Hillclimb Rally Cup

Full throttle couple: The Pailers are unstoppable

Doris and Felix Pailer live for racing

(Bild: Krone.at/Höller)

The hill climb rally couple is in demand in half of Europe. In Gasen-Straßegg, nothing works without Doris and Felix Pailer. This time, however, others were faster than the legend in his orange speedster.

Picturesque Gasen was both pit lane and campsite at the weekend. Tents right next to the little stream, jacked-up racing cars between driveways and stacks of tires on the sidewalk.

The Hillclimb Rally Cup was a guest with 104 teams - and that is thanks to Doris (71) and Felix Pailer (75). The full-throttle couple took over the organization of the hill climb in Gasen-Straßegg last year and saved it from going out of business.

In business for 40 years
"We've been organizing races since 1983. Of course you ask yourself why you still do it, but a lot of good things come back," explains Doris, while husband Felix, to whom she has been married for 52 years, is still sweating in his Lancia Delta Integrale in a training run at a cockpit temperature of 50 degrees.

We are still on the road up to 25 weekends a year. People love Felix and his car.

Doris Pailer über ihren Ehemann

"Normally I'm always fast here," said the hill climb legend a little later. "But I'm starting to notice my age." But that doesn't protect him from invitations to racing events! "We've recently had requests from Switzerland and the Czech Republic. We're still on the road up to 25 weekends a year. People love Felix and his car," says Doris.

Reinhold Taus took the win
In Gasen, "Pailix" finished in fifth place. Victory in the third race of the season went to Reinhold Taus, who in his Subaru P4 Turbo was the first driver ever to complete a race on the 2.3-kilometer track in under a minute.

Reinhold Taus won in Gasen-Straßegg

(Bild: Hilde Rieger)

Taus even stayed under this mark in all three runs and came out on top ahead of Peter Probhardt (Mitsubishi Evo WRC 05) and Kevin Raith (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup).

Herzog Motorsport Hillclimb Rally Cup in Gasen-Straßegg: 
1st Reinhold Taus (Subaru P4 Turbo) - 1:58.767 minutes, 2nd Peter Probhardt (Mitsubishi Evo WRC 05) +1.923 sec, 3rd Kevin Raith (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) +3.919, 4th Rupert Schwaiger (Porsche 911 Bi-Turbo) +5.457, 5th Felix Pailer (Lancia Delta Integrale) +5.580.