Karl Bodmer (racing driver) – Wikipedia

Karl Bodmer (Born November 3, 1911 in Ebingen, † November 7, 1955 ibid), extensive also under the name Karl Bodmer Ebingen known, was a German motorcycle racer.

As a car mechanic, Bodmer passed the master exam in Reutlingen in 1942. He was interested in two -wheeler sports very early, but initially for art cycling and cycling races in the Ebingen cycling club.

After Bodmer acquired a 500 cm³ racing machine from the Victoria brand with Sturmey Archer engine in 1930, he drove his first race on the solitude and immediately went through the finish line. Employed at Victoria from 1930/31 to 1933, he drove a special one Victoria Kr 35 With a J.A.P engine at the Teeterower mountain racing in front of Toni Fleischmann on Norton to victory. Further races of 1933, in which Bodmer took part, the racing racing with third place on a 350 cm³ imperial, third at the Hockenheimring on Imperia 350 cm³, second place in the Kesselberrennen on Victoria 350 cm³, third place in the fork racing at 500 -cm³-Victoria, second at the Würgau mountain examination, fourth place in the Ratisbona mountain race and the victory at the Lückendorfer mountain race on a 350 cm³ Victoria.

In the following years, Karl Bodmer races drove on racing machines from Norton, Triumph and Universal. Some successes on the Norton were the victories in the trinity of the trinity (500 cm³) in 1934 and twice in the waiting mountain race (500 cm³ and 1000 cm³).

From 1934 to 1937 Karl Bodmer was very successful at Auto Union and reached second places with a 500 cm³ charging pump DKW in Schleiz and on the Feldberg, at the International Solitude race in 1937. In 1937 Karl Bodmer won the Grand Prix of Germany for motorcycles on DKW and in 1938 on an NSU-350. In further races in 1937, such as the Eilenrieder racing, the Solitude race, the Avus race, the Eifel race, at the Grand Prix of Europe, at the large mountain price of Germany, the Schleizer triangle race, the Hockenheim motorcycle race and at the German Mountain Cup up to 500 Cm³ on DKW car Union, he won or achieved front places.

From 1938 Karl Bodmer was successful at NSU as a factory driver. He won in front of 80,000 spectators in the first year at the Hamburg city parking racing and at the race around Schotten at the NSU compressor racing machine 350 cm³. Karl Bodmer successfully started in many races, including At the Sachsenring in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, in Bern, at the tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man, in Sweden, Spain, Belgium, in Austria, etc. Karl Bodmer not only fell once the little grateful task, still immature machines to use, such as the compressor NSU, which of course led to failures due to technical defects.

During the Second World War, Bodmer was used as a driving instructor from 1940 to 1943 and then as an armored commander in the Russian campaign until 1945 and was wounded shortly before the end of the war.

As early as 1946, Karl Bodmer began to organize the first races again, according to the Karlsruhe triangle race as well as races in Neuwied, Munich and on the Ruhestein. In 1947 he became the German champion on his royal wave NSU, which he drove before the war. In the following years he drove some insignificant races and was then forced to give up motorsport for health reasons.

From then on, Bodmer devoted himself to his family with Ms. Klara and the four children as well as the structure of his rapidly well -known motorcycle business, in which motorcycles of the brands NSU, BMW, Horex, Victoria, DKW, Vespa and the small cars of the brands are increasingly popular in the 1950s BMW, Gutbrod and Lloyd. Karl Bodmer died after a long suffering at the age of only 44.

Racing victory [ Edit | Edit the source text ]

Sources [ Edit | Edit the source text ]

• Hans-Jürgen Bodmer, Albstadt (son of Karl Bodmer)

literature [ Edit | Edit the source text ]

• Ernst Hornickel: These are our racing drivers . A look at the sporty path 24 German automotive and motorcycle racing drivers with their own experience reports. 2nd Edition. Karl and Alfred Walcker, Stuttgart 1941, S. 82–84 .
• Eugen K. Schwarz: Solitude 1903-1965 – The motorcycle races . Factor Publishing, Stutgart 1989, IsbN 3-925860-12-2-2-2-2-2-2-6.
• Steffen Ottinger: DKW Motorcycle Sport 1920-1939. From the first victories of the Zschopauer two-stroke in rail races to the European Championship successes . 1st edition. HB advertising and publisher, Chemnitz 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-028611-7, S. 62–63, 68, 72, 78–79, 83–98, 105–106, 113–1144 .

Weblinks [ Edit | Edit the source text ]