ADAC Hockenheim Historic 2025: Experience six decades of Formula 1 live

(Motorsport-Total.com) - Every racing driver dreams of sitting in a Grand Prix car one day. Every motorsport fan's eyes light up at the sound of the engines and names like Fangio, Brabham, Clark, Stewart, Fittipaldi, Lauda, ​​Prost, Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton, and Verstappen.

Formula 1 is and remains the undisputed pinnacle of motor racing. GP cars will once again be the focus of the ADAC Hockenheim Historic , especially since the event commemorates one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time and world champion in 1963 and 1965: Jim Clark.

It's especially fitting that the "Masters Historic Racing" has returned to Baden after a one-year absence. Briton Ron Maydon founded the fascinating racing package, which now consists of ten different racing series, in 2004, thus realizing a dream he had had since he was a little boy.

At the tender age of eleven, Ron set off on his bicycle from his home in Aylesbury to Brands Hatch, about 110 kilometers away, to see his idol Jim Clark and the other Formula 1 heroes of the time live.

The police abruptly ended the venture and returned the young man to his parents' care. Decades later, Ron Mayden revived his childhood dream by founding Masters Historic Racing.

Cosworth DFV: 100,000 pounds for the history books

Four of the MHR racing series will compete at the ADAC Hockenheim Historic 2025, with the "Masters Racing Legends for 1966 to 1985 F1 Cars" representing the premier class. This category is reserved for Formula 1 cars powered by a 3-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine.

And this is primarily about the Cosworth DFV, which has become a true icon of Grand Prix history and is surrounded by a particularly exciting development story.

After the 1.5-liter engines previously used in Formula 1 gave way to the new 3-liter regulations at the end of 1965, the British teams in particular faced overwhelming competition from the V12 engines of Ferrari, Maserati, and Honda. Lotus boss Colin Chapman, who had fallen behind with the underpowered and overly heavy Coventry Climax engine, asked his former gearbox engineer Keith Duckworth for help.

He had founded the Cosworth engine company together with Mike Costin and promised to develop a competitive, affordable engine for the private teams for the 1967 season, using the already meager budget of 100,000 pounds. He kept his word. And how.

Over the next 19 years, the Cosworth DFV (the abbreviation stands for "Double Four Valve"), initially producing around 450 hp and then over 500 hp, was responsible for no fewer than 155 Grand Prix victories and 12 Drivers' World Championship titles, making it not only the most cost-effective Formula 1 engine in history, but also the most successful. The "Masters Racing Legends for 1966 to 1985 F1 Cars" chronicles this legendary history.

Formula racing from the beginnings to modern times

But that's not all the Formula 1 spectacle at the ADAC Hockenheim Historic . The Historic Racecar Association is dedicated entirely to single-seater racing cars. Single-seaters from various categories and years, from Formula Junior to the junior Formula 3 and 2, compete here.

The colorful single-seater scene also includes the Grand Prix racers from the aforementioned years 1961 to 1965, which were powered by a 1.5-liter engine. This was precisely the era in which Lotus driver Jim Clark won his two world championship titles.

Two other racing series are dedicated to the pinnacle of motor racing. While the Historic Grand Prix Car Association features racing cars from the early days of Grand Prix racing, from the 1920s through to the 1960s, the BOSS GP series bridges the gap to the modern era.

In addition to the Formula Renault and GP2 cars, the field also includes Formula 1 racers from Benetton, Toro Rosso and Lotus from the period after the turn of the millennium.

At the presentation drives of the Raceclub Germany - F1 Tradition on Track, Formula 1 cars from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s can be seen in action, most notably two original Formula 1 cars from Toyota, namely the TF105 of Ralf Schumacher (2005) and the TF108 of Timo Glock (2008) from the FNT team.

Motorsport enjoyment for the small budget

Of course, the ADAC Hockenheim Historic isn't all about Formula 1. Sports and touring car enthusiasts will also get their money's worth over the three days and with a total of eleven race series. And, as always, everything is available at family-friendly prices.

The Friday ticket costs just €17, day tickets for Saturday and Sunday are €39 and €34 respectively, and the weekend ticket is €54. This includes grandstand seating and paddock access, of course. School and university students pay half price, and children under 14 and wheelchair users are admitted free of charge. Tickets are available at the box office or at www.hockenheim-historic.de .