Mountain race Gurnigel: Legends for the anniversary
CLASSICS ON DEMO DRIVE On September 7/8, the 50th National Hill Climb will take place on the Gurnigel. To mark the anniversary, some of the drivers who have left their mark on this race will be driving up the mountain in cars from their time. The association Bergrennen Gurnigel wants to keep the anniversary show program small but nice. After all, racing - the penultimate round of the Swiss [...]
Small but nice, the association Bergrennen Gurnigel wants to keep the anniversary show program. After all, the racing - the penultimate round of the Swiss mountain championship - should be in the foreground. Countless drivers have shaped this popular mountain race in the Gantrisch region, which was still run as a section race of the ACS Bern in 1968 and 1969, over the past 50 years.
However, due to time constraints, VBG has to choose from a nice dozen drivers and vehicles that commemorate the past half century. Depending on the adherence to the schedule, they will be seen in action several times on September 7 and 8.
And these are the drivers and their partly original vehicles in alphabetical order:
- Fredy Amweg, Amweg-BMW F2
- Jürg Dürig, Eggenberger-BMW 635 CSi Group 2
- Daniel Hadorn, Renault Clio I Cup
- Edy Kamm, VW Golf GTi Group A
- Michael Kammermann, BMW M1
- Hansjörg Lüthi, Opel Vauxhall Vectra STW
- Daniel Mauerhofer, Sauber C3
- Bruno Messerli, Foprd Sierra Cosworth
- Heinz Steiner, Martini BMW MK77 CN
- Kurt Schneiter, Triumph Dolomite Sprint
- Patrick and Hansueli Ulrich, BMW E30 325/M3
- Joe Wyss, Ford Escort Cosworth Group A
Two formative families
Fredy Amweg won the Gurnigelrennen a total of 20 times in his time until his retirement 20 years ago, from 1976 to 1978 with the Formula 2 Eigenbau . Heinz Steiner took the day's victory three times, twice with the Martini BMW. Since his retirement some 20 years ago, he has never driven this sports car again and will do so once more on the occasion of the upcoming hill climb. We will talk about Amweg and Steiner in separate stories and in the next print edition of AutoSprintCH.
Return of local heroes
Dürig, Hadorn, Lüthi, Messerli, Schneiter, Ulrich and Wyss are local heroes who celebrated successes on their local mountain. Joe Wyss was also the initiator of the foundation of the association that kept the Gurnigelrennen alive after the withdrawal of the ACS.
Edy Kamm brings that Group A Golf that the Amag racing team used in the Swiss championship. Daniel Mauerhofer recalls Peter Sauber's last racing season with the Sauber C3, before he concentrated on the construction and use of his racing cars. And Michael Kammermann revisits the days of the spectacular BMW M1.
Further information about the 50th Nat. hill climb at Gurnigel can be found on the homepage of the organizer.
