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Dear readers, my name is Felix Aretz and I've been in the piste club universe for more than 20 years now. Now I've just shocked myself, considering that that's more than half of my life. What do I do at the piste club? Before my 18th birthday, I was just a passenger, then I actively took part in numerous trackdays myself. When my daughter was born, my priorities changed somewhat, so I sold my track-ready BMW M3 in 2021 and hung up my helmet. Since then, I've been more active in the background, administering our website and actively contributing to the club magazine, among other things. But this article isn't about me, because very few of you will know me personally.
But many of you will know my dad Helmut. At least if you have ever taken part in a track day at the Hockenheimring, Nürburgring, Oschersleben, Groß Dölln, Spa, Imola, Monza, Mugello, Red Bull Ring, Salzburgring, Zandvoort, Dijon or the Slovakiaring. Helmut joined the Pistenclub more than 20 years ago. Unfortunately, there were no smartphones and photos with automatic geotagging at that time, so all the dates mentioned here are rather rough estimates. But let's start at the beginning.
My dad, then still the owner of a switchgear construction company, fulfilled his dream of owning his own Ferrari in 1987, the year I was born: a 328 GTS. But the joy didn't last long, because the car was involved in an accident on the motorway through no fault of his own. Fortunately, it was only a fender bender. The GTS was quickly replaced by a new 328 GTB. But it was not to remain just one sports car. Over the years (and several garages), highlights such as the 512 TR, 512 BB, 348, 400i, various Mondial and 550 Maranello came and went. There was even a Lamborghini Diablo in the meantime (which was allegedly only ordered because I was given a Santa's bag at the Lamborghini Kremer stand at the Essen Motor Show and my dad felt guilty about it). Just to avoid giving the wrong impression: my dad is not someone who wanted to be seen with his cars on Düsseldorf's Königsallee or drive at top speed on the motorway (although according to his own statement, the Diablo ran just under 340 on the speedometer). He was always interested in driving fun. But there was no such thing as track days in continental Europe in the 1990s. The only opportunity to drive his Ferrari on a real racetrack was when one of the big German Ferrari dealers such as Auto Becker organised a corresponding event. However, these were usually tailored to the typical Ferrari driver, so in addition to the sporty driving, the focus was often on luxurious dinners in great hotels and guided shopping tours for the companions. The (negative) highlight was a tour to Italy lasting several days, during which the planned free driving in Mugello was cancelled as most of the participants went to Florence for a stroll instead.
Information from his friend Dietmar came in handy. An advert in a magazine had told him about a certain runway club that offered drift training sessions at an airfield for all interested sports drivers. The next date was convenient, the fee was manageable and the registration followed immediately. And so off we went (it must have been between 2001 and 2003) to Bitburg in a Ferrari 512 TR with me in the passenger seat. The event was organised by Pistenclub chairman Ralph Burstedde, who was still actively behind the wheel in his Porsche 993 RS. In addition to members from the very beginning (including Andreas Henschkowski and Guido Rösch with their Porsche 964s), honourary member and former instructor Kurt Thiim (who won the first German Touring Car Championship in 1986) was also present. Unfortunately, it turned out that the sports car, the Ferrari 512 TR, was a little too big and heavy for the narrow handling course marked out with pylons. Nevertheless, the event and, above all, the friendly atmosphere at the Pistenclub were convincing - it was not to be the last event. Only the Testarossa was to be spared from then on.
Instead, a major brand change was on the cards. The new sports car was supposed to be a 360 Modena - with all the sporty options available ex works, such as bucket seats and a roll bar. Unfortunately, after signing the contract, the dealer insisted on subsequent adjustments to the contract, which meant that it didn't materialise in the end. Instead, there was an impulse - again from friend Dietmar. He had just bought a Porsche 996 GT3. And he was so enthusiastic that my dad also switched to Porsche and ordered a silver 996 Carrera 4S. Only to quickly realise that the car was clearly inferior to the GT3 in every driving situation due to the higher weight caused by the all-wheel drive. So it was quickly swapped for a yellow 996 GT3 (first series). And this in turn was soon to be replaced by another yellow 996 GT3 from the second series.
And it was in this speed yellow GT3 that I was allowed to do my first laps on a real race track. In 2005 (I was now 18) on the legendary Ardennes rollercoaster at Spa-Francorchamps. I don't think I need to tell you which club organised this track day.
