Heinz Melkus

Heinz Melkus
to person
nation	GDR
birthday	April 20, 1928
place of birth	Dresden
date of death	September 5, 2005
Place of death	Dresden
job	Master mechanic
Teams
1951-1954	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz
1955-1957	BSG Post Dresden
1958-1980	MC Post Dresden
Career
most important successes
1954	Best private driver in the GDR
1958	DDR champion formula 3 up to 500 cm³
1960	DDR Champion Formula Junior up to 1000 cm³
1963	Winner Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries
1965	Winner Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries
1966	Winner Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries
1967, 1968	DDR champion Formula 3 up to 1300 cm³
1967	Winner Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries
1972	GDR champion Formula C9
1972	Winner Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries
signature

Karl Heinz Melkus (born April 20, 1928 in Dresden ; † September 5, 2005 there ) was a German automobile racing driver and designer of racing cars .

Melkus contested its first competitions in 1951 with racing cars based on VW and Veritas . Later he constructed his monopostos himself. This includes in particular the Melkus 64 , which dominated the racing scene in the GDR for almost a decade . In the 1970s, Melkus was a co-designer of the Spider racing cars PT 73 and SRG MT 77 . According to his own information, he took part in 289 races and achieved 80 victories. From 1958 to 1972 Melkus was GDR champion five times.

After the fall of the wall , he was months before German reunification first BMW - dealers in the GDR.

Life

Childhood, youth and family

Heinz Melkus was born in Dresden on April 20, 1928, the son of Karl and Erna Melkus, née Flutschka. The family, who came from the Sudetenland , lived in an apartment building on Ackermannstrasse not far from Dresden Central Station . Melkus received Austrian citizenship from his father, who was the director of the Dresden beer agency , which he had converted into German in 1955. Heinz Melkus started school in 1934. In the years 1936/1937 he attended elementary school at Neudorfer Konkordienstraße and in 1938 the secondary school of the Epiphany School . During his school days he collected racing driver pictures like that of his role model Bernd Rosemeyer . In the National Socialist German Young People , Melkus made it to the position of young train driver. In 1942 he switched to the Hitler Youth . In the flyer HJ he received on Triebenberg at Schonfeld a gliding training . He also gave lectures on the construction and maintenance of sailplanes and completed several repair courses. From 1943 Melkus served as a flak helper at Flak Battery 207 in Rochwitz . After graduating from secondary school in 1944, he applied as a reserve officer candidate for Jagdgeschwader 1 . By the beginning of 1945, Melkus acquired the international pilot's license for sailplane pilots and completed his training as a workshop and training manager for sailplane construction. The family survived the air raids on Dresden that followed in February 1945 physically unscathed, even though an aerial bomb destroyed Melkus' apartment. The family then came to live with their grandparents in Bühlau . In the last days of the war Melkus fled to the Ore Mountains with his mother .

After the end of the Second World War , Melkus rescued a truck from his father's fleet, repaired it and, after a brief examination, obtained a driver's license at the age of 17. With the truck he worked as a transport driver for food and fuel. He later worked as a driver for the Autotransportgemeinschaft (ATG) and then for the Wernesgrüner Brewery , which had meanwhile taken over his father's beer distribution. In addition to his job, Melkus trained as a traffic clerk at the adult education center and in his free time he built motor vehicles from various vehicle wrecks. In 1950 Melkus rose to the position of fleet manager and travel agent at the Wernesgrüner brewery and was responsible for setting up the new brewery branches in Leipzig and Berlin .

Heinz Melkus was married to the teacher Johanna (Hanni) Lemke since 1949. The marriage resulted in two sons. Ulli Melkus , born in 1950, became a racing driver like his father. He died in a traffic accident in 1990. Born in 1954, Peter Melkus , who also started racing as a driver in his youth, became the team boss of a touring car team. The grandsons Ronny (* 1974) and Sepp Melkus (* 1983), like their fathers, grew up with racing and have been active as drivers since their youth.

Career

1951 to 1954: Formula 2 and sports cars

Before Melkus found his way into professional motorsport, he had been driving an IFA RT 125 since the late 1940s , and later an AWO at various motorcycle club events . In 1950 he switched to passenger cars. The first performance test drives, the name for road races at the time, he drove in a Wehrmacht Kübelwagen that he had converted with the body of a Steyr 50 on top . In the same year he exchanged this car with Rudolf Krause for a BMW 321 , with which he contested further performance test drives until 1952. In the meantime, Melkus had joined the motor racing section in the company sports association Motor Niedersedlitz , of which he became chairman in 1953.

