Guide to Austria for adrenaline junkies

Austria is one of the countries with the biggest tourist industry in Europe, with an accent to culture, nature, skiing and a lot of adrenaline - a true paradise for adrenaline junkies. This article will be a guide to Austria for speed lovers and people addicted to adrenaline.

One of the most important players in this game is Dietrich Mateschitz with its Red Bull company, which promotes and sponsors some of the above-mentioned activities. How did it all start? In order to fight a negative publicity where the energy drink Red Bull was often related to health issues, Dietrich Mateschitz used some smart advertising tactics. He managed to create a 'brand myth' around Red Bull's name. His main approach to marketing was to connect the Red Bull energy drink with sports activities and adrenaline. Firstly, the company started to sponsor some extreme sports and related events, such as the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series or Red Bull Air Race. Later, they continued with popular sports sponsoring such as football or ice hockey. One of the most famous football clubs in Austria, from Salzburg, carries the Red Bull name, as well as the only Austrian Formula One team - Red Bull Racing. To find out more about the most popular Austrian brand worldwide, check the article “Does Red Bull give you wings?”

Video © Credits to Red Bull Air Race

However, if you are one of those that enjoy the speed and everything about it, you should visit these places:

The Red Bull Ring: Tarmac Heaven

In the year 2004, the Red Bull Company acquired the race track in Austrian town Spielberg, known for its long racing history dating back to the 1950s. This circuit named Österreichring back then was very fast, demanding and notorious by the crashes and even few death cases. After a few controversies, due to the objections from the local population and environmental concerns, and seven years pause, Red Bull reopened a reconstructed circuit in 2011, under the name Red Bull Ring. Three years later, Red Bull Ring became again, after 10 years, the venue of the Formula One World Championship. Since the reopening, the circuit has hosted numerous high-class racing events such as the DTM, ADAC GT Masters, European Le Mans Series or the Truck Race Trophy.

Red Bull Ring

Red Bull Ring Str. 1, 8724 Spielberg, Austria

The most appealing thing to the visitors of the new circuit is a driving centre, where they can improve their driving skills with professional racing instructors and celebrity-drivers. At their disposal are different sports cars and motorcycles, including 12 KTM X-Bows, 9 Formula 4, 2 Formel Renaults 3.5, 6 Mitsubishi Evo IXs and many more vehicles. The driving centre allows the good drivers to become faster and prepare for the challenges on the racetrack.

"4WD Test Tracks" are also part of the complex. The alpine driving conditions stones, earth and wood form obstacles, the obstacle courses, decline sections, wave tracks, ravines and gravel beds, as well as the most diverse approaches in the varieties of nature, rocks, steps, slides and cable winch, which are ideal for testing SUV to its limits, can be found here.

Another excitement located just few kilometres away from the Red Bull Ring, at the foot of the mountain Zinken, is the “Off-road Car Track”. This unique in Europe off-road adventure world offers a multitude of routes and possibilities from the rally test tracks and guided tours with experienced instructors, right through to the adventurous taxi rides in rally vehicles.

For 2-wheels lovers, there are also three different trails with diverse degrees of difficulty at the "Off-road Bike Track". Beside them, there are tracks for the trial riders with obstacles of every kind and even a separate starter trail for the beginners.

Besides learning how to race like a professional, here you can enjoy in a delicious meal or coffee at the upmarket bistro located right in the middle of the pit building, above the pit lanes and with a view of the finishing line.

Photo © Credits to Pirelli

Hangar-7 unique garage

Hangar-7 is an architectural masterpiece and one-of-a-kind garage located at the Salzburg airport. This wing-shaped structure is a home of the most unusual fleet of the airplanes in the world. Flying Bulls, a group of aviation enthusiasts, with an enormous passion for rare and historical aeroplanes, have collected some of the most beautiful and exceptional airplanes. All of them are in flying condition. The crown jewel of their collection is Douglas DC-6, the airliner which was is service of the ex-Yugoslav president Marshal Josip Broz Tito and later Zambia’s president Kenneth Kaund, which served as the luxury airliner for them and their VIP guests. Four fully operative, demilitarised Dornier Alpha Jets, which are often used in many spectacular aerobatics air shows, are on display as well. Also, a demilitarised Attack Helicopter Cobra, known from the Vietnam War movies, can be found here. If you are lucky and all airplanes are in-house, you can also see for many the most beautiful aeroplane in the history of aviation - P-38 Lightning by Lockheed. Hangar-7 is also home to the collection of the most famous of all racing cars in the world - Formula One car.

Inside the Hangar-7, you can find a unique Restaurant Ikarus, that is the only restaurant in the world with a guest chef concept. A different top chef each month prepares meals for the guests.

Picture © Credits to Red Bull Hangar-7 GmbH

If you are an adrenaline junky or you just like the speed and unique places, you should definitely visit Red Bull Ring and Hangar-7 to experience their one-of-a-kind offers.

Hangar-7

Wilhelm-Spazier-Straße 7a, 5020 Salzburg, Autriche