Eggentaler Herbst Classic 2019: what the participants say

To be honest, we are a little proud of the feedback we receive on our classic car rally every year. But it’s best to read for yourself.

Dr. Eberhard Arnold and Horst Schierle: “We are both here for the third time with our women at the Eggentaler Herbst Classic. The route is just great and the landscape is indescribably beautiful. Karlheinz Schott, the organizer of the Franken Classic, told us that he is responsible for the race management here in Eggental. That’s how we got the taste. And we’ve been coming back ever since.“

Frans Pistorius: „Because the area is very beautiful and the Dolomites are wonderful, this is the sixth time I’ve been driving the Eggentaler Herbst Classic. I like the family character, it is nice to meet familiar faces again and again. For me and my wife Liliane, the days during the rally are really holidays – we go for fun and can therefore enjoy the event to the fullest.“

Jürgen Strasser: „The three days bring a lot of joy, fun and nice weather. Of course there is a certain amount of tension before the start because everyone always wants to win (grins). I have about 40 classic cars, I drive here with a Mercedes 190 SLR.“

Franz Wittner: „The weather is perfect, the area is beautiful, I don’t think it could be better. You have to come here when it’s already cold. This is absolutely amazing and for me. I drive around 20 rallies a year, this event is very special to me. Above all because for me the fun and not the evaluation is in the foreground.“

Karl Pardeller: „My team-mate Heinrich Zeiger and I always take part in the Eggentaler Herbst Classic because it is simply wonderful to drive through our homeland with our oldtimer when the weather is nice. And in the car behind us we are “followed” by our women, who also have a lot of fun to be with.“

Tony Maessen: „We have been racing for many years after we have noticed that there is a nice rally here. In the first year we were three cars from Belgium and then every year we participated with more and more Belgian teams. We are all good friends and this year drove 15 classic cars from Belgium to Eggental together. This time the first day wasn’t going so well for us. But that’s not so bad, because we were able to drive the other two days more relaxed with even more fun.“

Günther Pardeller: „As a local I have been driving the Eggentaler Herbst Classic with my friend Luis Brunner for many years. Of course we know the routes well and have driven them many times. But if you take part here and have a good time with friends, it’s a lot of fun.“

James Latham: „For the sixth time, my wife and I are came from New York for this wonderful rally to South Tyrol. We have friends in Germany who told us about this event and we liked it so much that we keep coming back. Every time we have a wonderful time here. We don’t actually drive that many rallies, but we just love Eggental. However, we leave our AC Ace Bristol with the classic car restorer Thomas Feierabend in Würzburg all year round – and would be happy if we can get the car out of the garage for the Eggentaler Herbst Classic.“

Stefan Flohr: „Maybe next time I’ll have to take a second ignition coil with me, because it unfortunately gave up on our Fiat 500. We then drove with our other car on the last day to enjoy the beautiful weather, especially since we are part of the fun group anyway – and we had plenty of it despite the technical defect!“

Thomas Feierabend: „We always meet a lot of nice people here, like-minded people, who all stayed on the ground and the organizer does this very convincingly. There are many other nice events too, but if you have been here a few times, you can really enjoy the whole area. Everything is just right.“

Claus Dassow: „If you say that you don’t want to win, you’re lying! Of course, ambition is part of it, but also serenity when things are not going so well. After all, it’s about a hobby and a passion – and in the end it has to be fun. My wife Brigitte and I always combine taking part in such a rally with vacation, and of course travel in and out of a classic car.“

Maxim Vroman and Romanie De Clerck: „It’s just sensational here. We drove here from Belgium with rain, rain and rain again, but the sun came out just in time for the prologue. The second day of the rally on Lake Garda was one of the most beautiful days we have ever spent during the Eggentaler Herbst Classic. This was mainly due to three things. First, the weather was dreamlike. Second, the panorama on the routes was overwhelming. And third, it was perfectly organized by the Klaus . We had a few tests at the beginning, but then we could drive 70 kilometers without stress and simply enjoy the landscape. The highlight was of course the lunch break in Riva directly on the shores of Lake Garda.“

Peter Schmid: „I drive about 25 rallies a year, many of them together with my wife Daniela. So when we first came here, we actually thought it was a one-off. But now we are the fourth time at the Eggentaler Herbst Classic because it feels like vacation to us. You simply have more time here than at other rallies and the atmosphere is indescribably good.“

Frank Marrenbach: „Today we are going for a win after standing 94th yesterday. We want to compensate for this today and the dreamlike panorama of the Dolomites is guaranteed to inspire us (laughs). My Porsche 356, which we are on the road this year with, was driven last year by Walter Röhrl and Christian Geistdörfer, who have already driven the car in several rallies. That is the reason why their name stickers are still on the car. My co-pilot Fritz Walter, who was already driving Beijing – Paris, brought me a taste of it many years ago. And since then, classic cars have been my great passion.“