Melkus made his decision to seriously dedicate himself to motorsport when he was delivering supplies for the beverage stand of his brewery during a race on the Autobahn spider in Dresden-Hellerau in mid-June 1951 and was unable to leave the venue due to the dense crowd inevitably had to watch the competition. Disappointed by the low speeds of the vehicles, Melkus decided to design his own racing car, which he registered for the next race at the Sachsenring . It was a modified VW floating car that met the criteria of class G for vehicles up to 1100 cm³. The top speed of the two-seater roadster was around 140 km / h. After technical difficulties in training, Melkus qualified for last place on the grid and dropped out in the race. Other sources, however, name 13th place.

Heinz Melkus with his Veritas at the 6th Leipzig City Park Race in May 1954. This Veritas can be seen in the DEFA film Rivalen at the wheel from 1956, in which Melkus played a supporting role as a racing driver.

For the 1952 season sold his Volkswagen Melkus and acquired by Theo Fitzau its Veritas with Alfa-Romeo -Motor, the previously Arthur Rose Hammer had heard. The Veritas complied both with the regulations of class E for racing cars up to 2000 cm³ and with those of Formula 2 . In class E, Melkus immediately reached the GDR runner-up and in Formula 2 up to 2000 cc the sixth place in the championship standings. Paul Greifzu described Melkus as one of the best young drivers this year and praised his calm and balanced driving style.

In 1953, Melkus competed in Formula 2 with the same car and came in sixth in the championship standings - in the meantime he had been tasked with managing the Dresden brewery branch. During the IX. At the international Avus race on July 12, 1953, Melkus dropped out prematurely due to a connecting rod tearing off, causing irreparable damage to the Alfa Romeo engine in his car. As a replacement, he installed an 80 hp French aircraft engine - a two-cylinder boxer engine - which helped him to three victories in a row in the 1954 season and to second place in the GDR best determination in the F class up to 1500 cm³. There was no GDR championship title this year because too few GDR drivers competed in almost all races. At the same time, Melkus won the title of "Best Private Driver in the GDR" this year as well as sixth place tied with Paul Thiel in the championship standings for racing cars up to 2000 cc in Formula 2. At the fourth and final race of the season on September 26th on the Bernauer Loop Melkus failed. At the international Avus race, Melkus came twelfth. However, the high repair costs on his Veritas self-construction forced Melkus to part with this car after the season. In addition to the sports car races, Melkus competed in a number of races on a racing motorboat from 1954 to 1958 .

1955 to 1958: Formula 3

The villa at Leipziger Straße 27 served as a driving school and later also as a car dealership until the new building in Bühlau.

In 1955 Melkus moved to the company sports club Post Dresden , where he completed a Formula 3 monoposto that was under construction . The car with the designation Eigenbau Post , powered by a JAP speedway motor, marked the beginning of the designer Heinz Melkus. He started in the class up to 500 cm³. The Cooper replica was considered the second fastest in its class, but was unreliable, so that Melkus only came fourth in the GDR championship this season. In addition to Formula 3 , this year Melkus contested the 850 km two-loop drive of the Wartburg Rally with a BMW 321 . Also in 1955, Melkus passed the driving instructor test and became the youngest driving instructor in the GDR. As such, he founded his own driving school in the same year, from 1960 onwards in the legal form of a limited partnership with the state as a limited partner, which he operated until 1992 after reunification .

In the 1956 championship, Melkus again competed with the self-made Post , but the car continued to prove to be prone to failure. The highlight of the season was his victory in the non-championship race on the Bautzener Autobahnring . Although the car gave him good results, Melkus thought of giving up at times. In his opinion, the costs for the races and spare parts, which he had to finance himself for the most part, were too high. Since the sale of the car failed after the season, Melkus also drove the self-made post in 1957 and achieved third place in the GDR championship standings. At the end of 1957 the car was dismantled into its individual parts, which were then used to build a new Formula 3 racing car, the Melkus Formula III . In 1957 Melkus helped found the General German Motorsport Association (ADMV). During this time, independent motorsport clubs (MC) developed from many motor racing sections that belonged to company sports associations (BSG), including the MC Post Dresden from the motor racing section of the BSG Post Dresden.

For 1958 Melkus designed the Melkus Formula III , a new Formula 3 car up to 500 cm³, also with a JAP engine. At the end of the season, in which Melkus could not win a championship run, he was tied with Willy Lehmann on his Scampalo, but was declared GDR champion due to his better overall placements in the runs. In the meantime, the ADMV had decided, in accordance with the requirements of the FIA , to let the previous Formula 3 expire at the end of the year and instead introduce Formula Junior in 1959 .

1959 to 1963: Formula Junior

A 1959 "flat bell" at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in 1978

Melkus bent over his “tin car” # 81 in April 1961 while preparing for the race on the Halle-Saale loop

Start of the Formula Junior race in 1963 at the Sachsenring.

