Automotive

"Corrida de Lamborghini" 2010

 

The post was accidentally deleted, therefore here is a repost:

Lamborghini, Reiter Engineering and Blancpain invited Lambo drivers and enthusiasts for a weekend Lamborghini feast. The first "Corrida de Lamborghini" at the took place at the Salzburgring, a racing course near the Austrian city of Salzburg, from 3rd to 5th of September 2010. It had the goal to offer the drivers a rare opportunity to test their sports cars on a racing course, but also to meet fellow fans of the exclusive Italian sports car manufacturer, and to enjoy the beautiful landscape around Salzburg.

It is certainly not necessary to explain to my benevolent readers what Lamborghini and Blancpain are. However, Reiter Engineering might be unknown to many, if not most of you.


Located in Kirchanschöring, a small town in Southern Bavaria, Reiter Engineering was founded by Hans Reiter as a technical development company, specialised in racing car engines and components. In 2000, Reiter modified a Lamborghini Diablo for the FIA GT 2 racing class, leading to the exclusive contract with Lamborghini.


Now, Reiter Engineering is the only company eligible to produce Lamborghini cars for any FIA races. Since 2003, the own Reiter test and racing team is active in the racing groups FIA GT 1 and GT 3, first with the Diablo, later with Murcielago GT 1 and Gallardo GT 3. Meanwhile private street drivers of Lamborghini sports cars can benefit from the racing experience of Reiter Engineering: The Reiter Strada concept offers racing technology for the streets.


Another important activity of the Reiter racing team is the participation in the "Supertrofeo", a racing class specially for close-to-production Lamborghinis. Here, Blancpain CEO Marc Hayek is highly successful as a driver, and as a consequence, Blancpain is a main sponsor not only of the Supertrofeo, but also of the "Corrida de Lamborghini" event.



Some 80 Lamborghinis had been registered to the event, so the visitors had a lot to see. However, the biggest attraction were the various Lamborghini racing cars, the Murcielagos taking part in the FIA GT 1 group, or the Gallardos GT 3 of the European FIA GT 3 championship races, and the German ADAC GT Masters. Compared with these supercars, the normally highly impressive Supertrofeo Gallardos appear rather civilian. The nice thing was that these cars were not only on static display, but in active service during the whole weekend, so we had the rare opportunity to see all Lamborghini racing cars on the course.








Learning more about the effort that is invested into the racing technology was made possible by Reiter Engineering inviting some of its partner companies to show their products and inform visitors in personal talks. Some well-known names were present, among which Carbo-Tech and Holinger were the most illustrious. The Australian Holinger company is responsible for the gearboxes in the racing Lamborghinis, made in the European subsidiary, located very close to the Reiter facility (my offroad truck was modified and equipped in the same village, but apparently the end speed was forgotten ...). It was highly impressive to observe a cutout sequential gear of a GT 3 Gallardo at work!



Nearby, the Reiter service trucks were parked, and we could witness the mechanics digging deep into the cars' innards, to prepare them for the course.


Enthusiasts could buy a lot of Lamborghini merchandise articles, or look at some of the Blancpain watches that were on display in a separate tent. The kids had a Carrera course to train their reflexes, of course appropriately equipped with scale Lamborghinis - and Blancpain banners.



Two racing cars had been equipped with a second seat and were busy as "race taxis", offering rides at an unfortunately rather steep price.

Lamborghini owners opted for race training sessions, a guided tour into the beautiful landscape surrounding Salzburg, gala dinners, meetings, and the participation in the parade of all Lambos together on the course. High-quality catering was offered by the famous chef Alfons Schuhbeck and his team.



Even overseas visitors, who had to come without their Lamborghinis, had an opportunity to enjoy the full program: for them, several Lambos were prepared to be rented.

One highlight of the day was the parade already mentioned. All Lambos lined up and entered the course, led by the racing Lamborghinis, and duchess Gloria of Thurn and Taxis in her Gallardo Spider. The eccentric lady is an all-time favourite of the German yellow-press and also very active supporter of Lamborghini activities. Her son Albert is driving in the ADAC GT Masters for Reiter Engineering.



It was an absolutely great experience to see so many breathtakingly beautiful super-sportscars passing by!


Finally, there was a race, called "Battle the Time!" Not the fastest would be victorious, but the driver with the best feeling for time and the best steadiness. The challenge was as follows: The time of the first lap would be the reference, over the next three laps the driver must collect as little deviation of this reference as possible. Stop watches or other aids were not allowed, yet I did not see that any wristwatch was confiscated prior to the race. However, I assume that reading a fraction of a second on a wristwatch chronograph is rather difficult when driving a Lamborghini over a course. Anyway, the best driver's deviation of all three laps added together was a mere 0.4 seconds, which is really astonishing. He was rewarded with the first prize, a Blancpain limited edition Supertrofeo Flyback chronograph.



A bit weird was the fact that whenever this watch was mentioned, be it in the advertising flyer, the posters, or the messages of the commentators, its value (list price) was emphasised. Apparently, the target group of Lamborghini drivers was assumed not to know about luxury timepieces and their prices.


Walking past all these wonderful cars lined up ended my visit at the Salzburgring. The "Corrida" was a huge success, and although it was originally planned as a solitary event, there were hints that Lamborghini, Reiter Engineering and Blancpain could make this a regular meeting for drivers and enthusiasts. It would be marvellous to return next year, for the "Corrida 2011"!





Regards,
Marcus