- THE SEAT 124 SPORT AND JORDI GENÉ, A CLASSY COMBINATION AT THE ENNSTAL CLASSIC 2012
- OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY THE SEAT HISTORICAL CARS TEAM IN THE AUSTRIAN ALPINE REGION
Martorell, 17.07.2012.- After racing at the recent Silvretta Classic, which was held from 5 to 7 July, the SEAT Historical Cars team made their way to the nearby Dachstein Tauern region to participate in the Ennstal Classic 2012, another legendary Austrian vintage car race. While SEAT Vicepresident of Production Dr. Andreas Tostmann drove the 124 Sport 1600 over the finish line at the first event, SEAT driver and brand ambassador Jordi Gené stepped up to the challenge at the Ennstal Classic, trading in the thrills of circuit competition for the spectacular Austrian scenery at the wheel of the immensely popular vintage model from SEAT’s classic car collection.
The consecutive events posed a significant challenge for the SEAT Historical Cars team of mechanics, who only had a few days since the previous Silvretta Classic race to get the 110 hp 1.6 litre 124 Sport ready for the following event.
Joined by journalist Tim Westermann, Gené demonstrated his driving prowess and settled comfortably into the 1972 built 124 Sport 1600 right from the first stage of the Ennstal Classic 2012, a long-running, prestigious event with 230 registered teams from 18 different countries this year, and a line-up of legendary drivers such as Nigel Mansell, Walter Röhrl or Keke Rosberg.
At an event where experience plays a pivotal role, the aim of the Spanish team was none other than to cross the finish line of each progressive race. And that’s exactly what they managed to do. Gené and the SEAT 124 Sport made progress by gaining in confidence, which resulted in an excellent 11th place in the second special skills test… out of a total of 230 participants. The poor weather conditions were unfortunately no ally, creating an added difficulty while handling mountain passes at over 2,000 metres in altitude.
After completing the two remaining stages without any mechanical hitches, Jordi Gené finished the event with the 124 Sport still in optimum condition, a considerable success for a team making its debut at the Ennstal Classic.
When it was over, Jordi Gené said it had been “a great experience and much more gruelling than I had imagined, made even more challenging due to the fact the route is kept secret and they don’t hand you the road book until just three minutes before the start of the race. The SEAT 124 Sport performed smoothly and it was a real joy to be reunited with this model after 35 years; I never imagined it would run so well! My heartfelt congratulations to the whole team, who managed to get the best out of the 124 Sport.”
The next event awaiting the SEAT Historical Cars team will be the upcoming Hamburg-Berlin Klassik, which is being held from 20 to 22 September 2012.
Text by: SEAT.