In accordance with the technical regulations of the new Formula Junior, Melkus converted his previous year's car and sold the previous engine. With his team of eight, he developed an almost new car with a 60 hp Wartburg engine. The car called Melkus “ flat bell ”, based on the outer shape of an iron, was finished on April 25, 1959 and presented to the public on the occasion of the May Day celebrations in Dresden. Since there was no GDR championship in this class this year, Melkus only competed in five racing events in the GDR and three in West Germany. The greatest successes this year were his two victories on the Dresden Autobahn spider and on the Sachsenring. At the end of the season, Melkus sold the racing car.

In 1960, Melkus outsourced racing car construction, which was integrated into his driving school company, under the name Rennwagenbau-Kollektiv Dresden. In the same year, after a one-year break, a championship in formula racing was held again in the GDR. In addition, the first Formula Junior races should also take place within the Comecon countries . For the racing season, Melkus' team produced three Formula Junior cars in small series , one each for Melkus and one for the drivers Siegmar Bunk and Frieder Rädlein . Externally, the car hardly differed from the 1959 "flat bell". But the car was a significant aerodynamic advancement. He was nicknamed "Duck Ass" by Rädlein and proved to be internationally competitive over the course of the season. Melkus won with him at the opening race in Halle and came second in Bautzen . Another victory and a triple success of his formula car followed at the Sachsenring, where he had a wheel-to-wheel duel with Kurt Ahrens senior. delivered. With a fourth place in Dresden, which was also followed by a third place on the Staakener Kleeblatt , Melkus won the first GDR championship of Formula Junior. In 1960 he began to sell his vehicles, even more cautiously. He followed the principle of selling his racing cars after the season in order to finance the new cars for the coming season.

For the 1961 season, the Melkus Ketten-Wartburg (nicknamed "Tin Car"; chain between the gearbox and rear axle) was given shortened body parts and an upward-pointing exhaust system. With the races in Lückendorf near Zittau , a hill climb was part of the championship for the first time . Participation in races in West Germany, however, was no longer possible for Melkus after the construction of the Berlin Wall in August 1961. The "tin car" helped Melkus to make the GDR runner-up behind Willy Lehmann with 22 points. This season also saw the first race in Leningrad . Melkus experienced the worst accident of his racing career while racing from downtown Belgrade up to Castle Hill, when a shock absorber broke off while crossing a tram track and the car overturned. Melkus suffered several broken ribs.

The series production of the 1962 model comprised five vehicles which, in contrast to the previous year's model, had a hood that tapered towards the rear. In terms of engine technology, Melkus' team of ten had reached the limits of what was possible. To prevent the engine from overheating, some of the races were driven without a cover. With his car, Melkus again won the GDR runner-up behind Lehmann on a SEG-Wartburg (SEG = Socialist Development Community for Racing). In addition to the races in the GDR, Melkus competed in Yugoslavia , Poland , Bulgaria , Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1962 . On the Leningrad Neva Ring , the four Melkus cars used were vastly superior to their competitors. Melkus was the overall winner ahead of his stable mate Hans-Theo Tegeler . After the season he sold the vehicles to the Soviet office for racing car construction in order to be able to finance next year's car. In addition, Melkus received the title of Master of Sports this year .

Melkus designed a completely new car for the 1963 racing season. Series production comprised ten vehicles. The Melkus 63 was considerably narrower and flatter compared to the previous year's model; also lighter and more stable. The Wartburg engine made around 90 hp in the middle of the season, but was initially not very stable. Although the Melkus racing cars took eight first, second and twelve third places in the last season of the expiring Formula Junior championship, Melkus only managed to finish seventh in the GDR championship. In an international comparison, the Melkus 63 had no chance against the western competition of Lotus and Lola . In the Eastern Bloc countries, however, Melkus took first place in the individual ranking for the Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries . After the racing season, Melkus sold his own cars back to the Soviet Union.

1964 to 1971: Formula 3

Heinz Melkus with his “cigar” on the Halle-Saale loop on April 19, 1964

With the 1964 season, Formula 3 replaced the previous Formula Junior according to the FIA ​​regulations. For this purpose Melkus constructed a new formula car, which was named Melkus 64 and nicknamed "Cigar". According to the regulations, the weight of the vehicle increased, with the frame weighing 40 kg. In addition to numerous technical adjustments, Melkus focused on improving the aerodynamics when developing the car. The Wartburg engine initially developed 72 hp, and finally up to 95 hp. With later Lada engines, even up to 100 hp were possible. The Melkus 64 subsequently developed into a popular racing car and was exhibited on the IFA stand at the Brussels Motor Show . The Soviet Union alone received ten of the twenty cars built that year. The Melkus 64 was superior to all other cars from the start. In the course of the 1964 season there were sometimes bitter battles between Melkus and Willy Lehmann in a SEG racing car, at the end of which Max Byczkowski was GDR champion and Melkus runner-up. His Melkus 64 took the first four places in the individual ranking. At the international races this year, Melkus 64 vehicles took four first, five second and further front places. This also includes Melkus' second place in Krakow, Poland . As with last year's car, the Melkus had 64 different experiments with the bonnet. The opening of the characteristic air scoop was designed differently.

