It sounds like a dream: On Rømø, beautiful automobiles glide over the sandy beach under a light blue sky. Speed records? Minor matter. In the sprint race over the 1/8^th mile, participants and visitors have one thing above all: a really good time. This magic is what makes the Motor Festival so popular.

It all began over 100 years ago. The Danish entrepreneur and motorsport fan Svend Simmelkjaer is said to have come up with the idea of a beach race during a walk in Jutland in 1917. At that time, the world was still shaken by the First World War and wasting fuel was unthinkable. Two years later, the first sand race of the Danish Automobile Club finally took place, at that time still on Fanø. Top drivers from all over the world and over 20,000 spectators made the pilgrimage up north. In 1924, the Briton Sir Malcolm Campbell even broke the world speed record for land vehicles at 235 km/h – an unregistered timepiece prevented official recognition. When Campbell lost a wheel in another record attempt and fatally injured a young spectator, the speed era on the Wadden Sea was history for the time being.

Fast forward to 2016: A handful of Danish hot rod friends – lovers of historic converted classics with plenty of power – breathed new life into the race. Based on the historic races in Pendine Sands (Wales) or Daytona Beach (USA), only a few vehicles rolled to Rømø. Today, the number of participants has been limited to 120. The selection is based on originality and diversity. 60 cars and 60 motorcycles can compete. Tuning parts must come from the respective era of the vehicles. Participants pay an entry fee of €80 – exclusively for insurance. Drivers need to compete in period clothing. Anyone who owns a vehicle that was built before 1947 can apply in writing.

In the world of the Roaring Twenties, the Opel Grandland Electric AWD embodies the ultra-modern time machine. Quietly and curiously, it cruises past the classic cars. Every hour, hundreds more private treasures from all over Europe turn up on the North Sea beach. And countless motorcycles. There is even an extra catwalk for cars built before 1958. All starters are technically approved by a commission. There is „a lot of blood, sweat and tears“ in every vehicle, as a British participant tells us. The Grandland AWD sweetens the waiting time with a drive on the beach. The loose sand doesn’t bother it. Quite the opposite: with the right beat of the right foot, it dances around effortlessly, gently pushes its stern towards the sea – and then claws its way back into the sand. Wonderful!

Over the course of the day, we meet many Opel fans. The chat with Nico Lohmeyer, who leans against his Opel Olympia Rekord R3 Sportcoupé, gets longer. He has had the car for 15 years – and has now converted it in the style of a 1/4 mile racing car from America. All that’s missing is the replacing the engine – with the 5.7-litre V8 unit. He already has all the necessary parts. Nico grew up with Opel – a fan through and through. He does not miss the Rømø Motor Festival. Of course, we only bid farewell briefly: Because we will surely see each other next time!

This year, RØMØ MOTOR FESTIVAL celebrates its tenth anniversary. For those who don’t have any plans on August 22: From Rüsselsheim it takes at least a good seven hours to get to Rømø. The golden rule: Get there early to avoid the traffic jams. Only two lanes lead to the island. But even if it should take longer: No one honks. Everyone is relaxed. And everything is for free. The entrance, the toilets, the heartfelt chaos. Only five or six stalls sell sausages, beer and chips. At the stand where the festival T-shirts are sold, they patiently queue in rows of two for a hundred metres. Great harmony instead of total regulation. This is what the joy of automobiles and mobility can look like – thank you Denmark!

More information for you https://romo-tonder.dk/de/rmf25/