Alongside David Coulthard's demo runs, the Ferrari 310B turned out to be one of the main attractions at The Racing Day in Assen. It is the Formula 1 car in which Michael Schumacher won the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix. Nowadays, the car is owned by 80-year-old Erich Zech.
The German was already in Assen last year, but back then the car was not ready for action. Earlier this month, the 310B could finally be seen on track. "It was phenomenal," admitted Zech.
"What I loved the most and what touched me was the reaction of the fans. They stood up and applauded, which was great to witness. "What I love most is being able to show this car to the people again.
My main goal is to make the experience as close as possible to what it was back in the day with Schumacher." Part of that experience includes Zech driving with a replica of Schumacher's helmet. The combination of car and helmet is very reminiscent of what it looked like decades ago, with the man behind the wheel being the main difference.
Schumacher drove this car at the age of 28. Zech is 80. "Sadly so!", he laughs while talking to Motorsport.
com. "But that's special, isn't it? Driving such a car is a challenge, but I still feel incredibly fit. I had to get the official [racing] licence to drive it and, for that, I had to pass a health check.
It was also a surprise to me that I am still so fit." Even more striking than the age is that until last year, Zech had never driven a single-seater. "I only started driving race cars in May la.