I used to read these articles about classic car rallies, although the term "star trip" or "event" is more appropriate, and now I'm right in the middle of it. Following an invitation from Volkswagen Classic, I will take part in my first “classic car rally” tomorrow. It should be the wonderful "Sachsen Classic", an event that I have only heard positive about in recent years. The charming landscape, nice people in the crowd and on the streets, now I can experience it myself.
Today, the day before the three-day journey over a total of 628 kilometers, getting to know each other and a rally course on the Sachsenring was on the agenda.
My mobile pedestal, a so-called "Yountimer" will be a "Rallye Golf" built in 1990. It is a special edition of the VW Golf GTI, which was manufactured in a quantity of 5.000 units built for homologation. 2.500 would have been sufficient according to the FIA regulations, but the demand was so high that there were twice as many.
According to my age, he has the start number 45 on the doors. As if you couldn't top it all off, the question arises about the driver, since I am registered as a passenger and slip into the role of the navigator, who will hopefully guide us to the individual destination points.
My driver is none other than Hermann Dreyer. Dreyer has been with the Volkswagen Group for almost 35 years and in 2012 he took over the overall vehicle development management for the Volkswagen brand. A “Wolfsburg veteran,” so to speak, although he doesn't like to hear it because it sounds like he's older than humanity itself.
"From petrol engines to G-loaders to plug-in hybrids -
I have questions - Dreyer knows the answers. "
It all started in December 1980, when the graduate engineer Dreyer joined Volkswagen, first in the production planning assembly area. Other stages in QA quality assurance and, from 2005, their management, shaped his career. If someone knows VW, shakes all the development steps of the past three decades from which I grew up motorized, then that's Hermann Dreyer.
I have some questions in my luggage, you also have some, whether about old technology or the latest developments at Volkswagen?
Email us your questions. Every day, Hermann Dreyer will answer live from the car.
If you want to see the Sachsen Classic Live on site, here is the "Sachsen Classic schedule" for tomorrow:
Thursday, August 13, 2015, stage "Sachsenring" (125 kilometers)
o 10:45 a.m. start of historical motorcycles in Zwickau at the main market, there 14 p.m. finish line o 30:12 p.m. start of the vintage car rally "Platz der Völkerfreundschaft" in Zwickau
o 12:20 p.m. Crimmitschau cream park
o 12:30 p.m. Steep W and Meerane
o 13 p.m. Ponitz Castle
o 13:40 p.m. Wolkenburg Castle
o 14 p.m. Sachsenring paddock
o 15:10 p.m. Zwickau, August Horch Museum
o 15:15 p.m. finish in Zwickau at the "Platz der Völkerfreundschaft"
[=” ” ]Text: Bernd Schweickard © Photo Bernd Schwickard