Günter Bartusch

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Günter Bartusch (born April 18, 1943 in Freiberg ; † July 9, 1971 in Hohenstein-Ernstthal ) was a German motorcycle racer .

During his active time he was one of the most popular racing drivers in the GDR .

Career

Günter Bartusch made his debut at the Grand Prix of the GDR in 1968 in the 125 cm³ class of the motorcycle world championship . He drove an MZ factory machine in his home race at the Sachsenring and immediately took third place behind the Yamaha factory riders Phil Read and Bill Ivy from Great Britain . Just a week later, at the Czechoslovak Grand Prix in Brno , he was able to repeat this success. The eight World Cup points brought in brought him ninth place in the overall World Championship standings. In the national 125 cm³ championship of the GDR Bartusch won the title that year.

In the following season Günter Bartusch took part in four world championship races. His most successful racing weekend was the Finland Grand Prix in Imatra . In the 125 cc class, he finished second behind the British Kawasaki pilot Dave Simmonds , who was the overwhelming world champion that year. In the 250cc class, Günter Bartusch was also second behind the Swede Kent Andersson . In the 250 cm³ GDR championship he was runner- up behind Heinz Rosner .

In the 1970 season , Bartusch started in three different classes in Grand Prix races. The biggest success of the year was the second place behind Giacomo Agostini in the 350 cm³ race for the Ulster Grand Prix in Northern Ireland . In the 125 cc class of the World Cup, the Saxon competed permanently with the newly developed, technically problematic MZ RZ 125 , and with third place in the Isle of Man TT only achieved a podium place, which prompted the MZ not to continue with the motorcycle to compete.

In 1971 MZ concentrated on the larger classes. The Saxon manufacturer started the season with a double victory in the 250cc race for the Austrian Grand Prix on the Salzburgring , in which Günter Bartusch took second place behind his Italian team-mate Silvio Grassetti . At the following German Grand Prix , which took place at the Hockenheimring , the Freiberger injured his wrist in a fall. He also suffered injuries at the Dutch TT in Assen .

On Friday, July 9, 1971, Günter Bartusch had a fatal accident on his first lap training in the 350 cm³ class for the GDR Grand Prix at the Sachsenring in Hohenstein-Ernstthal . The cause of the accident is still unclear. Although some motorcycle magazines reported that the engine of his machine had got stuck , MZ denied this report and cited a driving error as the cause of the fall. Bartusch was thought of with a minute's silence before the race. ADMV President Egbert von Frankenberg and Proschlitz put a bouquet of flowers on the fourth starting place, which remained free in his honor .

statistics

title

In the motorcycle world championship

season class Result machine Victories
1968 125 cc 9. MZ 0
1969 125 cc 16. MZ 0
250 cc 11. MZ 0
1970 125 cc 9. MZ 0
250 cc 15th MZ 0
350 cc 8th. MZ 0
1971 250 cc 15th MZ 0
350 cc 48. MZ 0

References

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d motorcycle sport - GDR - championships (road racing). sport-komplett.de, accessed on June 16, 2009 .
  2. ^ Karl-Heinz Bendix: Motorcycle Museum Augustusburg MZ-Racer. classic-motorrad.de, accessed on June 16, 2009 .
personal data
SURNAME Bartusch, Günter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German motorcycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Freiberg
DATE OF DEATH July 9, 1971
Place of death Hohenstein-Ernstthal