical motorcycles throughout Europe. Some of these discoveries he kept to himself; having let them be restored, he exchanged and sold them. In 1967 he founded one of the first vintage motor clubs in Austria and for a short period he was president of the Austrian Vintage Club Association in 1976.

Krackowizer knew nearly all vintage motorcycles in detail, kept the legends of rare motorcycles in mind and told the biographies of motorcycle racers. He counted as friends Sammy Miller, John Surtees, Walter Zeller, Luigi Taveri, Hans Haldemann, Georg Schorsch Meier and many other persons of the motor racing scene. He was a member of the Rudge Club in England.

One of his great dreams became reality with the legendary "Oldtimer Grand Prix" on the Salzburgring in the years between 1974 and 1994, which took place nine times: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987. Stars like Niki Lauda, Juan Manuel Fangio and the above-mentioned motorcycle racers came to this event for vintage cars and motorcycles. Mercedes Benz sent the famous "Silver Arrows", and more than 100 cars and up to 250 motorcycles joined this event each year.

The participants

About 70 to 100 automobiles and around 200 vintage motorcycles appeared from throughout Europe. Among the most prominent participants were:

Among the automobiles

Among the motorcyclists

Among the vehicles

To mention a few:

...as well as an Austro Daimler ADM 1924, DKW F1 racing car 1930, Rolls Royce 20/25 from 1934, Mercedes Benz 300 SL from 1952, a Staguellini Formel Junior 1959 (the Stanguellini company is based in Modena, Italy. Niki Lauda was driving such a car in his early career);

Among the motorcycles

Also, a Scott TT 500 of 1926, Puch 250 Sport of 1928, Megola 640 5-cylinder of 1923, DKW 350 SS of 1939 and many Rudge-bikes. The range of motorcycles started with Ariel and AJS and continued through Brough-Superior, BSA, Calthorpe, DKW, D-Rad, Douglas, Gillet Herstal, Humber, Harley-Davidson, Moto Guzzi, Megola, Norton, New Imperial, NSU, Puch, Raleigh, Rudge, Schütthoff, Standard, Velocette and Wimmer to Zenith

References