KitzCharityTrophy 2017

The 75^th anniversary of the Hahnenkam-Races is history. 2017 marks the 20^th jubilee of the KitzCharity Trophy. The charity-child was born in 1996 and is now fully grown. “Strictly speaking, it’s not my baby anymore”, says Dr Klaus Reisch, 88, lawyer by profession and main man in the finishing area, not wanting to bask in some­ one else’s glory. “The spark came from the WWP”, he claims, though more specifically it was Burghard Hummel who, together with Ex-VW-Boss Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder and Ex-Formula-1-Star Gerhard Berger, brought the Trophy to life. Reisch: “I was thrilled by the idea. I made everything available, from venue to catering!” That’s how the success story started. Since Toni Sailer, ski hero and film star, there has never been a shortage of celebrities. Everyone played along: racing and skiing greats, successful businessmen as well as the high society. WWP Founder Harti Weirather: “It made sense to offer new attractions when so many interesting people came together.” Charity was to be that attraction – but for what purpose? Those in charge soon came to a conclusion. “I come from a farming family,” Harti recalls his roots. “I know how much misery Tyrolean farmers go through. We wanted to support them with the Charity Trophy!” – in North as well as South Tyrol. Dr Reisch: “Sterzing is Kitzbühel’s twin town and during the war I went to South Tyrol as a harvest worker!” Reisch learned to pull his weight early on. Now an advocate for those in need, he likes to play referee when the whistle signals the start of the Charity Trophy. “My linesmen are Ecclestone and Lauda. And nobody donates more than Bernie!” These Formula-1 legends put their foot down when it comes to charity. Nobody gets paid to participate in this event, even if they're a superstar. Reisch is just as proud of this as he is of his employees, who always give 100% both in time and effort. Like the social worker Evi Noichl-Klingler, “who finds farmers in need throughout Tyrol. She makes the suggestions, I make the decisions!” Reisch quotes statistics to prove the charity’s efficiency. “Only once did we have to support a family twice – and that was due to a stroke of bad luck.” After 19 years it’s easy to say: The race for charitable purposes has paid off. Click here for a full list of the results. [ngg_images source="galleries" container_ids="54" override_thumbnail_settings="0" thumbnail_width="240" thumbnail_height="160" thumbnail_crop="1" images_per_page="0" number_of_columns="0" ajax_pagination="1" show_all_in_lightbox="0" use_imagebrowser_effect="0" show_slideshow_link="0" slideshow_link_text="[Show slideshow]" template="/var/www/qa.hahnenkamm.com/wp-content/themes/hkr/nggallery/gallery-detail.php" order_by="sortorder" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500" display_type="photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails"]