The 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring (originally known as the 500 km Zeltweg) was an endurance sports car event held near Spielberg, Austria. Originally based at the Zeltweg Airfield, the race moved to the Österreichring and was lengthened to a 1000 km distance and there it continued to be a regular event in the World Sportscar Championship until 1976.

4 Hours of Red Bull Ring
European Le Mans Series
VenueRed Bull Ring
First race1933
First ELMS race2013
Last race2021
Duration4 Hours
Previous names500 km Zeltweg
1000 km Zeltweg

History

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The Zeltweg Airfield circuit used from 1966 to 1968
 
The Österreichring, used from 1969 to 1976
 
The A1-Ring, used from 1997 to 2001

In 1963, Formula One held its first exhibition event at the Zeltweg Airfield, located in Styria. The airfield had been modified in 1958 to allow it to be used for motorsports, using the runway and taxiways for straights. Following the successful event, the Austrian Grand Prix joined the Formula One calendar for the 1964 season. However complaints from drivers about the poor surface led to the FIA abandoning the circuit before a 1965 event could be held. Left without a major event, the organizers turned to the World Sportscar Championship and offered a 500 km event to take place starting in 1966. This event proved more successful due to the ability of the sportscars to handle the bumpy surface better than a Formula One car.

In 1969, due to demands once again from racers for a better circuit, the Österreichring was built in the mountains less than a mile from Zeltweg Airfield. Once the new circuit was completed, the sports car event moved to its permanent home. Due to the freshness of the track, the organizers expanded the event to a 1000 km endurance. The smoothness of the new racing surface allowed for greater reliability and greater ease in achieving the longer distance. The high-speed nature of the layout also allowed for quick races, with some events running under five hours. However, with rule changes in the evolved World Championship of Makes in 1976, the event became limited to a maximum of six hours due to the decrease in overall speed of the competitors.

The 1976 event also became the final 1000 km race at the Österreichring. A second Austrian race was added to the separate World Sportscar Championship, held at the smaller Salzburgring. Due to safety concerns and a shrinking schedule, the Österreichring was dropped from the 1977 season, leaving the Salzburgring one final event before it too was abandoned, marking the final Austrian event in the World Sportscar Championship.

Following the rebuilding of the Österreichring into the new A1-Ring in 1997, the FIA GT Championship briefly resurrected the sportscar endurance race in a modified form. A four-hour event was run in 1997 covering nearly 700 km, followed by 500 km races in 1998, 2000, and 2001. The FIA chose not to return to the circuit after the 2001 event, and the A1-Ring was eventually partially torn down in 2004, until it was rebuilt as Red Bull Ring in 2011.

Winners

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Year Drivers Team Car Time
Zeltweg Airfield
1966   Gerhard Mitter
  Hans Herrmann
  Porsche System Porsche 906 3:07:52:550
1967   Paul Hawkins   Paul Hawkins Ford GT40 Mk.II 3:15:54.530
1968   Jo Siffert   Porsche System Engineering Porsche 908 2:55:17.790
Österreichring
1969   Jo Siffert
  Kurt Ahrens Jr.
  Freiherr von Wendt Porsche 917 5:23:36.980
1970   Jo Siffert
  Brian Redman
  J.W. Automotive Porsche 917K 5:08:04:670
1971   Pedro Rodríguez
  Richard Attwood
  J.W. Automotive Porsche 917K 5:04:26.100
1972   Jacky Ickx
  Brian Redman
  SpA Ferrari SEFAC Ferrari 312PB 4:58:46.280
1973   Henri Pescarolo
  Gérard Larrousse
  Equipe Matra-Simca Matra-Simca MS670B 4:48:57.800
1974   Henri Pescarolo
  Gérard Larrousse
  Equipe Gitanes Matra-Simca MS670C 4:51:20.270
1975   Henri Pescarolo
  Derek Bell
  Willi Kauhsen Racing Team Alfa Romeo T33/TT/12 3:34:50.550
1976   Dieter Quester
  Gunnar Nilsson
  Schnitzer BMW BMW 3.0 CSL 6:00:16.400
A1-Ring
1997   Klaus Ludwig
  Bernd Mayländer
  AMG-Mercedes Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR 4:00:55.816
1998   Klaus Ludwig
  Ricardo Zonta
  AMG-Mercedes Mercedes-Benz CLK LM 2:47:34.975
2000   Mike Hezemans
  Tom Coronel
  Carsport Holland Chrysler Viper GTS-R 3:00:01.811
2001   Peter Kox
  Rickard Rydell
  Prodrive Allstars Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello 3:00:09.952
Red Bull Ring
2013   Pierre Thiriet
  Mathias Beche
  Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 03 3:00:09.351
2014   Paul-Loup Chatin
  Nelson Panciatici
  Oliver Webb
  Signatech Alpine Alpine A450b 4:00:16.248
2015   Filipe Albuquerque
  Simon Dolan
  Harry Tincknell
  Jota Sport Gibson 015S 4:00:21.546
2016   Pierre Thiriet
  Mathias Beche
  Ryō Hirakawa
  Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 05 4:00:04.366
2017   Will Owen
  Hugo de Sadeleer
  Filipe Albuquerque
  United Autosports Ligier JS P217 4:00:57.876
2018   Roman Rusinov
  Andrea Pizzitola
  Jean-Éric Vergne
  G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 4:00:14.242
2021   Robert Kubica
  Louis Delétraz
  Yifei Ye
  Team WRT Oreca 07 4:00:49.743

† - The 1975 event was scheduled for 1000 km, but was stopped after 600 km due to heavy rain.

References

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