For the 1965 season, the bonnet was temporarily removed from the racing car. There were also changes to the vehicle axles. In the national championship, Melkus achieved third place in the championship standings behind Christian Pfeiffer and Willy Lehmann (both SEG-II-Wartburg) and first place in the individual standings for the Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries.

On the Melkus 64 of the 1966 series, the abdominal panel used was not used due to overheating problems. Melkus started in the GDR championship with two opening wins on the Halle-Saale loop and on the Bautzen motorway ring . In the end he finished fourth in the overall standings with 18 points. The Melkus 64 of the 1967 series with a total of ten vehicles was delivered to the Soviet Union as a unit. In this year's GDR championship, Melkus won the championship with three wins and further good placements with 46 points ahead of Rädlein and Peter Findeisen . A Melkus 64 thus took the first three places in the ranking. The superiority of the car continued in 1968. Although the ten vehicles of the Melkus 64 series were delivered back to the Soviet Union in 1968, Melkus won his fourth GDR championship. In the same year Melkus was awarded the title of motor vehicle master. From 1969 to 1971 another runner-up in Formula 3 followed for him. After approval of an application to build a sports car built entirely in the GDR in November 1968, the Melkus RS 1000 , one on the Wartburg, was planned under the direction of Heinz Melkus 353 based, street-legal mid-engine sports coupés. 101 copies were built from 1969 to 1980.

Formula racing in the GDR was once again confronted with a resolution by the FIA, according to which the displacement of Formula 3 should be increased to 1,600 cc from the 1971 season. According to the FIA ​​requirements, the engine could be of any type, but had to produce a minimum of 5000 units within twelve months. The decision put formula racing in the GDR on an international level, as no corresponding engine could be found in the entire Comecon area . Therefore, the ADMV worked together with Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Soviet Union to develop the concept for a new formula class, the Formula C9 . Only the manufacturers WAS (Shiguli, Lada), FSO ( Polski Fiat ) and VEB AWE (Wartburg) could show the annual minimum number of 5000 engines . The 1971 season was the last in Formula 3 for Melkus.

1972 to 1973: Formula C9

In the new formula class, which had been regulated to 60 hp, the end of the "classic" Melkus cigar was on the horizon. For Heinz and Ulli Melkus , who was meanwhile in no way inferior to his father, adjusting the engines was no problem. Heinz Melkus won - tied with his son - his fifth GDR championship, which also came in third in the GDR championship 1973 followed. Then the senior, who had meanwhile become a member of the Central Commission for Motor Sports in the ADMV, announced his departure from the formula class. In that year, the last Melkus 64 of the 1973 series left his workshop, all of which went into the hands of drivers of performance class I. In 1973, Formula C9 also switched from two-stroke to four-stroke engines, preferably from Lada. In that year, Ulli Melkus and his father developed the first ideas for a successor to the RS 1000 . The Melkus PT 73 Spyder was created under the working title RS 1000/2 and RS 2000 , the first test drives of which took place in the spring of 1973 at Dresden-Klotzsche Airport . The Wartburg rally engine developed 110 hp. This enabled the car to reach a top speed of almost 200 km / h. However, it was only a single piece that was built.

1974 to 1989: other races

The Melkus RS 1000 was considered to be the highlight of Heinz Melkus' career as a designer.

Heinz Melkus won the last race of his career on an SRG MT 77 .

From 1974 to 1980 Melkus competed in sports car races on one of his Melkus RS 1000s . This gullwing-door sports car, the conception of which had already begun in 1966, represents the culmination of his design work. The car has now enjoyed cult status among car enthusiasts.

In addition to the races, Heinz Melkus continued to work in his driving school and was co-designer of the SRG MT 77 racing car for his son Ulli. With the SRG MT 77 , Melkus drove two races in 1977 for pure test drives in Formula B8 , which had replaced Formula C9 in 1976 and was regarded as the forerunner of Formula Easter . The SRG MT 77 should develop into the standard racing car of the GDR in the following years. At the same time, this car represented the renewed commissioning of the Melkus racing car construction. In 1980, Melkus drove his last race in Brno and won. At the end of the 1980s, after almost a decade of standstill, the concept of the SRG MT 77 had also reached the end of its possibilities. In order to develop a successor, the state assured Melkus  KG, in addition to financial aid of 100,000 marks (of which only 20% was received), the support of the Ludwigsfelde truck plant . The successor, the ML 89 (ML = Melkus / Lada), was developed as part of the Heinz Melkus driving school by various experts and state institutions and served as a prototype for the new generation of racing cars in the Easter Formula. Ulli Melkus took on a leading role here. In the spring of 1989 the prototype of the ML 89 was completed, which turned out to be an unusable faulty design.

