August Auinger

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August "Gustl" Auinger (2016)

August "Gustl" Auinger (born May 3, 1955 in Lambach ) is a former Austrian motorcycle racer .

Between 1985 and 1986 he won a total of five world championship races in the 125 cc class. Currently (as of February 2017) he is in charge of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup .

His son Bernhard Auinger (* 1982) is a racing car driver .

Athletic career

First successes

In 1974 “Gustl” Auinger achieved third place when he first competed in a hill climb in Bad Mühllacken . Shortly before, he had sold his street-legal Yamaha and thus financed his first 125cc racing machine from Maico . He was supported right from the start by his four-year-old brother Ernst, who stood by his side as a mechanic. In circuit races he was technically inferior with his motorcycle, but in the shorter hill climbs he was able to fully demonstrate his driving technique. The nickname Geist, given by his competitors, is evidence of his disrespectful approach and driving style. In the same year Auinger repeated third place in the race on the Alpl . Then he achieved his first victory on the Dobratsch . For 1975 Auinger bought a more modern motorcycle from Maico, but was unable to match the successes of the previous year due to the breakdown of his new equipment and a serious training fall in which he suffered a broken ankle. After making modifications in the winter of 1975/76, Auinger was able to repeat his achievements in the following year and place in the top ten on circuits.

Grand Prix races

In 1977 Auinger switched to a Morbidelli machine , which he financed with the help of his family. This met the requirements for participating in Grand Prix races for the motorcycle world championship , but the new motorcycle had to be tuned and understood by its driver for over a year . Just as Auinger surprised with a top position in his first race outing, he was able to drive into the world class with fourth place at his first Grand Prix, the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps in 1978 . In the following years, Auinger was able to convince in rain races in particular, but did not improve fourth place. For the 1981 season , Harald Bartol took over the tuning of Auinger's motorcycle after he had ended his career. This was another step towards professionalization. At the same time he competed for Bartol in the higher 250 cc class. In 1982 the first podium place followed in a world championship run. Auinger came in second behind 13-time world champion Ángel Nieto from Spain in his home race at the Salzburgring in the 125 cm³ run . In the same year he was able to confirm the placement with third place at the Swedish Grand Prix in Anderstorp and second place at the Finland Grand Prix in Imatra . In the following two years, Auinger stabilized his achievements in the eight-liter class, but without creating that great success. Auinger achieved his first pole position in 1984 at the Dutch TT in Assen , in the race he finished second behind Nieto.

Highlights

August Auinger achieved his first Grand Prix victory in 1985 at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim . This was followed by two more triumphs at Silverstone in the UK and Anderstorp. Auinger was able to achieve all three wins in the rain. In the overall ranking of that year, Auinger finished third behind the Italians Fausto Gresini and Pier Paolo Bianchi . Auinger celebrated the greatest triumph of his career in 1986 . After he was able to repeat the 125cc victory at Silverstone, he prevailed in the stronghold of the then dominating Italians at the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano and defeated all Italian works teams. In his home race at the Salzburgring , he retired while in the lead. In the following year, 1987 , two-cylinder engines in the 125 cc class were allowed for the last time . This was also the last year for Auinger in this class, because due to his size and weight he would not have had a chance with the less powerful single-cylinder engines that were prescribed from 1988 onwards . He said goodbye with a few podium places, including in Misano, which he reached after only five weeks of rehabilitation after a serious fall at the Salzburgring. August Auinger let his career end in the 250 cc class until 1989 , in which, however, due to the higher financial demands as a private driver, he had no chance of repeating his earlier successes.

Gustl Auinger, on a Seeley-Triumph , built in 1969 (750 cm³, 80 PS), at the Oldtimer Grand Prix 2016 in Schwanenstadt

statistics

successes

In the motorcycle world championship

season class motorcycle run Victories Podiums Points Result
1978 125 cc Morbidelli 2 - - 14th 15th
1979 125 cc Morbidelli 6th - - 25th 14th
1980 125 cc MBA 2 - - 9 15th
1981 125 cc MBA 5 - - 14th 14th
1982 125 cc MBA 7th - 3 55 6th
1983 125 cc MBA 10 - 1 30th 10.
1984 125 cc Monnet-Bartol 8th - 2 41 5.
250 cc Bartol 1 - - - -
1985 125 cc Monnet-Bartol 8th 3 4th 78 3.
250 cc EBB 10 - - 3 27.
1986 125 cc Bartol 11 2 5 60 4th
1987 125 cc MBA 8th - 3 54 5.
1988 250 cc Aprilia 15th - - 31 16.
1989 250 cc Yamaha 14th - - 1 41.
total 107 5 18th 415

References

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Auinger, August
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Auinger, Gustl (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian Grand Prix motorcyclist
DATE OF BIRTH May 3, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Lambach