On the weekend of June 7th to 9th, the first highlight of the 2024 motorsport season is just around the corner at Spielberg: the Red Bull Ring Classics. Visitors can immerse themselves in the multifaceted history of motorsport. Rare and iconic racing cars will not only be on display as exhibits, but will also be on display in action on the racetrack. There will also be legendary film vehicles. On Tuesday, alongside Red Bull Ring General Manager Erich Wolf, Rene Binna from BG Sportpromotion and Chrome Cars company founder Kai Nieklauson, Austria’s racing legends Dr. Helmut Marko and Dieter Quester gathered in Graz to give a foretaste of the event.
Dr. Helmut Marko: This is honest motorsport
The two experienced motorsport enthusiasts could hardly hide their excitement about the Red Bull Ring Classics. Dr. Helmut Marko and Dieter Quester – both know the historical as well as the modern side of motorsport. What makes the historic racing cars so special for Marko? “That it is honest motorsport. A driver sits there and passes on his feeling in the car to the mechanic. You can adjust the shock absorbers and the air pressure – then it’s over. In contrast to today, there are several hundred parameters. Everything is tried out in the simulator. None of that existed in the past. The car is what it is and ultimately the driver makes the difference.”
History or modernity? For Quester, this question does not arise. For the 84-year-old motorcycle and car racer, motorsport is what counts: “I am still fascinated by racing and, in the end, it doesn’t matter to me whether I’m sitting in a modern car or a historic car. The most important thing for me is my passion for the sport and I haven’t given that up to this day.”
Anyone can live out this passion at the Red Bull Ring Classics, as the line-up boasts seven racing series. Visitors can experience the Golden Era Touring Cars, Boss GP, CanAM & Sportscars and many more up close. Historic formula cars, sports cars, endurance cars, touring cars – from June 7th to 9th, the Red Bull Ring has everything a motorsport fan could wish for. Tickets are available for presale here.
Motorsport history up close at the Red Bull Ring
“We tried to link several things together – of course with historic motorsport and international racing series. It should be hands-on motorsport with an open paddock, pit lane walks and vehicle exhibitions that show famous movie cars as well as legendary racing cars,” says Rene Binna from BG Sportpromotion. The event attracts visitors with car gems from blockbusters and cult films such as the Ford Mustang GT 500 from “Gone in 60 Seconds”, a Yenko Camaro from “Fast & Furious” or the replica Mini from “Mr. Bean”.
Making the history of motorsport come alive is also a key concern for Erich Wolf, head of the Red Bull Ring: “It’s about making motorsport history tangible. Of course, we have a lot of cars in a static exhibition, but the important thing is that the majority of the vehicles are also in motion.”
“Our goal with the Red Bull Ring Classics is to create a family event, embedded in the major motorsport events that we have at the Red Bull Ring. Across generations, in terms of technology and vehicles, but also in terms of families. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience motorsport history and take it into their hearts,” Wolf continued.
For the Red Bull Ring managing director, the path to the future is not conceivable without the past: “You have to go back into history to recognize developments and the path to the future. It has always been my concern that you can look into the future through history, through the present. To do this, you have to have recognized the past.”
Mateschitz legacy in good hands: Continuation of the tradition at the Red Bull Ring
Formula 1, Moto GP, DTM – the Red Bull Ring will host them all again in 2024. The Classics event is, in a way, the why-up in the series of these major events that are taking place in Spielberg this year. “That is Dietrich Mateschitz’s legacy: there should be three to five major events a year. With four major events this year, we are right in the middle.” Erich Wolf is proud of what the Red Bull Ring achieves every year.
Dietrich Mateschitz was an important companion on the Red Bull Ring boss’s career path. “I met Dietrich Mateschitz very early on, back in the 1980s. That’s because of our shared love of aviation and flying. I did a few projects with him – among other things, I was managing director of the Red Bull Air Race. Then I was able to take over the management of the Red Bull Ring.”
“The collaboration has always been very, very respectful and very successful. The Red Bull Ring has developed positively in recent years,” emphasised Wolf. According to him, an event such as the Red Bull Ring Classics is not only positive for the Austrian motorsport community, which keeps coming to the events in large numbers. “It also has a very special economic significance for Styria and for the whole of Austria. Investments have amounted to over a billion over the last ten years. This naturally also has a corresponding impact on the local and regional economy,” said the managing director of the Red Bull Ring.
Wolf, who will retire on September 30th this year, believes the future of the race track is built on solid foundations even after Mateschitz’s death. “It is clear that with Mark Mateschitz taking over, this tradition and his father’s legacy will be continued and that we have a clear and secure foundation for the further development of the Red Bull Ring.”