A cosy, well-mixed field of starters, many exotic cars, 100-year-old sheet metal. Plus a few GP cars, a racing atmosphere in Gröbming and, most importantly, a new generation of winners! Perhaps the 32nd edition of the Ennstal-Classic will go down in history as a turning point – who knows!
First of all. Margarita and Magdalena Voglar are by no means Ennstal newcomers. Quite apart from the fact that they have practically been injected with the Ennstal-Classic spirit with their mother’s milk (well, mathematicians will pick this apart now, but please allow the Chronsites to do the flowering …), because their parents are rightly considered veterans of the event; the young ladies themselves have also been in the starting field of the competition for years.
A Historic Victory for the Voglars
The green 64cc Giulia TI is well known to EC fans, certainly from top placings. The “silver medal” already went to Voglar/Voglar in 2021.
Margarita and Magdalena also won the “Vredestein Youngster Trophy” parallel competition. This year, however, their time had come. The second-generation Voglars won the Ennstal-Classic overall with aplomb. They remained unbeaten from the very start. Their rivals, including Klackl/Kovacic-Klackl in second place, called them uncatchable. They achieved the long-overdue second victory for a women’s team in this event. The Ennstal-Classic is Austria’s most beautiful classic car rally. Most importantly, they broke the prejudice about classic car competitions. These events are often seen as being for older participants stuck in the past.
The fact that Margarita and Magdalena Voglar are a winning women’s team is not something we want to overemphasise here. There is no reason to do so. Those familiar with the event know the second Ennstal-Classic was won by an all-women team in 1994. Jutta Roschmann and Nicole Neukunft took victory that year. Back then, it was not a major issue, unlike today. The first Ennstal-Classic in 1993 was won by Walter Röhrl. He later said the result was mainly thanks to his co-driver, his wife Monika. In general, mixed teams know the importance of female co-drivers. Their overview often decides success in events measured in hundredths of seconds. This applies over distances of more than 1000 kilometres. It was only a matter of time before another all-women team reached the top. Now, another all-women team has climbed the Ennstal-Classic podium. And this year it happened.
Youth, Team Spirit and Growing Enthusiasm
But what is much more pleasing and warms the heart is the combination of youth and ladylike behaviour that overwhelmed us here. And somehow created a good atmosphere from the very first special stage onwards. There was a certain sense of excitement among the fans and spectators. Everyone helped the Voglars. Rarely have so many people clamoured for the time sheets during half-day classifications. The Ennstal-Classic results server sometimes struggled under heavy traffic. By Friday at noon, the Klackl team admitted something remarkable. They were already in second place and said the girls could hardly be beaten this year. A wave of support formed around the Voglars. It not only wished them victory but carried them forward. The final in Gröbming became a major success. The top ten lined up for the final lap around the GP course. Not everything was decided yet, but much of it already was.
Final Showdown in Gröbming
Third place changed hands (the youngsters Kapsch/Antoni were overtaken by the veterans Erich and Roswitha Volk, as those in the know will recognise: also a mixed team), otherwise the start ramp belonged to Margarita and Magdalena as expected. The champagne flowed freely and the rest of the day was a party until late into the night.
What else made the Ennstal-Classic 2024 shine? Mostly fine weather, which was decorated with the usual thunderstorms but no capers, just the right number of participants, just enough but not too many. And then there were the new stage locations, which we will gladly get used to. Gmunden, for example – the wonderful Toscana Park. The driveway of the automobile gems right by the water provided countless photo opportunities. Then there was the beautiful, southernmost point of the route in Taggenbrunn, our second time there and an unmissable stop. The classics Steyr and Lunz am See, celebrated and very popular. And finally, as the crowning glory of the various timed events on closed-off pistes such as Niederöblarn or Trieben: The Red Bull Ring. Where the pre-war cars in particular attracted attention with their ambitious flying colours.
Not too long, but also not for the lazy: these were the stages of the Ennstal-Classic 2024. The timing was right, the only downer was the cancellation of the Sölkpass, the road could not be opened in time after storms the weekend before. And the fact that the Stoderzinken actually presented itself in heavy rain was seen by most as more of a challenge than an inconvenience.
Atmosphere, Stars and the Spirit of the Ennstal-Classic
The numerous spectators along the pistes behaved in an exemplary manner. There was a great atmosphere not only in Gröbming, but all along the route people were celebrating, taking photos, admiring and signing autographs. The cars are the stars here, of course. But their glamour also rubs off on the drivers. No matter whether they are celebrities like Alex Kristan, Aksel Lund Svindal or Dieter Quester. All the other illustrious members of the big Ennstal-Classic family will also take centre stage for three days. At the centre of ambitious, automotive locomotion in the last paradise.
We are looking forward to 2025 – 16 to 19 July!
And first of all to the Planai Classic from 9 to 11 January!
