!!!Motorsport

Motor Sports: The beginning of motorcar sports was largely dominated 
by airport races (circuit races) and mountain races (with single 
starts) as well as classifying races (rallies), major events being the 
airport races of Aspern (for the Prize of the City of Vienna), at 
Hoersching and Zeltweg (for the Great Prize of Austria/Grosser Preis 
von Oesterreich, in 1964 for the first time as World championship 
race). The Zeltweg airport races were the forerunners of the Formula-1 
races on the Oesterreich-Ring, built in 1968 (Formula-1 races 
1969-1987). Most well-known Austrian Formula-1 racers: J.  Rindt, N.  
Lauda, G.  Berger and K.  Wendlinger.

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The Salzburgring (1%%sup st/%  race in 1969), where motor cycle races 
and the Historic Grand Prix for historic racing, sports, and rally 
cars takes place every year, developed out of the "Gaisbergrennen", 
the race up the Gaisberg mountain road. Of the former mountain races 
up the Wiener Hoehenstrasse road, the Dobratsch, Koralpe and Semmering 
mountains, only the Rechberg Race still takes place as a European 
championship race. The International Semperit Rally, which started 
before World War I, was run from Bregenz to Vienna; today it is held 
as a European championship race in the Waldviertel region. The 
Austrian Alpine Rally (Alpenfahrt) (until 1970) was the most popular 
and most important rally in Austria.

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Cross-country car races and cross-country rallies developed from rally 
sport. European championship races are run in both sections on courses 
in Horn/Fuglau (North Ring) and in Melk. The Austrians Franz Wurz and 
Herbert Gruensteidl have both won the title of European champion.

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In recent years alternative motor sports sectors have developed, which 
have mainly served to improve environmentally-friendly vehicles. The 
Austro Solar fair for solar and electric vehicles has been held since 
1989, and the EVN Cup has taken place since 1992 on the driving 
training ground of the OeAMTC, the Austrian Automobile Association, in 
Teesdorf (Lower Austria), as part of the FIA Solar Worldcup.

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In motorcycle sports the Austrian speedway racers Fritz Dirtl and 
Martin Schneeweiss won international fame. The races were first run on 
Heumarkt street in Vienna and on the trotting courses of Vienna and 
Baden until they were transferred to the stadiums of Wiener Neustadt, 
Natschbach and St. Johann. The 2-day Enduro Races for the European 
Championship in Weitra and Neumarkt developed from the Alpine Races. 
Rupert Hollaus (World Champion) and August Auinger were especially 
successful in mountain and circuit races.

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In the 1970s the Triumph Club Vienna brought trial sports to Austria. 
After some single world championship races, the Team World 
Championship of 1995 was held in Piesting (Lower Austria).

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The most popular motorcycle sport in Austria is cross-country 
motorcycling. International races have been run in Sittendorf (Lower 
Austria) since 1957. Cross-country racers riding motorcycles made by 
the Austrian companies Puch and KTM have won world championships 
several times. The Austrian Heinz Kinigadner became World Champion in 
1984 and 1985. Since 1985 indoor cross-races have also been held in 
halls.

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The highest motor sports institution in Austria is the OeAMTC and its 
"Oberste Nationale Sportkommission" (OSK), Supreme National Sports 
Commission, which has been holding the Austrian national championships 
in all the individual motor sport sectors, which take place every 
year, since 1948.


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