Solitude can already say with certainty that the Kilomètre Lancé from September 8 to 10, 2023 will also be a feast for motorcycle gourmets. Alone three of the legendary Brough Superior SS100s built between 1924 and 1940 will take the 1,000 meters under their wheels in the sprint races. Until the Second World War, the motorcycles with the two-cylinder engine producing around 70 hp were regarded as the fastest and, above all, best-manufactured machines in the world.
The former factory racing machines Harley Davidson “Twocam” and Indian “Daytona” were built even earlier. Already in the twenties, the American manufacturers also fought for meters and seconds. For this purpose, Harley-Davidson even established its own racing team in Europe. A circle of friends around the specialist Udo Dobrzanski commemorates this special era of motorcycle history with four motorcycles at the Kilomètre Lancé.
German motorcycle racing history at its finest is embodied by the NSU 500 SS “Bullus”, built between 1931 and 1934. The Englishman Tom Bullus caused a sensation on all European tracks with the single-cylinder from Neckarsum. Two of these 22 hp racers will start in St. Moritz on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the NSU brand.
Another outstanding motorcycle on the race tracks was the DKW 250 SS “Ladepumpe”. The engine is a two-cylinder, two-stroke engine with twin pistons based on the system of the Swiss engineer Arnold Zoller. Its design is water-cooled and equipped with a charge pump to increase power. At the end of the 1930s, all private riders wanted one of the supercharged DKW Super Sport built at the Zschopau plant between 1939 and 1942. Marcus Hoefken demonstrates the unmistakable roar of his family-owned two-stroke at Engadin Airport.
In the chronology of famous motorcycles, a Norton Manx (1946 to 1963) will also be taking part, as will a BMW R 68 from 1952. Only 1452 examples were built of the first 100-mile fast motorcycle, making it an absolute highlight of 100 years of BMW Motorrad history, which Solitude will be celebrating at Engadin Airport with a number of motorcycles, first and foremost an R32 from 1923.
But Solitude is also pleased to be able to look into the Italian racing scene with Jörg Laibacher. The man from Marbach will be putting the spurs to his 1981 NCR Ducati. Incidentally, the first official Ducati NCR racing team was founded in 1967 in Borgo Panigale near Bologna.
Big bikes like motorcycles from MV Agusta and a Münch TTS 1200 are reminiscent of the seventies and also of Gunter Sachs, who lived in St. Moritz for a time. His extroverted lifestyle made him a prototype playboy in the 1960s and 1970s. His fleet included a Münch Mammut, which was what really made the exclusive brand famous.
Lightning-fast superbikes of the modern era as well as spectacular motorcycles of the customizing scene or representatives of alternative drive concepts round off the extensive portfolio of two-wheelers. At the Kilomètre Lancé, all types of vehicles and all drive technologies are welcome. This diversity is what makes the opening event of the International St. Moritz Automobile Week so special.
For special vehicles there are still a few starting places available. The following link will take you directly to the online entry:
http://www.i-s-a-w.com/index.php/en/kl-online-registration
Solitude defines the Kilométer Lancé as a mobility festival. Tobias Aichele explains: “We have the professional umbrella of the International St. Moritz Automobile Week, the tradition of the event going back to 1929, with St. Moritz one of the most desirable locations in the world, and with the approximately 1.8 kilometer long runway of Engadin Airport a unique selling point in Europe, which is also suitable for record vehicles. This cocktail leads to the magic of the event.”
All six events of the International. St. Moritz Automobile Week (ISAW) are summarized on the community homepage www.i-s-a-w.com .
More information about each event can be found here:
Sprint race: Kilomètre Lancé (i-s-a-w.com) (i-s-a-w.com)
Rallies: Prewar cars Targa Poschiavo Engiadina (i-s-a-w.com) (i-s-a-w.com) analogue
Supersports Super Stick Shift (i-s-a-w.com) (i-s-a-w.com)
Motorsport Rendezvous – Automobile Gardenparty: Motorsport Rendezvous (i-s-a-w.com) (i-s-a-w.com)
Hill Climb: Bernina Gran Turismo (i-s-a-w.com) and
Mobility Forum: Mobility Forum (i-s-a-w.com
more information: solitude-gmbh.de