1990 to 1992: businessman

At the end of 1989 Melkus released the state's share in his driving school business for 84,000 DM, after which he became a private entrepreneur again. In 1990 the driving school still had 41 driving instructors, most of whom quit in the following period in order to become self-employed. In the course of 1991 the driving school operation was given up and sold to another operator in 1992.

At that time, Melkus' workshop area had already been converted into a car dealership with a car workshop in December 1989 and initial contacts with BMW had been established. The motorsport activities of the Melkus company were known there. So it came about that in February 1990 Heinz Melkus received the business license for a BMW service with vehicle trade and rental car rental. Even before the monetary, economic and social union Melkus opened in May 1990 as co-managing director (managing partner was his son Peter Melkus) and authorized dealers the first BMW dealership in the GDR. The 15 show cars provided by BMW especially for this purpose were sold on the opening day. This was followed by another 35 vehicles from a West Berlin dealership, who had the vehicles transferred to Dresden for sale. Heinz Melkus soon resigned as managing director in order to concentrate fully on sales. In 1991 the dealership delivered 300 new and 150 used cars. In September 1992 there were 56 employees. From 1990 to 1994, the car dealership was located in Villa Leipziger Strasse 27 in the Leipziger Vorstadt district . In 1994, the company had a new car dealership built in Bühlau for DM 7.5 million , which was also connected to a used car dealership. Since June 2004, the dealership also official dealer of Lotus Cars Ltd . In 2006 the car dealership was transferred to a new partner under the name Melkus.

Last years of life and death

Grave of Heinz Melkus in the Bühlau cemetery

In the summer of 2005 the health of Heinz Melkus, who had been suffering from heart disease for a long time, deteriorated. He died on the morning of September 5, 2005 at the age of 77. The burial took place in the cemetery in Bühlau with great sympathy . In his honor, the Melkus Sportwagen KG , which has existed since 1990, produced 15 RS 1000 in a limited edition "Heinz Melkus" with the participation of Peter and Sepp Melkus . Their first car was delivered in November 2006 for 55,000 euros. The series was sold out within a few months.

Self-made

			Self-made post	Melkus Formula III	Ketten-Wartburg 1959	Ketten-Wartburg 1960	Ketten-Wartburg 1961	Ketten-Wartburg 1962	Melkus 63	Melkus 64
										Wartburg	Lada
Working time			1955-1957	1958-1959	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964-1975
number			1	1	1	3	6th	8th	8th	80
engine			Single cylinder - four stroke engine, JAP		Three - cylinder two-stroke engine, Wartburg 311 from 1974: four-cylinder four-stroke engine, Lada 1300
Displacement (in cm³)			498		980		962-1050			980-1118	1294
transmission			4-speed gearbox, JAP		4-speed gearbox, Wartburg 311; from 1967: 5-speed gearbox, Wartburg 311
vehicle frame	frame		U-profile pressed steel		triangular braced tubular steel frame				welded pipe bundle
	Wheelbase (in mm)		2000		2150				2300
	Track (in mm)	front	1110		1280				1300
		back	1080		1280				1350
suspension		front	Transverse leaf springs	Wishbone / transverse spring	Independent suspension , upper / lower wishbones, inclined motorcycle struts, anti-roll bar			Independent suspension, upper / lower wishbones, inclined motorcycle struts, anti-roll bar	Wishbones up / down, sloping struts	Leaf springs at the bottom, wishbones made of cast electron
		back	Swing axle	Transverse leaf spring	Independent suspension with double wishbones, sloping motorcycle struts			Oscillating axle, trailing arm at the bottom, inclined motorcycle struts	Pendulum axle, wishbones above / below, inclined struts	internal, wishbones, two trailing arms with anti-roll bar
Brakes			drum brake
Power (in hp)			45-47		55-68	68	70	73-80	85-90	60-95	85-100
Speed (in km / h)			approx. 175		about 170		approx. 220		approx. 215	170-240
Empty weight (in kg)			?		400			360	400

statistics

Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries

The races in the Formula Junior class were listed as "International Races" in 1961 and 1962. The championship for the Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries was only created in 1963 and held until 1990.

