Stuttgart. The Arlberg Classic Rally is a challenging regularity rally for vehicles manufactured up until 1975. Since its first running in 2010, the rally has fascinated with its breathtaking routing over legendary Alpine roads and passes and a top-class field of starters, with no fewer than 40 classic cars from the pre-1939 period taking part in last year's event.
The entries for 2016 include a private Mercedes-Benz SSKL from 1929. The supercharged sports car dates back to the era of the international Arlberg Race, which was first held on the Arlberg road in 1927. The same road is today part of the route for the Arlberg Classic Car Rally. The winner in 1927 was Hans Stuck in an Austro Daimler.
Mercedes-Benz, the main sponsor of the Arlberg Classic Car Rally, recalls its more recent rallying successes with two factory vehicles in the starting field. Both the SL model series W 113, called the "Pagoda" because of the characteristic shape of its roof, and the SLC from the C 107 model series were triumphant in international rallies in the 1960s and 1970s. The sporting prowess of Mercedes-Benz in the decade before that is represented by several private teams. For instance, the field for the 2016 Arlberg Classic Car Rally will include several examples of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL from model series W 198 (gullwing-door coupé and roadster).
For the around 120 classic automobiles manufactured between 1908 and 1975, the 2016 Arlberg Classic Car Rally will begin on the afternoon of 30 June (Thursday) with the Stuben prologue. The route takes in Stuben am Arlberg, Flexenpass and the Flexenpass gallery. On 1 July (Friday), the vehicles will set off on the "Castles & Lakes Tour". The competitors will drive from Lech over the Ammer Saddle into Bavaria, where, after passing the castles at Linderhof and Neuschwanstein, they will make their way back through the Allgäu and the Bregenzerwald. On 2 July (Saturday), the last stage, the "Tyrol Loop", will include Hahntennjoch and Ötz.
The brand ambassador of Mercedes-Benz at the 2016 Arlberg Classic
Susie Wolff
Born on 6 December 1982 in Oban, Scotland
Susie Wolff is equally at home in the cockpits of DTM racing cars and Formula 1 racing cars. Born as Susie Stoddart in Oban on the west coast of Scotland in 1982, she began her racing career at the age of eight, initially in karting. Her parents, the owners of a motorcycle business, awakened their daughter's interest in sporty vehicles early on: she was not yet three years old when she was given a small quadbike as a present. Moreover, both her father and grandfather competed in motorcycle races, and brought the petite young girl into contact with the motor racing world at an early age. Susie Stoddart's involvement with karting became a British success story. In 2000 she then moved across to formula racing, driving in Formula Ford, Formula Renault and the British Formula 3. She was nominated twice for the renowned "British Young Driver of the Year" award. Mercedes-Benz engaged Susie Stoddart for the 2006 season as a works driver for the German Touring Car Masters. The Scottish-born driver drove for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM series for six years. In 2011 she married Toto Wolff, who became head of motorsport at Mercedes-Benz in 2013. In 2012 Susie Wolff's dream of a cockpit in Formula 1 came true, when she was engaged as a development driver for the British Williams F1 racing team until the end of 2015. Since 2016, Susie Wolff has been a brand ambassador for the company-wide initiative "She's Mercedes", with which the Stuttgart-based automotive group aims to increase its focus on the needs of women.
