Oldest rally driver

Experienced the worst crash of his career in Lavanttal

Kurt Jabornig (right) with his Peugeot 205 is the oldest driver in the Lavanttal. Thomas Traußnig (left) is the youngest Carinthian.(Bild: zVg (2))

Kurt Jabornig (71) will be entering his 40th year of motorsport at the 46th Lavanttal Rally on April 5/6. For Thomas Traußnig (21) from Wolfsberg, it is only his seventh race ever. He made his debut at the age of 18.

Half a century separates the oldest and youngest starters at the Lavanttal Rally from tomorrow: rally veteran Kurt Jabornig (71) and youngster Thomas Traußnig (21).

"Going crazy in retirement"
Jabornig hasn't driven in the Lavanttal since 2018. "I had the worst crash of my career here in 2005 - I flipped over six times near Pölling. Only the radiator was broken, nothing happened to me," recalls Jabornig, whose iconic Peugeot 205 has already clocked up 35 years and 40,000 rally kilometers.

Compared to the past, the youngsters have to fight much harder for sponsors because everything is more expensive.

Kurt JABORNIG, Rallye-Urgestein

Annoyed by all the technology
"It costs nothing compared to the new cars," says the "oldie", who is driving his 40th rally season this year and hasn't missed a single year. "Otherwise I'd go crazy in retirement," he laughs. "I still enjoy it just as much as when I started. The only thing is that technology is unfortunately becoming more and more important these days. You have a smartphone and GPS in the car and you're still supposed to concentrate on the road," he says, annoyed. 

Kurt Jabornig's Peugeot 205(Bild: HARALD ILLMER - HIFOTO.AT)

"The Eitweg circuit is special"
Meanwhile, Traußnig sets off for his seventh rally. The 21-year-old has home advantage in the rented Peugeot 208 Rally 4. "I drive past my home on a liaison stage. The many spectators in Eitweg are always a special feeling," says Traußnig, who wanted to become a rally driver at the age of eleven and made his debut at 18.

Incidentally, Marcel Neulinger (Upper Austria) is exactly the same age - this time the youngest starter in the Lavanttal.