Event preview: Altmühltal Classic Sprint

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This Friday evening sees the start of one of the most beautiful rallies in Germany, the Altmühltal Classic Sprint. Some of our readers will be participating in this regularity rally, centred around the beautiful Altmühltal Valley. For those who'd like to come and see the cars, we’ll highlight interesting places to watch.

Friday 23rd June 2023: rallying through the evening

The start of the event is on the Friday afternoon at the Jakobsplatz in Nuremberg, where the cars will line up for scrutineering from 2.00 p.m. At the start of the rally, at 6.00 p.m., the cars set off on the regularity rally at one-minute intervals.
The route goes from Nuremberg to Zirndorf, Wachendorf and Puschendorf, where it coincides with another local old-car rally, before heading back to the finish at the Hauptmarkt in Nuremberg.

Our advice for soaking up the atmosphere in the best possible way is to see the start of the rally at St. Jakob, a delightful mediæval church, which is situated on the Way of St. James, a holy route for Catholic pilgrims. After that, you can go away for some food and drink and finish your dinner in time to catch the return of the cars into Nuremberg's historic city walls.

Saturday 24th June 2023: discovering the Altmühltal district

Named after the Altmühl river, this beautiful region of Bavaria will provide the scenery for the next day of driving. At 9.00 a.m., the cars depart from Schwabach, where they will be on display before being flagged away.

The first major town on the route will be Heilsbronn, where there will be a checkpoint. Shortly after, the route will pass the Lichtenau Fortress, an imposing 15th-century fortification which defended the free Imperial City of Nuremberg against the margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach. With its mighty ramparts and turreted towers, it's not to be missed.

The participants will follow the winding Altmühl to the first break, at around 10.30 in Gunzenhausen. The river will be followed again, past the Almühlsee, to the very impressive Ellingen Residence, a proud Baroque palace which originated as a castle in 1219 and was for a long time the centre of far-reaching territorial and economic power. It is now open to the public, and well worth a look for its ornate stuccoed interiors.

From 1.15 p.m., cars will drive over the beautiful market squares of Weißenburg. The history of Weißenburg can be traced back to the Roman fort that was built in the area towards the end of the first century. Nowadays, there's still a lot of history to be found. There are ruins from Roman times, city walls from Middle Ages and many other remnants of a lively past.
Don’t worry if you missed it first time round, as it will also host the finish from 3.45 onwards. However, before that, the cars will again follow the crystal river which gives its name to the region and the rally, both meandering their way through the landscape.

Our advice is to go to Ellingen Residence at noon and see as much as you can of the majestic palace. Afterwards, you can go onwards to Weißenburg (just under two miles) to see the cars in action for the time trial at the historic marketplace. After that, you can find a spot en route from which to observe the cars by the Altmühltal, or you go just three miles to Wülzburg, a Renaissance-era fortress, within the walls of which the final time trial will be held.

Of course, the finish in Weißenburg with bands playing from noon and a party with a few Bavarian beers is also a good place to be.

Sunday 25th June 2023: a Le Mans start

All participants have to be fit as a fiddle when they have to start their engines in Le Mans fashion - a funny sight for all! From the market square in Weißenburg, they will leave at 9.30 for the last day of the rally, back to Nuremberg.

It will be another challenging day, which will include a visit to the Norisring. Now a motor-racing circuit, it is also part of the history of what was conceived as the largest complex of Nazi buildings. It was originally part of the Reichsparteitagsgelände, or Nazi party rally grounds, where, from 1933 to 1938, the annual rallies of Hitler's Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei took place. For that, they built numerous imposing concrete buildings, such as the impressive Zeppelinhaupttribüne (Zeppelin grandstand). After the Nazis were defeated, it took a few years before in 1947, the ground around this grandstand was put to much better use for motorcycle and later automobile racing.
Like Monaco, the circuit is comprised of normal streets, but it is now being prepared for a Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship race. On that Sunday, from 1.30 onwards, it will provide the backdrop for the finishers of the 2023 Almühltal Classic Sprint.

In case you cannot catch the event, but don’t want to miss it, the PreWarCar.com team will be among the participants and we will try to bring you as much coverage as we can. Keep an eye on the website from Friday 23rd June.
 

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