Classic: Jaguar driving fun instead of Formula 1

It works without him, too. Mario Illien has such good employees at Ilmor in England, where the development of Renault's Formula 1 engines is accelerated, that he doesn't have to be on site all the time. Not even at a racing venue like Hockenheim, where the German GP will be held on Sunday. The man from Graubünden would rather take part in the Ennstal-Classic in Austria together with Daniel Maurerhofer.

The duo is taking part in this three-day event in the Enns Valley of Styria for the third time, this time in a Jaguar XK 120 (160 hp, 3442 cc) from Emil Frey Classic AG in Safenwil. They are coached by former Formula 1 and Group C race engineer Bruno Flückiger. The event, which is advertised as a regularity test, begins on Thursday with a prologue over around 400 km. On Friday, a marathon of 500 km and on Saturday the Grand Prix as the grand finale in Gröbming are on the agenda.

Fun is clearly in the foreground in the Enns Valley
More than 100,000 spectators are expected. The field of participants consists of teams from 20 nations, featuring many motorsport legends and celebrities from politics and culture. Besides Illien, modern racing is embodied by Porsche LMP1 team boss Fritz Enzinger and his fastest employees Neel Jani and Mark Webber with various Stuttgart sports cars. According to Daniel Mauerhofer, the sporting ambitions are kept within limits. "We don't stand a chance against many teams that compete with almost professional co-drivers," says the Aargauer, who is still active in modern racing on a Norma sports car in slaloms and hill climbs. "In our two previous participations, we have classified ourselves in the first third of the field. This is again our goal. But first and foremost, we want to have our fun and show the audience a great car with the history-rich Jaguar XK120."

www.ennstal-classic.at
Photos: Archive