season	Racing class	team	race car	1	2	3	4th	5	Points	rank
1963	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Chains-Wartburg 63	GLE	BRN	MIN			?	1.
				1	1	2
1964	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	SAC	BRN	PÉC	KRA		?	?.
				9	5	DNF	2
1965	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	WAS	SAC	BRN	BUD		54	1.
				1	2	1	1
1966	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	BUD	WAS	LEN	SZD	PRE	?	1.
				2	?	1	3	3
1967	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	GYÖ	KRA	BRN	DD		?	1.
				1	3	4th	1
1968	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	STE	ŠTR	RIG	DD		?	?.
				?	2	1	-
1969	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	HAV	MIN	STE	DD		42	2.
				5	5	3	1
1970	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	HAV	MIN	STE	SZD		28	4th
				5	3	DNF	4th
1971	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	MIN	STE	SZD			?	3.
				2	?	DNS
1972	Formula C9	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	MOS	MIN	SZD			70	1.
				1	7th	5
1973	Formula C9	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	MOS	MIN	SZD	GOAL	SAC	?	4th
				4th	3	3	5	3

GDR championship

season	Racing class	team	race car	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	Points	rank
1951	Sports car	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	HSS	LPZ	DD	SAC			-	-
				-	-	-	DNF
1952	Formula 2	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	ROS	LPZ	HSS	SAC			2	6th
				DNA	-	8th	-
	Sports car	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	ROS	LPZ	HSS	SAC			?	2.
				DNF	4th	-	6th
1953	Formula 2	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	KMS	OF	HSS	DD	SAC		3	6th
				3	6th	-	DNF	?
1954	Formula 2	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	DD	HSS	SAC	BRN			?	?.
				-	-	-	-
	Sports car	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	LPZ	HSS	SAC	BRN			6th	2.
				3	5	6th	DNF
1955	Formula 3	BSG Post Dresden	Post- JAP	OF	LPZ	HSS	SAC			4th	4th
				2	DNF	4th	DNF
1956	Formula 3	BSG Post Dresden	Post-JAP	LPZ	HSS	WIS	OF			0.5	3.
				DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF
1957	Formula 3	BSG Post Dresden	Post-JAP	HSS	LPZ	SAC	DD			4th	3.
				DNF	DNF	5	DNF
1958	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Post-JAP	HSS	LPZ	WIS	BZ	SAC	DD	16	1.
				5	DNF	3	2	8th	DNF
1959	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1959	HSS	BRN	DD	SAC	BZ		-	-
				6th	DNF	1	1	2
1960	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1960	HSS	BRN	BZ	SAC	DD	STA	22nd	1.
				1	DNF	2	1	4th	3
1961	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1961	HSS	BRN	SDR	BZ	SAC	DD	22nd	2.
				3	1	3	4th	2	4th
1962	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1962	BRN	HSS	SDR	BZ	SAC	DD	20th	2.
				5	4th	3	3	6th	3
1963	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 63	HSS	BRN	BZ	SDR	SAC	DD	6th	7th
				DNF	DNF	4th	11	6th	3
1964	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	HSS	BRN	SDR	BZ	SAC	DD	26th	2.
				3	2	DNF	1	9	DNF
1965	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	HSS	BZ	SAC	SDR	DD	BRN	18th	3.
				DNF	DNS	4th	5	4th	DNF
1966	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	HSS	BZ	SAC	LÜC	SDR	DD	18th	4th
				DNF	1	16	2	3	DNF
1967	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	HSS	BRN	BZ	LÜC	SDR	DD	46	1.
				3	5	1	1	10	1
1968	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	BRN	BZ	LÜC	SDR			28	1.
				3	2	1	2
1969	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	BRN	BZ	SDR	DD			18th	3.
				2	DNF	1	DNF
1970	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	BRN	BZ	LÜC	SDR	DD		13	4th
				3	DNS	2	6th	DNF
1971	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	BRN	BZ	SDR	DD	FRO		30th	2.
				1	1	9	5	2
1972	Formula C9	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	BRN	BZ	LÜC	SDR	FRO		22nd	1.
				1	-	5	2	2
1973	Formula C9	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	BRN	BZ	SAC	SDR	FRO		??	3.
				4th	-	3	3	3
1975	Sports car	MC Post Dresden	Melkus RS 1000	SZD	SZD					?	2.
				4th	3
1976	Sports car	MC Post Dresden	Melkus RS 1000	ANA	SZD	INS				30th	3.
				4th	4th	2
1977	Formula B8	MC Post Dresden	SEG MT 77	SZD						?	?.
				4th
1978	Sports car	MC Post Dresden	Melkus RS 1000	HAY	SCH					?	5.
				2	3

