Strebinger drives in second place at the rally cross start in Melk!

Strebinger drives in second place at the rally cross start in Melk!

Melk, Österreich - Josef Strebinger showed impressive performances at the start of the season of the Austrian Rallycross Championship in Melk and took second place. The competition, which took place on April 29, 2025, launched numerous drivers, including participants from Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. Despite his strong appearance, Strebinger had to overcome some difficulties in the starts that prevented him from winning the day. In the STC-20000 class, a total of ten starters competed in vehicles with a displacement of up to 2 liters. This event took place not only as part of the Austrian championship, but also parallel to the Central european Championship.

The roots of the rallycross, an exciting motorsport discipline, are diverse and controversial. As reported on museum.rallycross.com , driven in the United Kingdom of Autocross in the late 1940s, about two decades before the first rallycross race on February 4 at Lydden Circuit took place in Kent. This race was organized by the “750 Motor Club” and was a milestone in motorsport history that laid the foundation for today's rallycross.

The development of the rallycross

The sport received its name from John Sprinzel, while the inventors Robert Reed and Bud Smith were significantly involved in the organization. The first winner of Rallycross was Vic Elford, who drove in a Porsche 911. The popularity of Rallycross spread quickly in Great Britain and later throughout Europe. On November 25, 1967, the first international rallycross race took place in Lydden, where Andrew Cowan triumphed on a Sunbeam IMP.

The first race on the European mainland was held in the Netherlands on June 7, 1969, with Hans Kok as the winner. The infrastructure for this sport grew with the construction of the first special rallycross route, the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard, in 1971. In the following years, including the founding of the European Rallycross Association in 1974 and taking over the FIA ​​in 1976, there was a stable development of sport.

successful drivers and vehicle categories

The 1980s are considered the heyday of the rallycross, especially through the introduction of group B vehicles. The most successful drivers include Martin Schanche and Kenneth Hansen, each of whom have won several championships. In the years afterwards, different vehicle categories were introduced to the European Rallycross European Championship, which continuously developed the rules and the competition structure.

This underlines the dynamic character of the rallycross, which now has a permanent place in motorsport not only in Austria, but also internationally. In particular, events such as the start of the season in Melk show the continued interest and the commitment of the drivers, which in the end also contributes directly to the further development of this exciting motorsport.