The famous Rossfeld Hill Climb in the Bavarian Alps is an autumn highlight for fans of vintage automobiles. The roots of this iconic event stretch back as far as the 1920s. Since 2013, it has been held every two years. As main partner of the event, Volkswagen is sending six fascinating cars to the race.
The Golf Mk2 “Pikes Peak” is a famous predecessor of the ID. R Pikes Peak, with which Volkswagen won the legendary “Pikes Peak International Hill Climb” in Colorado (USA) in 2018. Back in 1987, Klaus-Joachim “Jochi” Kleint was at the wheel of the twin-engine, 458-kW (652-PS) Golf on Pikes Peak when the car came to a stop just short of the finish line. In 2018, visitors to Rossfeld will be able to experience the impressive hill climb car being driven by its original driver.
The latest version of the Golf GTI TCR (257 kW/350 PS) will be equally quick as it tackles the many corners on the six-kilometre Rossfeld route, which features inclines of up to 13 per cent. Developed by Volkswagen Motorsport for customer teams in TCR racing series, the Golf GTI TCR will be driven by racing driver and motorsport brand ambassador Benjamin Leuchter.
Three sporty Beetles and a rare South American will provide the classic boxer soundtrack. Among the air-cooled classics in action will be the “Mille Miglia” VW Beetle from 1956, the 1303 S “Salzburg” from 1971, a 1302 from 1972 modified by tuner Theo Decker, and the timelessly beautiful Volkswagen SP2 coupé (1974).
The origins of the Rossfeld Race date back a long way: as early as 1925 to 1928, cars and motorcycles could be found racing up a steep gravel road to Obersalzberg in the “Salzberg Race”. From 1958 the race on Rossfeldstraße near Berchtesgaden was an international competition for touring cars and grand touring cars, as well as for sports and junior Formula cars. In 1961, the race was included in the European Hill Climb Championship. Jim Clark and Niki Lauda are among the Formula 1 greats to have faced the challenge on the Obersalzberg.
The relaunched “Internationaler Edelweiß Bergpreis Rossfeld-Berchtesgaden” follows this long tradition. As this is a charity event, all the organisers and helpers offer their services voluntarily; all proceeds from the event are donated to a project for mentally disabled people in the Berchtesgaden district.