More races

Other races by Heinz Melkus that had no influence on the current GDR championships or the Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries:

season	Formula class	team	race car	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th
1952	Formula 2	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	BRN	OF
				DNF	DNA
1953	Formula 2	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	AVU
				DNF
1954	Formula 2	BSG Motor Niedersedlitz	Veritas	AVU
				12
1955	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Post-JAP	SC	DD
				?	1
1956	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Post-JAP	BZ
				1
1957	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Post-JAP	WIS	BZ	MB	BRN
				?	1	?	4th
1958	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Post-JAP	MB	KIE	HH
				1	3	4th
1959	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1959	KIE
				4th
	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1959	PF	RO	NÜ	SO	FRB
				4th	3	5	7th	4th
1960	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1960	PF	RO	NO	SO	NÜ	OP	BEL
				2	5	12	DNF	4th	2	3
1961	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1961	LEN	NÜ	RO	NO	SO	FRB
				7th	9	4th	4th	DNF	6th
1962	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Ketten-Wartburg 1962	ASP	LEN	KRA
				7th	1	2
1963	Formula Junior	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 63	ASP	OP	INS
				15th	1	9
1964	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	ASP	INS
				5	4th
1965	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	OP	ASP
				1	2
1966	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	OP	BRN
				2	11
1967	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	OP	UTJ	PIS
				2	2	2
1968	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	PIS	OP	BRN
				2	6th	13
1969	Formula 3	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	EAST	BRN	PIS
				2	11	6th
1972	Formula C9	MC Post Dresden	Melkus 64	STE
				8th
1977	Formula B8	MC Post Dresden	Melkus MT 77	BRN
				8th
1978	Sports car	MC Post Dresden	Melkus RS 1000	HAV
				7th
1980	Formula B8	MC Post Dresden	Melkus MT 77	BRN
				1

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)
	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
	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

attachment

literature

• Horst Ihling: BMW (East), EMW, Wartburg. Car racing in the GDR . Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2006, ISBN 978-3-7688-5788-8 .
• Wolfgang Melenk: Heinz Melkus. Driving instructor, designer and racing driver. Festschrift for the 75th birthday . Limbacher Druck GmbH, without ISBN.
• Wolfgang Melenk, Frank Rönicke: Master of Sports. Motor racing in the GDR . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-613-02441-1 .
• Wolfgang Melenk, Mike Jordan: Racing legend Heinz Melkus. Life's work and sports career of the Dresden automobile designer and racing driver . Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2008, ISBN 978-3-7688-5792-5 .

