Arosa: Thomas Amweg in a class of his own 🎥
FIFTH DAY WIN IN CONSEQUENCE Despite Corona measures, the 16th Arosa ClassicCar 2020 was a complete success. Also for Thomas Amweg in the Martini F2, who as the renewed day winner would have liked to have had more competition. The mountain race for historic vehicles, which is being held for the 16th time, enters the 2020 season as the first automotive sporting event under racing conditions on Swiss soil [...]
The mountain race for historic vehicles, which was held for the 16th time, will go down in history as the first automobile sporting event of the year 2020 under racing conditions on Swiss soil. The specially developed protection concept, which was decisive for the official approval, was effective and finally enabled the event, which had been in question for a long time, to take place.
Feelings of happiness
The relief of the devoted OC presidium and its staff of helpers could be heard all the way to Alsace, where the French also staged a (modern) mountain race under Corona conditions and spectators along the course.
Apart from the safety fences and barriers, there was no special infrastructure for the visitors of the mountain race and the vacation guests in Arosa. Nevertheless, many people lined the 7300-meter race course with start in Langwies and finish in the middle of the village. Only the access to the paddock and the event area was not allowed to them.
The race director draws a thoroughly positive conclusion.
Ueli Schneiter: "Everything went excellently, even the weather played along. I think we made everyone happy. We felt that from the reactions of participants, marshals and the visitors. We are happy and proud that we pulled it off."
Fast and regular Thomas Amweg
The sporting action was therefore almost secondary - the main thing was that the wheels of the more or less fast old and youngtimers from the various categories were turning again. The fastest were those on Thomas Amweg's Martini-BMW Mk50 F2, built in 1988.
With four running times between 4:06.47 and 4:11.74, the Aargauer was also very regular. Adding up the three best times, he took more than a minute off his only race car competitor Roger Moser from Arosa in a Martini BMW Mk28 built in 1990.
The verdict has never been so clear, which the winner himself regretted.
Thomas Amweg: "I would certainly like to see more competition. That would be an incentive. But even so, I was able to deliver my best performance in 2020. I just know the track and the vehicle better from year to year."
Missing race taxi drivers
The five-time Arosa winner attributes the fact that he missed his own track record from last year by just three tenths to a lack of grip. His explanation is astonishing.
Thomas Amweg: "We missed the race taxi drivers like Marcel Fässler! They always laid down nice rubber, which was an advantage for us. In addition, there was flooding the previous week, so there was a lot of dirt, which only seemed to be wiped away with the rain in the night to Sunday. Because on the second day, the times got a little faster."
What it sounds and looks like when Thomas Amweg steps on the gas is shown in the short professional video by Bernhard Brägger - many thanks!
The guest is king
Third fastest and winner of the Competition class (the three race cars were considered Competition Formula) was Florian Feustel. The South German, who has also competed in the modern hillclimb races in Hemberg and Oberhallau, brought an optimum Porsche Carrera RSR to Arosa, with which he was less than seven seconds slower than Roger Moser and even set the better fastest time.
With only three completed runs, Markus Jörg, who is also always fast in circuit races, came in second in the small 1956 Lotus 11 sports car. As in 2019, Diego Bernhard from Ticino came third in the Ford Escort RS2000.
Orsatti and Treina win after uniformity
In the Arosa Classic Trophy, in which an average speed of 80 km/h could not be exceeded, Hans Orsatti in a Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato was the most regular.
In the Arosa Sport Trophy, in which everyone was allowed to drive as fast as they wanted, André Treina in the Volvo 121 came to victory with the smallest deviation. In both categories, the lowest time difference between two of the four races was taken into account.
Date 2021 is already fixed
All ranking lists, many photos and further information are available on the official homepage of the event. And after the successful special vintage 2020 is already certain: The 17th Arosa ClassicCar will take place from Thursday, 2 to Sunday, 5 September 2021.
