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Press release 2022 - 04

 
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ADAC Eifel Rallye Festival 2022 – Waiting for the Anniversary Festival

  • An entry comprising cars from fifty years of the World Rally Championship
  • Renewal of the biggest rally festival after two years of an enforced break
  • First VIP drivers confirmed

A very special edition of the ADAC Eifel Rally Festival will take place on the weekend of July 21-23. The festivities for what is the delayed tenth anniversary of the largest rolling rally museum plus the fiftieth season of the World Rally Championship will attract a unique field of starters to Daun in the Volcanic Eifel. "Shortly after the opening of the entry list, the one hundred and fifty available starting places were booked and the waiting list also filled up," reports Reinhard Klein (Cologne). What excited the head of Slowly Sideways, the Europe-wide association of owners of historic rally cars, was "the incredible quality and diversity of the entries. This means that we can present all facets of the fifty-year history of the WRC at our Festival." Since the Daun event has always attached great importance to the fact that only originals or faithful replicas will be at the start, the fans will be presented with a unique cross-section of rally cars from history. A foretaste of this will be given in May at the WRC round in Portugal where, in addition to the official fiftieth anniversary celebrations, fans will be treated to a parade of cars from WRC history on some of the special stages. These historic vehicles are coming mainly from the ranks of the Eifel Rally Festival.

No 'teething problems' after two years of an enforced break
The Eifel Rally Festival had to take a break for two years thanks to the regulations created by the CV-19 pandemic, but now everyone involved is really getting motivated. "The entire region is behind us – and how!" said Otmar Anschütz from the organising club, the MSC Daun. He has been delighted with the response from both local residents and enthusiastic helpers. "Everyone involved is looking forward to being at the Festival with us."
Not only is the field of participants bulging, but the rush of fans wanting to attend is also reaching unprecedented heights, "We've never had so many ticket orders by this point, it's enormous, but also a huge confirmation of the work that has been done." As in the past, around 40,000 fans are expected to attend the Festival weekend in and around Daun. Together with the field of participants, the local daily newspaper calculated an added value of at least €2 million for the region in 2015 and that is likely to be exceeded this year. Preparations are also underway in the towns that will be the new focus of events on Thursday and Friday. After their last meeting with the organisers, everyone in the new shakedown region in the villages of Bodenbach and Borler, and in the new Friday Centre located in Demerath is 'on fire' for the new task. The local clubs and communities are also increasing their staff to cope with the expected rush of visitors.

First commitments in the VIP area
The Eifel Rally Festival is not only the world's largest meeting of original or faithfully reproduced rally cars, it has also become a haunt for the reunion of the participants from the international rally scene. No matter if they used to drive the cars, keep the mechanics fed and watered, or coordinate the teams, many people from those ‘past days’ – and some of their fans – meet in Daun for a weekend in which they can recall the days of yesteryear.
And already, the names of the first confirmed VIP drivers are 'leaking out'. Among others, former European Champion Jochi Kleint is due to drive the Ford Capri with which Walter Röhrl caused such a sensation at the 1972 Olympia Rally. The Capri was rebuilt on the original bodyshell after years of detailed work and has already been on display in Daun at an earlier ERF. Now it will finally be seen in action on the demonstration tracks. Kleint will also drive the original Opel Ascona B with which he won the European Championship in 1979.
A regular guest is the man who has won so many German rally championship titles, Matthias Kahle. The breath-taking drifting angles he is able to conjure up on the tarmac roads in his Škoda 130 RS, which only has 130 bhp, have always thrilled fans. For the Swede Kalle Grundel, there will be two impressive reunions as he will drive the Peugeot 205 T16 with which he won the German Rally Championship in 1985 and also the Ford RS200 with which he competed in the 1986 RAC Rally in the WRC.
Rudi Stohl will come to the line in his Safari-proven Audi 90 quattro and John Buffum is coming from America to have a reunion with the Audi Quattro A2 with which he conquered Pikes Peak in 1983. The Belgian all-rounder and three-time national champion Marc Duez is due to start in a Ford RS200. Further interesting discussions are underway with other VIPs, but as always, their presence at the ERF will only be confirmed when everything is finalised. One thing is certain and that is that the fans can look forward to an extraordinary anniversary festival in 2022.

The Eifel Rallye Festival - Timetable

Thursday, 21.07.2022
15:00 - 19:00
Shakedown in Bodenbach

from 20:30
Welcome evening in the Rally Mile Open-air rally cinema with cult filmmaker Helmut Deimel

Friday, 22.07.2022
From 08:00 hrs
Vehicle scrutineering, Rally Mile in Daun

11:00 - 12:00
Autograph session with many VIPs and stars

from 14:20
Peugeot Super Stage with gravel sections between Demerath and Steineberg

from 19.30
proWIN spectator circuit Demerath-Winkel at night

Saturday, 23.07.2022
08:30 - 17:00 h
asphalt tests in the volcanic Eifel

In-between
Rally Mile in Daun with many attractions

from 19:30
Rally party with prizes and awards

Das Eifel Rallye Festival in den sozialen Medien:
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Verwendet unsere Hashtags: #eifelrallyefestival, #eifelrallyefestivalofficial

Presse-Kontakt
Jürgen Hahn
Weiherstraße 9
65558 Langenscheid
E-mail: presse@eifel-rallye-festival.de

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