Hardly any other motorsport professional was as fast as he was and hardly any other might demonstrate such a high level of vehicle talent at the limit as Walter Röhrl. During his long career, the Regensburger was considered an unbeatable genius and at the same time a virtuoso behind the wheel. The two-time world rally champion was the benchmark once morest which the competition had a tough nut to crack. And you hardly like it: this year the four-time winner of the Monte Carlo Rally celebrated his 75th birthday.
Reason enough for the designer and photographer Frank Zinkewitz to honor the German rally legend with a very special book. Extraordinary: In the volume entitled “Art of Racing”, Zinkewitz recreates spectacular racing scenes with model vehicles. What might be more obvious, following all, Zinkewitz and Röhrl share a great hobby. Both are considered passionate collectors of model cars.
In his first book, Zinkewitz often depicts the detailed model vehicles together with original Röhrl rally cars. The vehicle models are almost as exclusive as the originals, as they are usually only released in a strictly limited special edition. Since the Regensburg rally legend also actively contributed to the creation of the work, fascinating insights into Röhrl’s career emerge that have not been known before.
In the unique illustrated book, the reader can literally feel the pace of the rally scenes depicted. The book, which is over 200 pages long, lives not only from unique photo motifs on gravel, mud and snow, but also from the many easy-going sayings of Walter Röhrl, who comments on the depicted rally scenes with his open, easy-going manner and also with many rally Garnished with anecdotes. With all the ups and downs. There are also comments like “I only thought regarding suicide for the 120 kilometers”, when Röhrl was 1:38 minutes slower than his colleague Stig Blomquist following a special stage with the wrong tire choice.
The book is an absolute must for motorsport enthusiasts and model car collectors as well as, of course, passionate Röhrl fans. It was published by the Stuttgarter Motorbuch-Verlag and costs 49.90 euros. (Guido Borck/cen)
