1000 km Zeltweg

4 Hours of Red Bull Ring

European Le Mans Series
Venue	Red Bull Ring
First race	1933
First ELMS race	2013
Last race	2021
Duration	4 Hours
Previous names	500 km Zeltweg 1000 km Zeltweg

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.

History

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

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.

External links

• Motor Racing Circuits Database - Zeltweg Airfield (1958-1968)
• Motor Racing Circuits Database - Österreichring (1969-1976)