The Südsteiermark-Classic
SINCE 2001 – SYNONYMOUS WITH SPORTSMANSHIP, UNIQUENESS OF THE COUNTRYSIDE, SOCIABILITY AND CULINARY PLEASURE.
Classics and nostalgia associated with sporting ambition, exclusivity and enthusiasm: these are the ingredients of Südsteiermark-Classic with start and goal in Gamlitz, the heart of South Styria.
As one of the three most important events in Austria, Südsteiermark-Classic opens the vintage car season in Austria every year on the last weekend of April.
More than 200 teams try year after year to get one of the coveted starting places, but the topography, coupled with the operators’ understanding of quality, limits the starting field to 160 teams.
“VIPS” are the cars – they are at the centre, they have past, they tell stories.For all models built prior to 1950, the Südsteiermark-Classic guarantees not only a fixed starting point, but it also adjusts the target times and the averages in special stages to the years of manufacture – this explains also why the Südsteiermark-Classic has been the number 1 in Austria in this sector for years.
The route
After the technical Acceptance on Wednesday begins the sporting challenge on Thursday on the ÖAMTC circuit.
On Friday, the teams are challenged to reach the target times via the closed Rechberg to Europe’s largest contiguous alpine pasture area, the Teichalm.
Back in the valley, the blooming apple street will be a delight for the participants. After a fantastic lunch buffet at the wedding castle Obermayerhofen, the route – partly with special tests on closed tracks – goes over the Schlösserstraße and the Vulkanland with its distinctive Riegersburg back in Southern Styria, where in the midst of fuel conversation the first winners will be announced at the “Steirerabend”.
The Saturday can be described as the ultimate travel guide to the vineyards of Southern Styria:small winding streets across the vineyards, passage controls at internationally renowned wineries – culminating in the Welsh Grand Prix in the centre of Gamlitz – 1 day in one of the most beautiful landscapes of Austria.
The periods and the overall winner (pre-war / post-war) are determined in uniformity tests with GPS measurement as well as in special tests on closed routes with photoelectric or tube measurement.
Culinary Art – Wine
But what would the Südsteiermark-Classic be without the culinary accompaniment.Already at the accreditation you will get a little hint of what you might expect in the next few days: Vulkano ham, Styrian wines of the highest class… More than approx. 30 top winemakers of Southern Styria accompany all events with their top products: Muscatel, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt Barrique … – there is something for everyone, a wine tasting for over 3 days. That too is the Suedsteiermark-Classic.
“You should have been there at least once so that you know what an organizer can offer. Because everything is offered here.”
(original comment of a participant).
Enjoyment and sportiness are not mutually exclusive – they form a perfect symbiosis in Südsteiermark-Classic.
GET IN – LET YOURSELF BE PAMPERED!