Hans Klenk (racing driver)

**Hans Klenk (racing driver)**
Nation:	Germany
Automobile world championship
First start:	1952 German Grand Prix
Last start:	1952 German Grand Prix
Constructors
	1952 private
statistics
World Cup balance:	no World Cup placement
World Cup points :	-
Podiums :	-
Leadership laps :	-

Hans Klenk (born October 28, 1919 in Künzelsau ; † March 24, 2009 in Vellberg ) was a German rally and automobile racing driver , co-driver, Guinness Book world record holder and inventor of the so-called rally “prayer book”.

Career

Since Klenk began gliding at the age of eleven, he got an entry in the Guinness Book of Records in 2000 .

He also counts as the inventor of the so-called “prayer book”: a route book with records of the special features of a racetrack, from which the co-driver gives the driver the relevant information about the condition of the route during a rally .

Because of a serious accident during a test drive in August 1953, Klenk had to end his racing career.

race car

Veritas with interchangeable bodies (monoposto for winding roads and streamlines)
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL

Selected races

1951 first race on the Nürburgring , started from last place fourth. Mercedes became aware of the newcomer.
1952 as a co-driver of Karl Kling second place in the Mille Miglia in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
1952 24-hour race at Le Mans , failure due to a defective alternator
1952 as co-driver together with Karl Kling winner of the Carrera Panamericana , in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL - despite a spectacular collision with a vulture that hit the windshield and injured Klenk
1953 Victory in the AVUS race at Borgward

statistics

Statistics in the automobile world championship

general overview

season	team	chassis	engine	run	Victories	Second	Third	Poles	nice Race laps	Points	WM-Pos.
1952	Hans Klenk	Veritas Meteor	Veritas 2.0 L6	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	NC
total				1	-	-	-	-	-	-

Single results

season	6th	7th
1952
1952	11
1953
1953		DNA

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
violet	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
red	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
White	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
Light Blue	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	^P / bold	Pole position
	_SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

Le Mans results

year	team	vehicle	Teammate	placement	Failure reason
1952	Germany Daimler-Benz AG	Mercedes-Benz 300 SL	Germany Karl Kling	failure	Electrics

Individual results in the sports car world championship

season	team	race car	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th
1953	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM	United States SEB	Italy MIM	France LEM	Belgium SPA	Germany ONLY	United Kingdom RTT	Mexico CAP
1953	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM		DNF

literature

Markus Bolsinger, Jürgen Lewandowski, Harry Niemann: 50 years of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. The legendary gullwing. Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2004, ISBN 3-7688-1512-9 .
Karl Kling, Günther Molter: The Hunt for Victory. A racing driver tells. Blüchert, Stuttgart 1954.

Web links

Commons : Hans Klenk - album with pictures, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Klenk, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German automobile racing driver
DATE OF BIRTH	October 28, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH	Künzelsau
DATE OF DEATH	March 24, 2009
Place of death	Vellberg