An eMail from the archivist of WIMA International has flushed a treasure into my mailbox a few days ago.
These are the records of the first WIMA Rally organized in and by Austria in 1969!
This rally took place in the village Ampflwang in Upper Austria and was actually an emergency solution due to a relocation from the then CSSR (today Czech Republic and Slovakia) to Austria.
We suspect due to the aftermath of the Prague Spring.
ere is the original text (translated from German):
CONTINENTAL DIVISION WIMA RALLY 1969 (AMPFLWANG, AUSTRIA)
By Capt.Ellen Pfeiffer Translated by Anke Eve Kimmel
It must have hurt LIDA very much we shifted the 1969 WIMA Rally from CSSR to AUSTRIA, LIDA, who always organized everything perfectly, had already organized everything at CERVENA and all we had to do was to ride to CERVENA. I know now she has forgiven us, because she did come to AUSTRIA and even brought some of her friends with her. All of them contributed to the success of our annual CONTINENTAL DIVISION RALLY festival!
The meeting place was the little village of AMPFLWANG in AUSTRIA on the 17th of August. A lot of girls came, and all wishing to forget everyday life for a few days, to play around with their bikes. The camping enthusiasts had a field (meadow) to themselves just behind the STEHRER INN. Thanks to perfect organizing by CHRISTA SPATHE the whole meeting worked faultlessly within its timing schedules.
First of all, we had a cross-country ride through very rough terrain. The lap had to be completed twice. The girls nudged their heavy road bikes elegantly around the course and nobody was surprised to see JANA as the winner. She managed to get her Trials JAWA around the course without the penalty of points, displaying grand style. Riding fastest time also she left all the rest of the group behind her. All OI us did our best to give a sporty show and we were awarded by the frantic applause of the spectators. At this point I would like to mention the good care given us by the AMPFLWANG MOTORCYCLE CLUB.
This evening we had an opulent dinner and a reception by the AUSTRIAN MOTOR SPORTS OPERATING DIRECTOR, ROLF ARNOLD who, with his bright sense of hunor, bade us welcome and told us how proud he was to have the W.I.M.A. in AUSTRIA for the first tine.
Next day we rode to SALZBURG and visited one of the salt mines there. The ride to SALZBURG was an experience for all those loving the Alpine landscape. When we arrived at the mine it happened to be closed because of it being overcrowded by earlier visitors. We decided not to wait and made a most exhilarating ride around the Alpine lakes of the region -, ATTERSEE, MONDSEE, WOLFGANGSEE and FUSCHLSEE. The wonderful weather kept spirits high, and teasing and laughing went on late into the night.
Wednesday we had an Orientation Run. According to a map several very small villages had to be touched. Control points were installed everywhere. Winner would be who needed the smallest number of kilometers to cover all points. It was big fun rather than hard sport. It turned out that all of us found 9 control posts. The 10th, I hope, is not waiting any longer for some body to pass. So we shared the winning points among ourselves, finishing the evening with chatting and sitting around a campfire.
Next day we visited the glass blowing factory and at BAD ISCHL at last our salt mine to see. We rode all day , filled with lenowledge where the salt comes from and how it is mined. They drove us into the mine on long benches. Inside the mine we had full opportunity to dedicate ourselves to the studies of salt mining sciences and in our mining outfits we were fit for every possible sort of exploration. After that action packed day we crawled into our sleeping bags earlier than yesterday because the following day we had to start for the all deciding points counting for the championship.
It was the kind of Mini Rally. The task was to build up the word “STEHRER” out of the capital letters of towns or villages in the neighborhood. The lesser kilometers needed for that, the more points. Everyone made her secret plans only to find almost all the others in almost the same spots! We did not actually meet there because we started at intervals, but when the final checking was done we found that almost all of us had chosen the same route! Nevertheless, the results were clear enough to decide who was the overall WIMA RALLY winner. It was CHRISTEL BERG. She had been trying hard for that championship for years, and finally there she was ! She could now take the big piece of hardware with her at last! How useful was the big basket purchased in YUGOSLAVIA to take the trophy home.
The trophy for the longest ride to AMPFLWANG was a plate given by ROLF ARNOLD and it went to JANET who was also the youngest competitor. JANA virtually was covered with trophies. In fact, we had so many nice gifts that CHRISTA had a lot to do to distribute everything correctly.
TRAUDL was very happy with the trophy for last place, given by our INT. PRESIDENT LOUISE. That trophy was so beautiful that I think we shall have a fervent competition for last place in our future WIMA rallies.
Naturally, the placings attained in such a meeting is in no way a characteristic for the general riding ability of a particular girl – it is rather a help to find a convincing way to distribute all the trophies and gifts. Therefore, I do not give a finishing list as to placings but only to say who was present, and on which mount, and hoping all of them and still others will be happy to come again next year.
Janet on a Honda from England
Jana ” Jawa ” CSSR
Lida ” CZ ” CSSR
Christel ” BMW ” Deutschland
Traudl ” Bultaco ” Österreich
Maria ” Puch ” Österreich
Should there ever be another international rally in Austria, we now have a “draft manual” for it. 🙂