As If Electrified: Team ORION Goes China
This year again, ORION’s goal has been to rank among the top ten of the 6th North European E-Mobile-Rallye. Michael Haberstroh-Andresen and his co-pilote Michael Sawitsch could even win a wild card for the E-Mobile Rallye in China, something they could only dare to dream of before. This year anyway, many things were different at all: The red ORION Beetle being converted into an E-Beetle by his driver Michael Haberstroh-Andresen some years ago could not start. It was out of action and had to be replaced by a rented BMWi3.
At the 6th North European E-Mobile-Rallye on June 11th and 12th, 54 teams competed with each other. They were over 20 teams more than in recent years. As always, it was not about top speed, but about exact time trial, accurate route planning, skilled use of a stopwatch and the log book as well as economically driving a car operated by electricity. Often, there are only deci-seconds deciding on the result of the participants.
This time, the 480km long route started and ended at Schwedenkai in Kiel. The ORION team got ninth overall. After the award ceremonies, there was another big surprise for the two colleagues of the ORION team. By means of drawing lots, it was decided who received a wild card for the first Dongting Lake International E-Mobile Rallye in China from October 11th to 16th. And the winner was the team No. 6: ORION.
The organizer of the rallye in Chinese Hunan Province is one of the biggest media companies in China – the Titan Media Group. Also “on board” of the rallye are four more teams of
the 6th North European E-Mobile-Rallye, who have secured their participation because of their placement: beside the overall winner, the Lüdemann und Zinkel AG team, they are Schmidt’s Fliegenflitzer from Hürup, the best foreign duo from Vildbjerg, Denmark and the best women team from New Energy, a trade fair in Husum.
Besides Denmark and Germany, the People’s Republic of China also sent teams to participate in the North European E-Mobile-Rallye this year.