Not got your ticket for the Red Bull Ring Classics yet? What are you waiting for? A weekend populated by the heroes of your youth to the soundtrack of roaring engines, as a line-up of historic cars either jostle for position on the Red Bull Ring circuit or bring back memories of a bygone era with demo drives. Among the legends in the cockpits will be Austria’s own Dieter Quester.
“Having driven classic cars over the last 15 years, I know and appreciate the huge difference between a modern car and a vehicle that is 20, 25 or 30 years old,” said Quester at the opening press conference for the Red Bull Ring Classics. “Motor racing continues to fascinate me.” Though he recently turned 80, Quester embodies the old saying “Once a racer, always a racer”.
Who could forget his legendary finish in the DTM race on the Avus when his car tobogganed across the finish line on its roof and he came third? He also rolled over once with Red Bull motorsport consultant Dr Helmut Marko in the passenger seat while testing at the Nürburgring.
Honest motorsport
It was an era that Dr Marko looks back on with considerable nostalgia. In his opinion, events like the Red Bull Ring Classics show “honest motorsport”. “A driver sits there and communicates his feeling of what the car is doing to the mechanic,” explains Marko. “The mechanic can adjust the shock absorbers and the tyre pressure, but that’s the extent of what can be done.”
In contrast to todays motorsport, where there are several hundred parameters. “Everything is tried out in the simulator beforehand. Then the driver gets onto the racetrack and the team discovers that what the simulator has spat out doesn’t work. None of that used to be the case. The car is what it is, and ultimately it is the driver who makes the difference”, said Marko.
Red Bull Ring Classics 2023
No wonder Quester can’t wait for the start of the Red Bull Ring Classics. He is particularly looking forward to interacting with the fans from back then, but also with the younger generation. An event ticket gives you access to the Pit Lane Walk, paddock and Fan Zone, where you can talk shop with Quester after the Legends Talks. Get your ticket now to travel back in time to the racing scene of yesteryear.
These are Dieter Quester’s favourite cars from his racing career:
- BMW Formel 2
- Porsche 962
- BMW CSL
- BMW M3 e30 Evo
A generation-spanning event
The Red Bull Ring Classics is the first major event on the 2024 Red Bull Ring calendar. “Our aim with the Red Bull Ring Classics is to create a family event embedded in the major motorsport events that we have at the Red Bull Ring,” explains Red Bull Ring General Manager Erich Wolf.
“It is intended to have a generation-spanning theme and appeal. It spans the generations in terms of technology and vehicles, but also in terms of families. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience and understand motorsport history and feel the love for it that we do.”
