GP Ice Race 2020: First rally event in history to integrate climate action

February 2, 2020

News

This past weekend, 1st and 2nd of February 2020, the legendary GP Ice Race returned to Zell am See in Austria. Along came a new partner - and a new sustainable agenda.

134 drivers competed in extreme conditions on a field of ice. The winner was German Champion Fabian Kreim and the runner-up was Austrian local hero Julian Wagner, both of whom drove a Škoda Fabia R5 evo.

GP Ice Race 2020, Zell am See

Viessmann, one of the new main sponsors, introduced a sustainable agenda to the event. With the help of CHOOOSE, Viessmann compensated for each of the drivers’ CO2 footprints and all the race kilometers driven during the event. In total, 144 tonnes of CO2 were reduced, which equals the climate effect of nearly 2000 fewer flights from Munich to Berlin.

The event originally had its glory days in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s before a 45 years break. The tradition was revived last year. The tradition was revived last year and is now back with a renewed focus on sustainability. The GP Ice Race 2020 welcomed drivers from 10 nationalities along with 16,000 spectators, including noteworthy names such as driver Mark Webber and Porsche heir Ferdinand Porsche.

Viessmann compensated for each of the drivers’ CO2 footprints and all the race kilometers driven during the event.

The latter thinks a sustainable focus for the event is a necessity:

“One of the main goals with the GP Ice Race is to engage the new generation in motor sports. Therefore, it’s important for us to bring this legendary race into the 21st century and make it as sustainable as possible”, says Ferdinand Porsche.

Caroline Heiberg, Vinzenz Greger, Ferdinand Porsche, Kristian Tønseth

The GP Ice Race 2020 is the first rally event in history to integrate climate action to athletes and cars.

“As sustainability is at the core of our company’s DNA, we want to use this platform to create awareness about climate change”, says Ivo Hoevel, VP Marketing Viessmann.

Viessmann believes sports and climate change are closely connected because so many sporting events rely on weather conditions. The GP Ice Race is no exception. Besides that, events like this leave an unavoidable footprint, and Viessmann wants to address that by compensating for the footprint of the athletes and the race kilometers.

“Viessmann is honoring and supporting a historic event while at the same time taking it in a new, sustainable direction. This is an ideal example of sports and climate action going hand in hand, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it,” says Andreas Slettvoll, CEO of CHOOOSE.

Committed to climate action

The way Viessmann’s CO2 offsetting works is that Viessmann supports CO2-reducing projects in developing countries replacing oil and coal with renewable energy. The projects supported by CHOOOSE are green projects with Gold Standard verification issued by the United Nations.

As a leading international manufacturer of integrated climate solutions, Viessmann as a company is not only committed to its social responsibility, but also to the responsibility for the long-term security of future generations. Viessmann’s continuous improvement of resource and environmentally friendly initiatives is therefore an essential part of its corporate philosophy.

GP Ice Race 2020, Zell am See

The GP Ice Race welcomes drivers from 10 nationalities, including prominent drivers such as Mark Webber and Walter Röhrl. 10,000 spectators are attending, including noteworthy names such as Porsche heir Ferdinand Porsche and motorsport enthusiast and actor David Hasselhoff who has helped the organizers make the event a reality. Among other things, the race differentiates itself by using predominantly classic cars such as the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900, the BMW Martini 700 and the Porsche 550 Spyder, thereby honoring the traditional Ice Race events from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

For more information, please visit: www.gpicerace.com