The Mercedes-Benz museum provided an appropriate setting in which to celebrate those drivers and co-drivers who had distinguished themselves during the 2012 FIA Historic Championships. Located in Stuttgart, at the very heart of the German automobile industry, the museum offers a complete panorama of the history of Mercedes-Benz and the fascinating and glorious automobile adventure that began all the way back in 1886.

Although the aim of the ceremonies was to reward the drivers and co-drivers – including one woman – the FIA Historic Championships remain first and foremost an opportunity to pay homage to the race cars of the era. The range of categories is broad, so broad indeed that among the honoured Champions mounting the podium were the drivers of both a Steyer Puch of less than 700 cc, and the driver of a Brabham BT49, the ex-Piquet Formula One car. This car, with the Spaniard Joaquín Folch behind the wheel, ran away with the FIA Historic Formula One Championship. Boasting rather more modest performances, but nevertheless bearing the same prestigious Brabham name, the BT6 of Formula Junior, driven by the Italian Pierre Tonetti, scooped the FIA Lurani Trophy.

In hill-climbs, as in rallies, given the disparate ages and levels of cars all the Championship rankings are established exclusively by category, without any general ranking being compiled.

The 2012 hill-climb prize-winners, split into five categories, were the Austrian Jürgen Pachteu (category 1, Steyer Puch 650TR), the Czech Josef Michl (category 2, Porsche 911 RS), the Slovak Jaroslav Baranek (category 3, Ferrari 308 GT4), the Italian Uberto Bonucci (category 4, Osella PA9/90) and the Czech Petr Tykal (category 5, Formula Easter MTX 1-03).

The historic rallies are run either in sporting mode or in regularity mode. As in 2012, the strongest man in the regularity rallies was the Irishman Charles Reynolds (BMW Alpina and Mercedes 190 SL). In the sporting events, some names of which simply ooze prestige and history (San Remo, Acropolis), the Champions rewarded were the Italian Antonio Parisi (category 1, Porsche 911 S), the Swede Mats Myrsell (category 2, Porsche 911 RSR), the Austrian Ernst Harrach (category 3, Mitsubishi Lancer 2000 Turbo) and the Italian “Pedro” (category 4, Lancia Rally 037).

Coinciding with this prize-giving ceremony were a number of meetings of the FIA Historic Motor Sport Commission and the various sub-commissions, and there were also safety and sporting- technical seminars in which 130 delegates from four continents participated. So many passionate people, who between the working sessions seized the opportunity to relive the history of Mercedes-Benz in the museum, and most of them also took a small detour to the other prestigious automobile museum in Stuttgart, namely the one dedicated to Porsche.

List of the 2012 FIA Historic Champions :

Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior Cars – Class D Winners
Ivo GOECKMANN (DEU) & Luc DENEVE (BEL)

Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior Cars – Class C Winner
John DELANE (USA)

Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior Cars – Class B Winner
Duncan RABAGLIATI (GBR)

Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior Cars – Class A Winner
Daniele SALODINI (ITA)

Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior Cars – Overall & Class E Winner
Pierre TONETTI (ITA)

Historic Formula One Championship – Class D Winner
Terry SAYLES (GBR)

Historic Formula One Championship – Class C Winner
Richard EYRE (GBR)

Historic Formula One Championship – Class B Winner
Philippe BONNY (FRA)

Historic Formula One Championship – Class A Winner
John DELANE (USA)

Historic Formula One Championship – Champion
Joaquín FOLCH (ESP)

Historic Hill Climb Championship – Category 1 Champion
Jürgen PACHTEU (AUT)

Historic Hill Climb Championship – Category 2 Champion
Josef MICHL (CZE)

Historic Hill Climb Championship – Category 3 Champion
Jaroslav BARÀNEK (SVK)

Historic Hill Climb Championship – Category 4 Champion
Uberto BONUCCI (ITA)

Historic Hill Climb Championship – Category 5 Champion
Petr TYKAL (CZE)

Trophy for Historic Regularity Rallies – Co-Driver Winners
Iain TULLIE (GBR) & Marco M. CALEGARI (MCO)

Trophy for Historic Regularity Rallies – Driver Winner
Joe REYNOLDS (IRL)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Team Trophy Winner
Rally Club Sandro Munari (ITA)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Co-Driver Category 1 Champion
Giuseppe D’ANGELO (ITA)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Driver Category 1 Champion
Antonio PARISI (ITA)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Co-Driver Category 2 Champion
Esko JUNTTILA (SWE)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Driver Category 2 Champion
Mats MYRSELL (SWE)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Co-Driver Category 3 Champion
Leopold WELSERSHEIMB (AUT)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Driver Category 3 Champion
Ernst HARRACH (AUT)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Co-Driver Category 4 Champion
Erik PEDERSEN (NOR)

Historic Sporting Rally Championship – Driver Category 4 Champion
“PEDRO” (ITA)

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