On Saturday evening at the second weekend of the Essen Motor Show Rainer Braun again welcomed about 200 invited guests to his annual class reunion ‘Hello, how are you?’. The guiding theme during the evening this year was 35 Years VLN. A number of successful current and former drivers in the endurance racing championship could thus be identified amongst the guests.
After many of the evening guest had already been available in the afternoon at the ADAC stand for a great autograph session and to give interviews with commentators Gustav Büsing and Uwe Mahla, Braun himself looked after the VLN heroes during the evening event. Amongst them were Klaus Peter Thaler, Volker Strycek, Herbert Hechler, Ulrich Andree, Altfrid Heger, Jürgen Alzen, Bernd Burkhardt, Johannes Scheid, Dietmar Busch, Karl Mauer, Harald Grohs, Uwe Reich, Hans Jürgen Hilgeland, Dominik Brinkmann, Alfred Preukschat, Rolf Krimpmann, Peter Hass, Werner Frowein, Herbert Schnitzer, Fritz Müller, Mario Ketterer, Reinhold Köster and Dieter Gartmann. Quite some little anecdotes were hereby reported on the side and to the best entertainment of the guests. A brilliant summary of his still continuing active time as driver in racing events was given by Volker Strycek. “The VLN was cool, is cool and will remain cool forever”, said the long-time Head of the Opel Motor Sport Department and racing driver.
After the official part, most of the present guests – in addition to the VLN drivers, many further ‘old hands’ had come to the event – used the relaxed atmosphere to think and talk of the good old times again.
As is tradition at the class reunion organised by Rainer Braun, all of the participants this year again signed a skilfully prepared photograph. Braun handed over the photo to the VLN along with the request to sell the unique artwork by auction for the benefit of Markus Krämer. The former official is suffering of paraplegia since a tragic accident in the year 2002. The auction will start in January and the VLN will report on the status again as soon as appropriate.
