I literally have to craw out of my car. Body is aching everywhere, and finding my way out through the roll cage is not easy when you have just driven over a 1000 km in a race-tuned car. My 348 Challenge is road legal, and as such I thought it would be a good idea to simply drive to the Red Bull Ring from the Netherlands myself. My body disagreed though. Either way, I just arrived at the Red Bull Ring for the Challenge and GT days! Around me several Ferrari Challenge cars were rolling off trailers, into the pit boxes. I met Heinz Swoboda, whose idea this event was. He showed me his 348 GT Competizione, as well as some other cars; this event was going to be filled with special cars, no doubt! I register and get a pit box assigned.
The event started in the evening with some drinks and food in the G’Schlössl Murtal; a beautiful castle-looking hotel with a nice patio where all the drivers gathered. In contrast to everybody else, I drove my participating car there, as I was the only one with a road legal Challenge car. Being a bit tired still from the journey though, I drove the car back to the pit box and gave it a wash. Other mechanics were preparing the Challenge and GT cars for the next day, while AC/DC was playing through the speakers in the pit boxes. With a big smile I walked back to the hotel just next to the track, for a good night’s sleep.
Day one was going to be rainy though; no problem as I had seen the forecast and had replaced the semi-slicks with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires, known to have very good handling in the rain. I got to know my fellow pit box drivers: a team of Austrians sharing an F430 Challenge, two other Austrians both owning a 360 Challenge. During my first session on the track I was positively surprised about these tires; they gave good confidence and control even when the car started to slide. Due to the rain there were not many cars on the track, though sometimes I was overtaken by the roaring Maserati MC12 GT1.
There is something about a group of Challenge cars ‘firing up’ to hit the track. The roaring sound in the pit boxes, the rattling sound of wheel nuts being screwed on and off…it is an exciting thing.
I was most impressed by the GT cars such as the F430 GT2, 458/488 GTE/GT2/GT3 models; to me they are simply the top when it comes to combining beauty and hardcore racing technologies.
The weather did clear up and we had plenty of dry sessions too. Since I drove my car there without supplements I could not swap the tires back to the semi-slicks but even on the dry the Pilot Sport 4’s did well. My car was certainly the slowest and oldest on the track, but certainly not the least fun. When the rain came back in the afternoon of the second day, I often found myself alone on the track enjoying the beautiful Red Bull Ring in slippery but fun conditions.
I flew back without car as I needed it a few weeks later for a trip to Italy with my friends. Heinz was so kind to help me out with the storage of the car (many thanks again Heinz!). When it comes to non-competitive track days, the combination of a beautiful F1 circuit, an incredibly relaxed atmosphere and good spirit, combined with some of the most exclusive and beautiful race cars in the world, I think the Challenge and GT days rank above anything else. For 2020 the Challenge and GT days had to be postponed to 26/27 August, where for the first time there is a Pista meeting and participation of F1 cars. Let’s hope the COVID-19 situation does not get worse, and we can all enjoy this again. I have already signed up…
Feature top image: Robert Cooper for Classic Driver © 2019
Ciao!
Robin
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