This event gave our relationship with the track club a new boost. Dad was able to organise his days off as a self-employed person and, after completing my training as an IT specialist for application development, I had 30 days of holiday at my disposal, which I was able to use for trackdays for the most part (due to the lack of a girlfriend or other commitments).
And so, in the following years, we took part in countless trackdays at the Pistenclub. We felt right at home at the Hockenheimring, Nürburgring, Spa and Zandvoort. Highlights included events in neighbouring countries such as Dijon, Magny-Cours, Monza and Imola. Another highlight was the switch from the Porsche 996 GT3 to the 997 GT3 RS, again in a bright colour: blood orange.
There's one more thing you should know: My dad is not your typical car collector with an endless budget. He worked hard to acquire the cars and has always remained down-to-earth. This attitude also provided my personal automotive highlight. When we were at a track day together, we always shared his cars. But when the sentence ‘But don't expect to be allowed to drive my car to the Ring on your own’ was uttered, it was clear that I needed my own sports car. But not without conditions. I couldn't afford trackday entry fees with my job at the time and in one respect, Dad (quite rightly) didn't want to support me. But where he did support me: he lobbied the piste club to make sure I was soon part of the team. As it turned out, I was not only able to drive the Porsche quickly, I was also good at explaining things. As a result, I was present as an instructor at many drift training sessions in Bitburg and Groß Dölln, but also at trackdays on a number of circuits. And when I didn't have to instruct, I could take a seat behind the wheel myself. So I was able to earn my driving time directly at the event. Once that was sorted out, nothing stood in the way of me getting my own sports car: a BMW M3 from the E30 series. It was still outrageously cheap at the time.
But as I mentioned at the beginning, this is not about me. Together (and sometimes alone), we were out and about on pretty much every racetrack that appeared in the Pistenclub's diary over the years. And at times I even attended more Pistenclub events than he did. But when he sold his company, he suddenly had more time boredom. But at retirement age, you no longer have to make the most of every stint to have fun at an event, sometimes just being there is worth a lot. And so he also became an integral part of the organisation team. He regularly transported equipment to the events in his lorry and sat at the registration desk himself.
One last change of sports equipment was still to come. In October 2015, we picked up an ultraviolet 991 GT3 RS together in Stuttgart, after the 997 GT3 RS had accumulated most of its kilometres on various racetracks without any problems. And with this GT3 RS, the era of the Pistenclub would come to an end for us a few years later. And what can I say? My old man lasted longer than I did. While my priorities shifted (child, wife, house), he continued to take the GT3 to events. But time doesn't pass you by without a trace. It wasn't just old age that meant that speedy driving on racetracks was no longer as carefree as it had been just a few years previously; a diagnosis of Parkinson's was also a clear sign to literally take my foot off the accelerator. And yet: the boredom free time was still there, as was the desire to ‘just be there’. And so my dad continued to greet you at the cash desk at numerous events. Even if the events became a little more selective. In 2025, he was still part of the regular line-up in Austria (Salzburgring and Red Bull Ring), as well as together with Dirk Weidner at Bilster Berg.
As they say, you should stop when it's at its best. And even though I'm sure that my dad had a lot of fun driving freely in the early years of the Pistenclub, he was just as happy to drive to the events in 2025 to sit at the registration desk for you and see lots of familiar faces. On 22 September we went to the Salzburgring for the last time and on 17 October to Bilster Berg. Both times with lots of familiar faces. And both times with a dinner in a close circle afterwards.
We have a lot to thank my dad for. We, that is the piste club, but also me personally. Over the course of more than 20 years, ‘Uncle Helmut’, as he is affectionately known by the Pistenclub team, has contributed and promoted many ideas. For example, he has established contacts with caterers who have provided professional catering at the events (the long-standing members among you may still remember the time before, when there was still regular pea soup from the big pot) or provided a nicer ambience in the Pistenclub box at the Hockenheimring with colour-coordinated table and bench covers.
And me? I have him to thank for everything I have written in these lines. Without him and his enthusiasm for fast cars and sporty driving, I would never have joined the Pistenclub and would probably never have driven on a racetrack. So all that remains is to say:
Thank you, Dad, and thank you, Uncle Helmut!
PS: I'm sure he'll be at one or two events in 2026 too. Because the boredom free time is still there, and ‘just being there’ is still a nice change.
