Mercedes-Benz Classic at the 2012 Grossglockner Grand Prix

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The Grossglockner mountain race was one of the most prestigious motor sports events of the 1930s. This year it will be revived with the 2012 Grossglockner Grand Prix to be held from 20 to 22 September 2012 and Mercedes-Benz will be there with some famous cars. In 1938, the brand took part for the first time.

As a classic car event, the 2012 Grossglockner Grand Prix on this unique High Alpine Road is a homage to the legendary „Mountain Grand Prix“ races held there in the 1930s. 92 bends, 14 hairpins, almost 15 kilometres and an altitude difference of almost 1300 metres present a challenge for man and machine now as they did then. As in the original race, the route is from Ferleiten to Fuscher Törl (Austria).

Mercedes-Benz is competing in this revival of the race with a Mercedes-Benz SSK, a model which was also very successful in mountain races from 1928 to 1935, and with a W 125 „Silver Arrow“ from the 1930s. W 125 racing cars already took part in the original events in 1938 and 1939, and in 1939 Hermann Lang drove one to victory.
In the 2012 Grossglockner Grand Prix the driver’s paddock will be established at the Ferleiten toll station in line with historical precedent. A maximum of 75 cars will take part. The field is limited to 50 pre-war cars, 5 Veritas cars and 20 racing cars from the 1950s. The post-war cars will participate as a homage to other famous mountain races.

After a practice run, the drivers will set their own time target in a “timed run” and must confirm this twice. They will therefore cover the route four times. The road will be closed to normal traffic for the duration of the event. There will be signposted areas for fans and spectators in immediate proximity to the action.

After the mountain prize, which will be competed for on the Thursday and Friday (20 and 21 September 2012), there is the option of booking an additional Rally Day for Saturday 22 September 2012. The rally route, known as the “Alpine Challenge” will cover 160 kilometres of mountains and valleys in the national park of Hohe Tauern, and will also include the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Speed is not the primary consideration in this event, but rather driving pleasure and an appreciation of the scenery.

The original Grossglockner races

The first Grossglockner mountain race took place in 1935. The route was covered only once and immediately rated, the winner being Mario Tadini in an Alfa Romeo. The next two events were held there in 1938 and 1939, and in the “Mountain Grand Prix” the drivers were required to absolve two runs of the pass road. The event was seen as Europe’s longest and most difficult mountain race. The initial plan was to include the complete, almost 38-kilometre long stretch of the high alpine road from Fusch to Franz-Josefs-Höhe, including two tunnels. However, the route was eventually shortened to around 15 kilometres.

Mercedes-Benz first took part in 1938, with Hermann Lang and Manfred von Brauchitsch driving W 125 cars. In adverse weather conditions with fog and rain they achieved 2nd and 3rd place behind Hans Stuck driving an Auto Union. In the following year, Hermann Lang emerged the winner of the Grossglockner race, ahead of Hans Stuck and Hermann Paul Müller in Auto Union cars. This brought him the title of “Mountain Champion” six weeks after having already won the Vienna mountain race. Manfred von Brauchitsch had bad luck owing to the changeable weather: on his very first run he encountered a bank of fog in his Silver Arrow and came fourth. In the Grossglockner race the W 125 cars entered by the Mercedes-Benz racing team competed in their mountain racing versions for the first time, with a modified cooling system and lower final drive ratio.

The Mercedes-Benz Classic cars at the 2012 Grossglockner Grand Prix

Mercedes-Benz SSK 27/170/225 hp (W 06 series), 1928

The SSK (W 06 series) is the most exclusive and evocative of the supercharged six-cylinder sports cars in the Mercedes-Benz S-series. The model designation stands for Super-Sport-Kurz (super sport short), reflecting its particular sportiness and shortened wheelbase. In summer 1928, works driver Rudolf Caracciola in the brand new SSK immediately won the Gabelbach race and the races on Schauinsland and Mont Ventoux. In 1930 and 1931, the SSK carried him to victory in the European mountain championship. The weight-reduced, performance-enhanced version from 1931, also known as the SSKL (Super-Sport-Kurz-Leicht; super sport short light), likewise achieved spectacular successes. A major one was its victory in the legendary 1000-mile “Mille Miglia”: in April 1931, Rudolf Caracciola driving an SSKL was the first non-Italian to win this gruelling road race from Brescia to Rome and back.

