Rally: Beat Wyssen in the Abarth 124 Rally
RALLYE The 2018 Swiss Rally Championship has been enriched. With his daughter Janine as navigator, Beat Wyssen from the Bernese Oberland will be competing in most of the championship rounds in a new Abarth 124 Rally. With the support of his family, Beat Wyssen has been taking care of the Abarth Trofeo Slalom, a one-make cup for Abarth drivers, for some time now. At the last moment [...]
With the support of his family, Beat Wyssen has been taking care of the Abarth Trofeo Slalom, a one-make cup for Abarth drivers, for some time now. Caught at the last moment by defending champion Sylvain Burkhalter, he finished the 2017 championship as runner-up.
The owner of the Zeughaus garage in Spiezwiler also took part in several Swiss rallies with his Abarth 500 R3T and his daughter Janine in the passenger seat. They still plan to do so - but with a new car.
The 61-year-old driver from the Bernese Oberland will be the first driver from Switzerland to enter an Abarth 124 Rally. He will be competing in the R-GT group, in which one or two Porsche 911 GT3s have appeared sporadically in the past.
At the Rallye du Valais last October, the Italian Fabrizio Andolfi drove one of the two 300 hp sports cars present (standard price ex works, ready to race, 140,000 euros excluding VAT and customs duties).
Beat Wyssen: "As an Abarth dealer, it was a dream of ours to drive it one day. In June 2017, I was allowed to test drive it on the Alfa test track in Balocco and immediately caught fire. The Abarth 124 can no longer be compared with a 500. With its longer wheelbase, rear-wheel drive and higher performance, it has a completely different driving experience."
Navigated by daughter Janine (32), Beat Wyssen will compete in all races except the season opener in France in mid-March.
Beat Wyssen: "We drive for fun and have no ambitions. This is our leisure activity and we are looking forward to showing the Abarth 124 Rally to the Swiss public. Crossing the finish line with an undamaged car is our top priority. Because on Monday we both have to be back at our company with more than 20 employees."
