The team from Osterholz-Scharmbeck started at the Europe Rally in Salzburg
district of Osterholz. The four townsfolk from the “Dustbusters 33” rally team set off for Salzburg on Thursday morning with their two youngtimer vehicles. Fred Meyer, Niels Meyring, Timo Behrens and Marcus Lorenczat will start there in the “European 5000” on Friday, September 2nd. The Volvo 850 (built in 1994) and the VW Bus T4, which is three years older, are scheduled to reach the finish line on September 15 in Brussels. You have to cross ten countries – first the Alps and then the Spanish desert – in order to solve tasks from the so-called road book and collect money for a good cause.
No race
For Lorenczat and the three team members, the 5,000 kilometers are not a race, but a travel adventure that is all about being on the move. “Of course we could also use a navigation system or take the freeway,” explains the spokesman for the Dustbusters. But there is no reason for that at all. The fun of the unknown is precisely the attraction, which is why the code of honor of the “European 5000” also expressly prohibits modern aids. The main thing is to arrive is the motto of what is now the third Dustbusters participation after the Allgäu-Orient Rally 2016 and the Baltic Sea Circle 2018.
The only professional screwdriver
Even if the team chemistry is obviously right: master mechanic Fred Meyer recognizes that he is under a lot of pressure. The Pennigbüttel Opel dealer is the only professional mechanic at the Dustbusters, so the risk of the trip seems particularly clear to him. “It’s just old cars that we drive; Anything can happen there,” says Meyer. Impossible to rise to all eventualities; even for an experienced mechanic it is impossible to repair every conceivable vehicle defect on the side of the road. The failure of the 2018 Dustbusters Bullis was a bitter lesson in letting go for the Volvo driver.
Duct tape, book and chips
Deceleration or ambition? It’s all a matter of the head. “Yesterday I packed the tool box and today I don’t remember exactly what’s in it,” says Meyer simply, saying exactly that mixture of tension and shrugging of the shoulders that can be seen from all team members. Meyring’s last souvenirs before heading to the foothills of the Alps are a roll of gaffer tape, a good book and a bag of chips. Meyer comments with a smile.
While Lorenczat now warns to definitely check the tire pressure on the Bulli again, his co-driver Behrens, wearing a baseball cap and flip-flops, seems extremely hungry for vacation. The master baker treats himself to a break with the rally. And that really has nothing to do with the bread roll prices at his company, absolutely nothing to do with it, as critics of the company have pointed out ironically.
Leave the hassle of everyday life behind, that’s what it’s all about. Opinions are apparently divided on the Dustbusters, who have built up a loyal fan community on social media. The fact that the trip also WILL collect money for the SOS Children’s Village is considered praiseworthy by some and an alibi by others. A little longing for freedom should be in play one way or another.
The district town quartet deliberately decided against a complete renovation of the Volvo (start number 3) and Bulli (start number 33). Knowing full well that this cannot be understood in a similar way by all observers. Some of the entrant cars, presented on the internet at https://superlative-adventure.com, look like they are in perfect condition, barely older than the mandatory minimum of 20 years.
Fueled with a discount
The Dustbusters don’t see themselves as professional athletes. They already filled up on Wednesday, the last day of the tank discount. “Now fuel is cheaper in France than in Germany,” reports Lorenczat. When Meyer opens the door of the Volvo station wagon, a spicy butchery scent suddenly escapes: a 30-centimetre-long salami is dangling from the rear-view mirror between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. The miracle tree as an emergency ration. “You have to like it,” Meyer remarked before starting the engine. The European adventure can begin.