Technical data of the road version of the Mercedes-Benz SSK 27/170/225 hp
Production period: 1928-1930
Cylinders: 6 in-line
Displacement: 7065 cc
Output: 170 hp (125 kW), 225 hp with supercharger (165 kW) at 3,300 rpm
Maximum speed: 192 km/h

Mercedes-Benz W 125, 1937

In 1937, Daimler-Benz entered the lists with a completely new racing car. The W 125 was based on the findings of its designer Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who had been technical manager of the newly formed racing department since mid-1936. The backbone of the car is a robust frame of nickel-chrome-molybdenum steel with four cross-members. The torsional rigidity of the car without its engine was able to be increased to three times that of the preceding model W 25.

The “Silver Arrow” was equipped differently depending on the race track: the transmission, fuel tank capacity, carburettor, supercharger, tyre and wheel sizes, tyre tread and external dimensions varied from race to race.

The eight-cylinder in-line engine had a much higher output than in the preceding W 25, already generating 550 hp (404 kW) when the season began. By the end of the racing season, this figure had increased to 592 hp (435 kW). This was partly thanks to modification of the suction carburettor and “wet supercharging” – a process in which the supercharger compresses the already prepared fuel-air mixture.

On 9 May 1937, the new racing car celebrated its premiere with Hermann Lang’s victory in the Tripoli Grand Prix. The entire season was very successful, with Rudolf Caracciola, Hermann Lang, and Manfred von Brauchitsch achieving prestigious victories.

Technical data of the Mercedes-Benz W 125, 1937
Production year: 1937
Cylinders: 8 in-line
Displacement: 5663 cc
Output: 592 hp (435 kW)
Maximum speed: over 320 km/h

The driver for Mercedes-Benz Classic in the 2012 Grossglockner Grand Prix

Jochen Mass
Born on 30 September 1946 in Dorfen near Wolfratshausen (Bavaria).

Jochen Mass, who started his working life as a seaman, began his varied career in motor sports in 1968, competing in touring car races for Alfa-Romeo and as a works driver for Ford from 1970 to 1975. During this time he won the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps (1972). In parallel to this he took part in Formula 2 (1973) and in 105 Formula 1 Grand Prix races (1973/74 with Surtees; 1975-1977 with McLaren; 1978 with ATS; 1979/80 with Arrows; 1982 with March).

Having won the German Sports Car Championship in 1985 and competed as a works driver for Porsche until 1987, he became a works driver in the Sauber-Mercedes team. Until 1991 he drove for this team in Group C. In the new “Silver Arrow”, the Sauber-Mercedes C 9, Jochen Mass together with Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens achieved victory in the 24-hour race in Le Mans and became world vice-champion in 1989. Three years later Mass became part of the team management for the DTM.

Sir Stirling Moss has described him as “a driver with an enormous feeling for racing cars and great technical knowledge, who is familiar with every era in racing history”. It is therefore hardly surprising that to this day, Jochen Mass is behind the wheel for Mercedes-Benz at historical events such as the ADAC Eifel race at Nürburgring. Whether the W 125 “Silver Arrow” or the Mercedes-Benz SSK, Jochen Mass knows and drives them all.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Carinthia, Austria: The Unimog U 500 is the ideal all-seasons partner throughout the Grossglockner region

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The Carinthian government’s Competence Centre 9 is responsible for building and maintaining Carinthia’s entire network of state roads, bridges and cycle paths, including buildings and structures connected to the network. It has now put a Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 500 with all-wheel steering, complete snow blower-cutters and two high-performance mowers into operation. This combination is designed to ensure that the constant maintenance work on the roads in the challenging high mountain region can be carried out reliably throughout the entire year.

In order to improve road maintenance, an agreement has been concluded for the first time between the state of Carinthia and Großglockner Hochalpenstraßen AG (Grohag), governing joint use of the Unimog and "its" apparatus.

Speaking in recognition of the close cooperation, state governor Gerhard Dörfler says: "The Unimog increases the level of utilisation of the apparatus considerably because, as a result of the modernisation and the high-capacity utilisation of the fleet all year round, the costs are optimised for both contracting parties." Grohag Chairman Dr Johannes Hörl explains further: "For both partners this means an optimum use of funds, which could be followed by further examples in the future."

