By Marcel Hundscheid
The Bosch Hockenheim Historic 2012 in honour of the Scottish race driver Jim Clark will be held 14-15 April at the Hockenheim race track in Germany. Approximately 500 participants and over 20.000 spectators are expected at the popular Grand Prix circuit. Race fans can expect an action packed programme featuring single seaters, touring cars, GTs as well as sports cars honouring legendary cars from the golden years of motorsports.
The Hockenheimring was originally built in 1932 near the town of Hockenheim. The track is famous due to the biennially Formula One Grand Prix. During the early 2000s, the FIA demanded the track to be dramatically shortened from 6.823 km to 4.574 km. Luckily the `Motodrom` or stadium area remained almost intact, but the long straights through the forests disappeared in favour of more corners. Nowadays the track has a seating capacity for 120.000 spectators. The Hockenheimring also features a quarter mile strip used for drag racing.
One of the highlights during the weekend will be ´RaceHistoryonTrack´ (RHoT) held for the eighth time at the Hockenheim Historic. The audience will be treated with an impressive presentation of over sixty years of motorsports history, presented in just one starting field. Over 20 legendary Formula 1 cars as well as 18 Formula 2 cars fill the grid. Besides these icons former Formula 3, F3000 and F5000 cars are also expected.
Thirty years after Stefan Bellof’s first victory in the European Formula 2 Championship a special display on and off the race track will be presented during this weekend to remember this legendary victory. Stefan Bellof drove a Formula 2 car for the very first time and claimed victory. The German driver who tragically lost his life on September 1st 1985 during the 1000 km of Spa World Sportscar Championship race after a collision with Jackie Ickx.
Fans of former Formula 1 cars can enjoy the cars of the fastest museum in the world, hosted by the FIA Historic Formula One Championship, featuring cars from 1966 and 1985 powered by the legendary 3.0 litre Ford Cosworth engines. During this weekend cars such as the McLaren MP4, Brabham BT49, Arrows A4 and A6 are expected as well as different types of the legendary Lotus-brand. Besides historic F1 cars, the European Formula 2 Club will be present from the 1967-1978 eras. Former F1 cars as well as single seaters from both the World Series by Nissan and Renault, Champcar, Indycar and F3000 from the eighties and nineties will see action in the BOSS GP series, without doubt the fastest single seaters in Europe.
Another highlight are the sports cars and prototypes from the late sixties and seventies presented in both the Super Sports Cup as well as the Martini Trophy Series and the Canadian-American Challenge Cup. The presence of the Martini Trophy Series is quite special as the 2.0 litre cars built before December 31st 1978 usually race in the United Kingdom. Brute power presented in the most powerful sports cars in the world built between 1966 and 1974 will see action in the legendary Can-Am prototypes.
The tiniest touring cars produced in Europe during the sixties and seventies such as the Mini, NSU, Autobianchi and Fiat 600 see action in the ‘Battle of the Dwarfs’. No less than 70 cars are expected, combined from series such as Abarth Coppa Mille, British Car Trophy and the NSU TT Trophy. Fans of touring cars and GTs will enjoy the presence of the ‘Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy H&R Cup featuring cars like different Porsches and Chrysler Viper but also smaller cars like the classic Triumph Dolomite.
Ticket sales for the Bosch Hockenheim Historic 2012 have already started online at www.hockenheimring.net/en/tickets. On Friday it’s free to visit the track, the entry fee for Saturday and Sunday costs € 25,00 and weekend tickets cost € 35,00.
For more information on the Bosch Hockenheim Historic 2012, visit www.hockenheim-historic.de.
[Source: Marcel Hundscheid]
