Christian Kautz
Christian Kautz (born November 23, 1913 in Brussels , Belgium ; † July 4, 1948 in Bremgarten near Bern , Switzerland ) was a Swiss automobile racing driver .
Career
Kautz was the son of a Swiss multimillionaire and began his career in the mid-1930s on a privately owned Maserati 4CM , with which he finished fourth in the Voiturette class at the Coupe de Prince Rainier in Monaco in 1936 . In 1936, together with the German Fritz Roth , he drove a BMW 328 in the sports car race for the Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France in Montlhéry .
For the 1937 season Kautz from was Mercedes-Benz - factory team under race director Alfred Neubauer committed as a junior rider. He started on W 125 in the grand prix championship and drove his best result finishing third behind his team-mate Manfred von Brauchitsch and Rudolf Caracciola at the Monaco Grand Prix a. In the overall standings, the Swiss also came third behind Caracciola and von Brauchitsch.
In the 1938 season , Kautz competed for Auto Union , but never crossed the finish line with the Zwickau Grand Prix cars , with a total of six entries. In 1939 he founded his own team and in July brought two works Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 to the start at the French Grand Prix in Reims . The French races were boycotted by the Italian plants as a result of the Spanish Civil War at that time and so Kautz and his team and Luigi Chinetti and the young French driver Yves Matra took over the representation of Alfa Romeo . He himself was designated as a reserve driver, but did not start. Chinetti achieved the best place with eighth place, Matra was out.
During the Second World War Christian Kautz worked in the United States as a test pilot for Lockheed . After the war he returned to Switzerland and in 1946 drove in the Autosport team, which he owned together with Toulo de Graffenried . From 1947 he drove a Maserati 4CL in the team of his compatriot Enrico Platé , with which he competed in the first post-war races in Europe . With this car he won the Grand Prix de Reims in 1946 .
Deadly accident
Christian Kautz had a fatal accident on July 4, 1948 at the Swiss Grand Prix , which was held on the fast Bremgarten Railway. On lap two of the race, he lost control of his Maserati on the inside of the second Eymatt right-hand bend at high speed and crashed into the embankment . Kautz was dead on the spot. The race was not stopped and saw Carlo Felice Trossi in the factory Alfa-Romeo-Tipo-158 as the winner.
The Grand Prix was overshadowed by a total of three fatal accidents this weekend. In addition to Kautz, the 43-year-old Achille Varzi with an Alfa Romeo Tipo 158 and the multiple European motorcycle champion and TT winner Omobono Tenni on a Moto Guzzi were killed in the same corner on July 1st . The curve was later renamed Tenni curve.
statistics
Pre-war Grand Prix results
| season | team | dare | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | Points | position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz W 125 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
19th | 3. |
| 4th | 6th | 3. | 6th | DNF | |||||
| 1938 | Auto Union AG |
Auto Union Type C / D / Auto Union Type D |
 |
|
|
|
28 | 14th | |
| DNF | DNS | DNF | DNF | ||||||
| 1939 | Private | Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 | |
|
|
|
- | ||
| DNS | |||||||||
| Legend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| colour | meaning | EM points | |
| gold | victory | 1 | |
| silver | 2nd place | 2 | |
| bronze | 3rd place | 3 | |
| green | Classified, covered more than 75% of the race distance | 4th | |
| blue | not entitled to points, covered between 50% and 75% of the race distance | 5 | |
| violet | not eligible for points, covered between 25% and 50% of the race distance | 6th | |
| red | not eligible for points, covered less than 25% of the race distance | 7th | |
| colour | abbreviation | meaning | EM points |
| black | DSQ | disqualified | 8th |
| White | DNS | did not start | |
| DNA | did not arrive | ||
| other | P / bold | Pole position | |
| SR / italic | Fastest race lap | ||
| DNF | Race not finished (did not finish) | ||
Web links
- Christian Kautz. www.motorsportmemorial.org, accessed December 8, 2013 .
- Leif Snellman, Felix Muelas: Christian Kautz (CH). www.kolumbus.fi, March 25, 2012, accessed December 8, 2013 .
- CHRISTIAN KAUTZ. www.statsf1.com, accessed December 8, 2013 .
- Christian Kautz in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leif Snellman, Felix Muelas: I COUPE DE PRINCE RAINIER. www.kolumbus.fi, August 27, 2011, accessed December 8, 2013 .
- ↑ Leif Snellman, Felix Muelas: AIACR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 1937. www.kolumbus.fi, April 27, 2013, accessed on December 8, 2013 (English).
- ↑ Leif Snellman, Felix Muelas: AIACR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 1937. www.kolumbus.fi, June 12, 2012, accessed on December 8, 2013 (English).
- ↑ Leif Snellman, Felix Muelas: XXV GRAND PRIX DE L'AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE FRANCE. www.kolumbus.fi, April 9, 2013, accessed December 8, 2013 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kautz, Christian |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss racing driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 23, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brussels , Belgium |
| DATE OF DEATH | 4th July 1948 |
| Place of death | Bremgarten near Bern , Switzerland |