Georg Pappas Automobil AG, which is responsible for sales of Wörther implement carriers in Austria, cites as critical reasons for this particularly demanding use of the Unimog, its all-wheel-drive manoeuvrability, its high output per unit area and the environment, which plays a major role in this sensitive high-alpine region. "Thanks to the Euro 5 engine with an impressive 210 kW/286 hp power rating, hydrostatic traction drive and economical fuel consumption, with the Unimog we are able to realise an important environmental aspect, while at the same time reliably guaranteeing even the most complex all-terrain use both on the road and off-road all through the year," says Dipl.-Ing. (grad. eng.) Manfred Prentner from Competence Centre 9. "Downtimes and tool changeover times are minimal, which is a huge advantage for us."

High-performance mowing working in the summer months

From spring through to autumn, extensive mowing and maintenance work is announced along the roughly 2746 kilometres of roads in the road network in the state of Carinthia, together with a further 48 km in the area for which Grohag has responsibility. The long winter period has left its mark on many roads, which must be quickly repaired by both partners and kept in good condition during the summer tourist season. On account of its low overall height and the fact it is professionally equipped with a Unimog mowing door, a Mulag verge mower MRM 300 and a rear-boom mower MHU 800, the U 500 is perfectly suited for mowing out to distances of up to 7.3 m, measured from the centre of the vehicle. Thorough mowing results are achieved both to the left and right of the road, and it can even be operated by just one person.

The mowers also work very close to bridge pillars and guide posts, since the automatic sensor guides the mower head around all obstacles. The mowing speed for the obstacle-avoidance movements is continuously adjustable.

A quick-change device and "gearlock", a manual turning gear for implements, allow implements to be changed quickly. That is particularly important because, in addition to verge embankment mowers and clear cutting work, the Carinthian state government and Grohag are also responsible for sewer flushing work, sweeper jobs and front-loading tasks as part of the Unimog’s day-to-day work – meaning that the U 500 implement carrier is used to full capacity throughout the entire summer.

No "winter break" for the Unimog

The Carinthian state government uses the Unimog throughout the entire winter service period to remove the vast quantities of snow that accumulate in the Austrian Alps, often from as early as October right through to late May. Clearing, ploughing and spreading salt, but also cutting and blowing, for example to remove side walls – these are the Unimog’s typical jobs, which the orange-red all-rounder is predestined for during winter use. A new feature is that the Unimog is equipped with an asymmetrically arranged Kahlbacher snow blower-cutter KFS 950/2600, which is equipped with a swivelling blower housing. This enables clearing widths of up to 2600 mm, clearing heights of up to 1300 mm and show ejection distances of up to 30 m.

This equipment makes the Unimog’s features especially important for the all-year-round clearing of spring snow and mountain passes around the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Every year, Grohag has to remove up to 700,000 ccm of snow from roads and car parks. If this volume of snow were to be loaded onto a goods train, the train would be roughly 200 km long and would stretch from Salzburg to Klagenfurt. To accomplish this mammoth task, in addition to the tried-and-trusted Wallack rotary plough system, Grohag now also relies on the potential and the active support of the U 500.

The Carinthian government’s Competence Centre 9

The state government of Carinthia includes 10 Competence Centres. Competence Centre 9, which is based in Klagenfurt, guarantees road safety in the whole of Carinthia with comprehensive planning, new construction and maintenance work and always acts with a particular consideration for the environment. The fleet at the Competence Centre includes 55 Unimog implement carriers, 71 trucks and 126 light-duty vans.

Großglockner Hochalpenstraßen AG (Grohag)

Founded in the 1920s, Großglockner Hochalpenstraßen AG operates the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, a road that is 48 km long, has 36 sharp bends and at its highest point – the Edelweißspitze – reaches a proud 2571 m. It is also a modern tourism attraction, ranking as one of the top three points of interest in Austria with approximately 900,000 visitors a year. In addition to the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, the company also operates the Gerlos Alpine Road with the WasserWunderWelt aquatic theme park in Krimml, the Nockalm Road, the Villach Alpine Road and the Goldeck Panoramic Road. Grohag is one of the most important economic factors in Carinthia and employees more than 100 people during the summer months.

Credits: Daimler AG

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