Arthur Geiss

Arthur Geiss (born April 12, 1903 in Hockenheim ; † February 5, 1982 ) was a German motorcycle racer .

He is considered to be one of the best German motorcycle racers before the Second World War . a. celebrating winning the European motorcycle championship and six German championship titles .

The “Pforzheimer Jockey”, as he was called because of his low body weight and his distinctive posture on the motorcycle, triggered a real motorsport euphoria in his hometown with his great successes, which led to the construction of the Hockenheimring .

Career

Arthur Geiss became a mechanic because his father ran a repair shop and driving school in Hockenheim. His brother Wilhelm was also active in this field, but had specialized in motorcycles in his Pforzheim workshop.

Geiss gained his first racing experience at smaller events around Pforzheim, where he drove machines from various makes, including NSU , AJS and Garelli . His first victory was in 1923 at the Karlsruhe Wildpark race on a 175- cc - DKW .

In 1925 he finally moved to the Zschopauer DKW works, which accepted him in 1927 as a works driver. In 1935 Arthur Geiss moved to the nearby "racing driver village " Adelsberg near Chemnitz , where his colleagues and friends Walfried Winkler and Ewald Kluge also lived.

In the years that followed, Arthur Geiss regularly competed in motorcycle Grand Prix races throughout Europe and in many events in Germany, achieving an incomparable series of victories. In 1928 Geiss won the German championship in the 175 cm³ class. In 1930, 1931, 1933 and 1935 four titles followed in the 250 cc class.

In 1935 he was also victorious at the FICM Grand Prix , which was held that year as part of the Ulster Grand Prix at the Clady Circuit in Northern Ireland , and thus secured the 250 European title . Shortly after the start, he took the lead, lost it on the third lap and fought back a few laps later with two record laps. After a refueling stop and a spark plug change , Geiss was back in second place. After the leading Englishman Bob Foster also had to refuel on the New Imperial , the German took the lead again and finally crossed the finish line with a 25-second lead over Foster. Arthur Geiss became the first non- British rider to win the Ulster Grand Prix, which has been held since 1922, with a non-British machine.

In addition, Arthur Geiss set a world speed record in the 250 cc class in Hungary in 1933 with 161.46 km / h. In 1935, together with his long-time DKW stable companions Ewald Kluge and Walfried Winkler, he won the silver vase at the 17th International Six-Day Tour in Oberstdorf in the Allgäu .

Geiss' career, in which he contested more than 150 races and won eleven Grand Prix, came to an abrupt end in autumn 1936. After an accident while driving to an award ceremony, which resulted in a 15-month hospital stay, his left arm was no longer fully usable. Arthur Geiss was employed as a supervisor for the young drivers in the following years.

At the end of the war, Geiss left Adelsberg and moved first to Brake and later to Zaisersweiher , where he opened a repair shop for DKW motorcycles.

literature

• Steffen Ottinger: DKW motorcycle sport 1920–1939 . From the first victories of the Zschopau two-stroke model at track races to the European championship successes. 1st edition. HB-Werbung und Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Chemnitz 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-028611-7 , p. 22-91, 104, 113-123 .
• Steffen Ottinger: Around Zschopau. The story of an off-road motorcycle ride . tape 1 . Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft Marienberg, Marienberg 2004, ISBN 3-931770-49-4 , p. 7th ff .
• Steffen Ottinger: Around Zschopau. The story of an off-road motorcycle ride . tape 2 . HB-Werbung und Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Chemnitz 2011, ISBN 978-3-00-036705-2 , p. 12 ff .
• Steffen Ottinger: International Six Day Trip 2012. The story since 1913 . HB-Werbung und Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Chemnitz 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-039566-6 , p. 25-28 .

Web links

• official website about Arthur Geiss
• Arthur Geiss on the Isle of Man TT official website.