Dr. Thomas Wünsche and Andreas Wünsche: „Among other things, we moved to Eggental because of our passion for skiing and because we were lucky enough to find a nice house. We have already participated in two classic car trips twice, got a little bit of a taste for it and are now taking part in such a rally for the first time ever. That is why we are still trying to figure out how this works with all the tests. But it’s a lot of fun.“

Peter Möckl: „The three days were wonderful! We were very lucky with the weather, and the route is fantastic as ever, especially because there is always a new variant. We were there for the sixth time and are not only enthusiastic about the landscape, but also like the challenge of driving the required cuts on these roads during the tests, for example. They are mountain roads with narrow hairpin bends – and of course you don’t have that in the flat country. Actually we have always been ambitious, but this time we had a technical defect with our odometer, which is why the deviations in the tests were too great in the end. But tomorrow is another day. In the end, it doesn’t matter at all despite all ambitions!“

Axel and Andrea Prym: „It is the fourth time that we are here and we always drive home full of enthusiasm, but also sad. Enthusiastic because it was so beautiful, sad because it is already over. Klaus Pichler and his team are doing a great, balanced rally here. The landscape is incredibly beautiful, there is far too much to eat, the stopps along the way are great, the mood during the whole day couldn’t be better.“

Peter Reck: „Of course you have to get up earlier if you have the starting number one, but it’s a nice feeling to be able to open such a great rally in such a beautiful landscape. Above all, we want to have fun on the three days. And it is of course a matter of honor that we drive in the hourglass classification with our car, which has no electronics at all.“

Beat Voellmy and Daniel Wenk: „The hunting horn is our trademark and has been part of it from the start. It’s just an expanded horn. And when we start we blow to the hunt, when we arrive we show that our hunt is over, and on the passes we show with the hunting horn that we are well on the way and that we are having fun. The three days were once again fantastic. Everything well organized. Wonderful routes. The last day with the passes and especially the spectacular backdrop on the Sellajoch was incredibly beautiful. We love to be here. Klaus Pichler does it all so perfectly. We have been there four times, but one thing is certain: we will be back!“

Mark Ferketish: „We’re actually two couples from New Orleans. But I’ve been working for the US Army in Stuttgart for three years. Therefore my way was not so far now. But our friends actually came to South Tyrol from the United States for the Eggentaler Herbst Classic. When we moved to Germany, we had our car delivered to Stuttgart by ship, which is why we are now traveling with a German license plate. We met Klaus at the Retro Classic trade fair in Stuttgart – and that’s why we found interest in coming to South Tyrol. It is the first time that we have been able to enjoy the beauty of South Tyrol. But we also enjoyed the hospitality of the people here, the atmosphere and everything was just wonderful.“

John Jürgens: „Gabi Strassburger, a good friend of mine from Munich who has been involved here for years, asked me if I would like something like that – and this year I had time and luckily it worked. You really don’t know where to stop on the way because it’s so incredibly beautiful everywhere. And these impressions burn themselves in, the prospects on the passes, the reflections in the lakes – that’s all like in the film. It took us some time to understand the exams in the beginning. The first few days we drove a 61er Corvette – and the real challenge is to drive this car. You don’t think about anything else.“

Michael Christian Meyer: „I’m here for the second time. Last year I obviously didn’t do that badly, which is why I was allowed to come back. It felt a little bit like coming home and meeting all the people from last year. So I can only hope that I will be back for the third time next year.”

Harry Vermooij: „We drove a rally somewhere else with some of the Belgian participants – and they convinced us to ride here once. Unfortunately the last two years have not worked, but luckily we had time this time. It was really great! The landscape and the organization were great – and we had fun, that’s the most important thing! We said back then that we have to do something like this when we grow up. And we are now (laughs). We have been friends for over 50 years and there are always three of us in the Bentley Speed 6. That means one drives, the other is a co-pilot, and the other can then sleep (laughs). But the most important thing after the three days is: we are still friends!“

Heinrich Grieshaber: „Why am I involved here? My mother grew up here and I was here in Deutschnofen for the first time in 1956 when I was eight years old. At that time, not even a meter of road was paved here; all the hotels that are now big were simple inns. But from the beginning, I have found a liking for the people here. I’ve never seen so many positive-thinking people. So I have a very personal connection to this region, which I have visited countless times. What was special about the rally this year? I have never reached Lake Garda without traffic jams in my life. But this year it happened – many thanks to Klaus Pichler and the whole team. The route on the sunny side to Riva was sensational.“