GTI fanatics shipwrecked
German GTI fans had a lucky escape after capsizing in a motorboat on a lake in Austria.The group of four men in the southern province of Carinthia to visit the annual Volkswagen (VW) Golf GTI meeting made it to the shore after their boat sank at Wörther Lake (Wörther See) yesterday evening (Tues).The friends, aged between 24 and 35, were exhausted and slightly hypothermic after the incident but unharmed. The sunken boat which the men rented from a local hirer has not been salvaged yet.Tens of thousands of GTI enthusiasts from all over the world gather in the small town of Reifnitz near Klagenfurt every summer to discuss the latest developments of their favourite car and enjoy themselves.Concerts, a fair and various other events are being held at the annual GTI meeting which has sparked mixed reactions from locals. While some appreciate the boom the sports car fans give to regional businesses, others are disgusted by the piles of rubbish some leave behind.Carinthian police have increased their activities around the event in recent years due to the rising number of brawls and traffic accidents.