Web links

Commons : Heinz Melkus  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Heinz Melkus in the catalog of the German National Library
• Melkus Motorsport , website of the company founded by Heinz Melkus
• Heinz Melkus. www.motorsportmemorial.org, accessed on July 23, 2019 (English). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Melenk p. 2.
2. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 6.
3. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 7.
4. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 8.
5. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 9.
6. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 10.
7. ↑ ^{a b} Melenk / Jordan p. 11.
8. ↑ Racing drivers of the Melkus family. Melkus Motorsport, accessed February 2, 2015 . 
9. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 12.
10. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 13.
11. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 14-16.
12. ↑ Melenk p. 3.
13. ↑ ^{a b} Melenk / Jordan p. 17.
14. ↑ ^{a b} Sachsenring 1951 (group G). racingsportscars.com, accessed January 2, 2015 . 
15. ↑ Ihling, p. 141.
16. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 20.
17. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Melenk / Jordan p. 126.
18. ↑ Ihling p. 120.
19. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 21-24.
20. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 17.
21. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 25/26.
22. ↑ Melenk / Rönicke p. 33.
23. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 28-32.
24. ↑ Melenk / Rönicke p. 34.
25. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 27.
26. ↑ Melenk p. 25.
27. ↑ Melenk / Rönicke p. 41.
28. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 32-38.
29. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 39-41.
30. ↑ Melenk / Jordan: Racing legend Heinz Melkus . "Ketten-Wartburg" was a slang term because of the chain drive from the transmission output to the rear axle. The sprockets could easily be changed to adapt the gear ratio to the particular race track.
31. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 42.
32. ↑ Melenk p. 8.
33. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 44.
34. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 45-46.
35. ↑ Melenk p. 10.
36. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 49-51.
37. ↑ Jordan p. 11.
38. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 52-55.
39. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 56.
40. ↑ Melenk, p. 18.
41. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 56-59.
42. ↑ Eberhard Kittler: Saxon flounder - racing cars from Dresden: Melkus RS 1000. In: Oldtimer Markt 11/1989. Retrieved February 1, 2014 . 
43. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 61.
44. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 62/63.
45. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 14.
46. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 63/64.
47. ↑ Melenk p. 21.
48. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 66.
49. ↑ ^{a b} Melenk / Rönicke p. 104.
50. ↑ Melenk p. 26.
51. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 88-94.
52. ↑ Melenk p. 27.
53. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 31-32.
54. ↑ Melenk p. 28.
55. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 100-102.
56. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 100-105.
57. ↑ Racing legend Melkus fell asleep peacefully forever. In: Sächsische Zeitung , September 6, 2005. online ( Memento from September 12, 2014 in the web archive archive.today )
58. ↑ Melenk / Jordan p. 104.
59. ↑ Melenk / Jordan pp. 106-108.
60. ↑ season 1963. formula2.net, accessed 1 January 2015 . 
61. ↑ season 1964. formula2.net, accessed 1 January 2015 . 
62. ↑ season 1965. formula2.net, accessed 1 January 2015 . 
63. ↑ season 1966. formula2.net, accessed 1 January 2015 . 
64. ↑ 1967 season. formula2.net, accessed January 1, 2015 . 
65. ↑ 1968 season. formula2.net, accessed January 1, 2015 . 
66. ↑ 1969 season. Formula2.net, accessed January 1, 2015 . 
67. ^ ^{A b} Ray Purucker: Motorsport in Osteuropa 1970. puru.de, accessed on December 31, 2014 . 
68. ^ Ray Purucker: Motorsport in Osteuropa 1971. puru.de, accessed on December 31, 2014 . 
69. ^ ^{A b} Ray Purucker: Motorsport in Eastern Europe 1972. puru.de, accessed on December 31, 2014 . 
70. ^ ^{A b} Ray Purucker: Motorsport in Osteuropa 1973. puru.de, accessed on December 31, 2014 . 
71. ↑ ^{a b} season 1952. formula2.net, accessed December 18, 2014 . 
72. ↑ In heavy rain. Stuck in front of Rosenhammer . In: Berliner Zeitung of August 19, 1952, p. 4.
73. ↑ ^{a b} season 1953. formula2.net, accessed on December 18, 2014 . 
74. ↑ 1954 season. Formula2.net, accessed December 18, 2014 . 
75. ↑ Season: 1954 (DDR Sportscar Championship). racingsportscars.com, accessed January 2, 2015 . 
76. ↑ Bernauer Loop. In: Berliner Zeitung. September 24, 1954, p. 5.
77. ↑ Melenk / Rönicke p. 160.
78. ↑ ^{a b} season 1955.formel3guide.com, accessed on December 3, 2014 . 
79. ↑ ^{a b} 1956 season.formel3guide.com, accessed December 3, 2014 . 
80. ↑ ^{a b} 1957 season.formel3guide.com, accessed December 3, 2014 . 
81. ↑ ^{a b} 1958 season. Formel3guide.com, accessed December 3, 2014 . 
82. ↑ ^{a b} 1959 season.formel3guide.com, accessed January 1, 2015 . 
83. ↑ ^{a b} season 1960. formel3guide.com, accessed on December 4, 2014 . 
84. ↑ ^{a b} season 1961.formel3guide.com, accessed on December 4, 2014 . 
85. ↑ 1962 season.formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
86. ↑ 1963 season.formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
87. ↑ 1964 season.formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
88. ↑ season 1965. formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
89. ↑ 1966 season.formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
90. ↑ season 1967. formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
91. ↑ season 1968. formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
92. ↑ 1969 season. Formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
93. ↑ season 1970. formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
94. ↑ 1971 season. Formel3guide.com, accessed December 4, 2014 . 
95. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Melenk / Jordan p. 127.
96. ^ ^{A b} Ray Purucker: Motorsport in the GDR 1977. puru.de, accessed on December 31, 2014 . 
97. ↑ ^{a b} Ray Purucker: Motorsport in der DDR 1978. puru.de, accessed on January 2, 2015 . 
98. ↑ Melenk p. 24.
99. ↑ Avus fastest racetrack in the world. In: New Time. September 21, 1954, p. 5.

Remarks

1. ↑ The race was canceled.
2. ↑ The races took place at the Borowaya field airfield near Minsk.
3. ↑ The championship run was not counted as there were too few GDR licensed drivers at the start.
4. ↑ Best private driver in the GDR.
5. ↑ Failure in the ninth round. It is unclear for what performance Melkus received the 0.5 points in this race.
6. ↑ Melkus and Willy Lehmann tied on points after the last race. Due to better overall placements, Melkus was declared champion.
7. ↑ The first start was canceled after the fourth lap due to rain. The second start over ten laps was no longer counted as a championship run.
8. ↑ In 1959 there was no GDR championship. For the sake of completeness, the races are nevertheless listed.
9. ↑ At that time, Melkus drove to the Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries in a race in Minsk.
10. ↑ At that time, Melkus drove to the Cup for Peace and Friendship of the Socialist Countries in a race in Minsk.
11. ↑ National sports car race.
12. ↑ International sports car race.
13. ↑ International sports car race.

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on March 5, 2015 .