Live Reports of the 17th edition of EHC 2022

The first guests arrive at the Ganischgerhof, enjoy a few relaxing days according to the motto “Relax & Rallye” and meet good friends at the Ganischgerhof.

In the evening, they head to the Laneralm at 1,830m, where a wine tasting by the Schreckbichl-Colterenzio winery and a delicious dinner with a hut atmosphere await the group.

What do golfers and classic car enthusiasts – and actually everyone who pursues a hobby with a certain passion – have in common? If you talk to them, they all say that they are actually completely relaxed. But when you take a closer look, ambition takes hold of everyone at some point. That’s why the traditional golf tournament two days before the start of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic is quite ambitious. The inexperienced photographer – until Tuesday still an absolute golf rookie – had to pay a bit of a lesson: When he naively crosses the course in search of a special perspective and, in his exuberance, clearly talks too loudly when a player is teeing off with full concentration.

But even if the competition is very high at times, the atmosphere on the golf course in Petersberg is fantastic. A total of nine golfers play in three groups for the day’s victory. Autumnal dream weather, colourful trees and unbelievably beautiful views of the mountains of South Tyrol accompany the group following our Ganis golfer Markus Pichler. In the evening, at the award ceremony in the bar of the Ganischgerhof, all ambition is gone. Not only because one person from each group wins a bottle of Prosecco, but becasue everyone is completely relaxed again (this time for real!).

Klaus Pichler picks up his Belgian friends in their home country every year. Why he always drives north from the sun of South Tyrol into the rain can really only have one reason: deep bonds of friendship. On the day before the start of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic 2022, everyone arrives at the Ganischgerhof safe and sound and without any technical problems. Philipp and Florian Hessler, on the other hand, have some issues with the ignition of their BMW 1600 GT. But their serious expressions soon disappear, because they are able to get their car back on the road – at least provisionally – and nothing stands on the way of their first EHC start.

The mood is very high – also because the weather forecast for the next few days promises endless sunshine. The race office is already very busy – and as a special surprise many EHC participants discover the new rally magazine: 120 pages of pure emotions, printed on high-quality paper, give a foretaste of what awaits everyone over the next few days. We put a lot of effort into it in the run-up to the rally and the fact that we observe some people leafing through the magazine with fascination makes us quite grateful and also a little proud.

If you ask the participants and especially the regular guests of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic what they like most about it, you usually get the same answers: the landscape, the weather and the food. For the fact that it’s so beautiful here and that the sun shines (most of the time) you don’t have to thank us. But the fact that the food at the rally is particularly good is thanks to our chef Youss Bouachir and his team. What they achieve during these days is almost superhuman. When all the guests are still asleep, they are already preparing breakfast. On the first day of the rally, before the drivers’ briefing and the start at 2.30 p.m., they are standing in the tent serving burgers and fresh fruit. And in the evening they whirle around the Ganischgeralm to provide culinary accompaniment to the Tyrolean evening. Remarkable here: Youss always keeps all the balls in the air like a gifted juggler. And even more remarkable: the chef is currently expecting a baby with his wife! It may be that he will be born while the rally is still going on. But Youss doesn’t let that put him off his guard. “When there’s a rally, I can’t leave here” he says dutifully. And this is exactly why we wish him that the baby will come into the world after the rally. In fact, Youss was not able to witness the birth of his first child, and guess why? He was born during the Eggentaler Herbst Classic.

But far from all the feasting, the Eggental once again presents itself from its best side. Fantastic views of the Rosengarten and Latemar mountains and bright blue skies await all the classic car drivers and passengers. A day that could hardly have been more beautiful. And even for those who easily got into stress, it provided a happy ending. Heinz-Jürgen Grewe and Jutta Franken were on the verge of despair because the engine of their Lancia Fulvia 1300 was running out of fuel. Even a newly installed petrol pump did not help at first. In the evening at the Ganischgeralm, however, they give the all-clear. “It’s running again,” they say, beaming, and this is a good reason to celebrate – just like many others who are dancing to the beats of Georg Pichler alias “DJ Schicky” after the hearty folk music.

Belvedere. Nothing more needs to be said about this incredibly beautiful second day of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic 2022. The name of the hotel in Jenesien high above Bozen – host of the espresso stop – virtually stands for the motto of the day for this stage – which was full of beautiful views. On the route from Deutschnofen to Bozen and then onto the Ritten, South Tyrol shows itself from its most beautiful side. And above all, the route up Bolzano’s local mountain, full of serpentines, repeatedly opens up views of the Val d’Ega and its Dolomite massifs Latemar and Catinaccio.

Especially beautiful: in autumn the views are particularly intense in clear air, especially as the trees are just as colourful as the cars in the field of participants. At lunchtime, however, there is a surprise. The lap leads from the picturesque Tschögglberg plateau directly into the jungle, from loud roaring engines into a relaxing silence. Down in the valley – in Gargazon – the entire fleet of Eggentaler Herbst Classic participants takes an extended lunch break into the silence of Raffeiner Orchideenwelt . The final spurt from Kardaun to Karneid and back down into the valley via the spectacular hairpin bends of Gummer makes up for the Friday afternoon traffic jam in Bolzano. Here the beauty of views is neverending! On a day whose background is autumnal, but which feels much more like summer is far from over here.

Like everyone, rally boss Klaus Pichler has his own peculiaritis. That’s why he often holds back on superlatives and speaks of the “second best rally”. His simple, tongue-in-cheek explanation: “Everyone else already says that they do the best”. And this is exactly what he says at the end of the last day of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic 2022, that it was the second best rally in the event calendar. But looking at it objectively – although this is hardly possible with all the overwhelming emotions we lived – one has to conclude: It doesn’t get any better than the EHC. The weather: not a cloud in the sky during the three days of the rally – and even in the morning and on the mountain passes the weather  was very pleasant. The route: full of fantastic views in autumnal colours. The cars and their drivers: pure beauty.

And beauty is especially important on the last day, when the Concours d’Élegance awaits in the village centre of Deutschnofen. Magda Pardeller, Michaela Amplatz, Karl Pardeller and Heinrich Zelger always dress up particularly well. This time they come with an old suitcase full of gold (chocolate) ducats and throw them into the public. But Nicole and Christoph Weiland also stood out and come dressed as English Bobbies. “Even though we have a new regent in King Charles, the guard is still up” they say with a laugh. In any case, everyone is in a great mood – whether they are dressed up or not. More is not possible.

And even if one shouldn’t really contradict the boss: It could be that Klaus is a little bit wrong when he claims that the Eggental Autumn Classic is the second best rally we know!

Many thanks to all the participants who make this rally week so incredible each year. And a special thanks, as always, to our sponsors, of whom some have been supporting us since the very beginning. A new sponsor this year was Christoph Weitkamp, from Weitkamp Classics: at the award ceremony we were able to raffle a voucher for a trip for 2 people with Weitkamp Classics!

And if you haven’t had enough yet, here’s some good news: the next edition of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic will take place from 5 – 8 October 2023 and registrations are open now!

The Eggentaler Herbst Classic is part of a big family – the Ganis family.