Classic Car Race in Kassel – Safety first

“There were no battles, but there were great racing pictures,” reported Motor und Sport magazine about the Herkulesberg race almost 100 years ago.
Back then, in the mid-1920s, a distinction was made between private and factory drivers. The former were wealthy “gentlemen drivers”. One of them was Alfred Rosenberg, who at the age of 23 was already one of Europe’s most successful racing drivers. He drove such famous cars as the Benz Tropfenwagen, the Mercedes-Benz SSK and the Mercedes Kompressor, and won the Kassel Herkulesberg Prize three times in a row (1925-1927).

Factory drivers, on the other hand, were men who drove cars for a living. They were factory drivers for manufacturers such as Mercedes and Opel, as well as owners of garages and car dealerships.
On April 27 and 28, 2024, the Mars Orbiter Team did not start the 101st Mountain Park Race as factory drivers, but with two Tesla Roadster models as safety cars. In addition to the two Tesla Roadsters, which led the laps, the tow truck was also in action. Check out some impressions from the hillclimb race – including the Tesla Roadster safety car – here.