Grossglockner Trophy in Memoriam Helmut Krackowizer

   Germany was also well represented.

   August “Gustl” Hobl, runner‑up in the 350 cc World Championship in 1954, came at the invitation of Porsche Alpenstraße Salzburg and the “AUDI Tradition” Museum in Ingolstadt, bringing a 1939 DKW 250 SS supercharged machine.

   In 1939 an Austrian, Martin Schneeweiss, won the last pre‑war event on a 250 DKW equipped with a home‑made supercharger. Martin had also won the 1937 European Sand Racing Championship.

   A beautiful 1929 Brough Superior SS 80 was ridden by Jens Peter Brill. Otto Ziegler rode his 600 cc ex‑Eric Oliver “Big Boy” 1955 Norton Manx to seventh place in his class on the aggregate of both runs. Otto recorded the fastest single run of the day: 9:48.63 minutes at an average speed of 78.9 km/h (49 mph).

   Manfred Schweiger, the technical expert at “AUDI Tradition”, rode a star of the 1920s: a 600 cc twin‑cylinder two‑stroke Scott 1929 TT Replica.

   Klaus Schwarzenberg brought a BSA Empire Star to the start. This is the very machine on which Wal Handley achieved his legendary Brooklands feat: exceeding 100 miles in one hour and earning the “Gold Star” — the name that later became BSA’s designation for all its sports motorcycles.

   “Schwizer Dütsch” could be heard in every corner of the paddock, which was strategically located at the entrance to the famous Ferleiten hillclimb — itself already 1,100 metres above sea level.

   The likeable sidecar couple Luzza and Uschi Cadonau, winners of the sidecar class in 2002, competed again, as did Hugo Ryf with a rare 1928 250 cc Zehnder. Manfred Steiner brought a rare French machine: an Alcyon Zürcher 350 from 1927, still completely original.

   There were, of course, Austrians, Hungarians, and riders from South Tyrol. Erwin Bozner from Nals appeared with a Gilera “Otto Bottoni” (1938, 500 cm³). Many Austrians also came with their motorcycles to take part in the memorial.

   It was therefore no surprise that the winner of the day was a genuinely Austrian product: a Puch 250 SGSS from 1958. Hermann Stöckl achieved an astonishingly small time difference of only 0.02 seconds between his two heats. Incidentally, Hermann Stöckl had also won his class in 2002.

   The brothers Kurt and Walter Wartbichler, well known from the ice speedway scene (Walter: 7th in the World Championship 1977, 10th in 1978 and 1980; both 4th in the Team World Championship 1979; 5th in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984), took part as well — with a Yamaha Siwaku Proto (1980, 250 cc) as a forerunner and a 1960 Norton Manx 500. Motocross professional and desert rider Peter Hinterreiter tackled the course on a Norton ES2 (1947, 500 cm³). Erich Bernsteiner presented his Walter OHC — only two more examples of this machine are known to exist. Franz Dworak brought an Aermacchi Ala d’Oro (“Golden Wing”), built in 1961, 250 cm³, still in original condition with aluminium fairing.

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