Karl-Heinz Kalbfell

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Karl-Heinz Kalbfell (born December 29, 1949 in Reutlingen , † August 17, 2013 in Brands Hatch , England) was a German automobile manager and racing driver.

Life

Kalbfell studied marketing and process engineering in Stuttgart from 1972 to 1975, obtaining a degree in industrial engineering. From 1975 to 1977 he was advertising manager at Eriba-Hymer -ahrzeugbau in Bad Waldsee . In 1977 he moved to BMW in Munich in the Marketing and Communication division. From 1994 he was Head of Central Marketing at BMW AG and Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW Motorsport. Kalbfell was involved in numerous motorsport successes at BMW. These include winning the 1989 DTM title with Roberto Ravaglia and winning the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans with the BMW V12 LMR . Kalbfell was also instrumental in BMW's return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier for Williams in 2000 . Engine designer Paul Rosche was one of his close friends at the time . From October 2000 he was overall project manager at Rolls-Royce . After 2004 he worked in managerial positions at Alfa Romeo and Maserati .

After working for Alfa Romeo and Maserati, Kalbfell worked as an independent consultant from his Munich office. His customers included the German sports car manufacturer Artega , the Russian vehicle manufacturer GAZ and the large Austrian automotive supplier Magna .

Kalbfell was particularly interested in historical motorcycles , which he collected and rode regularly. At the age of 63 he still contested the English championship for historic motorcycles. He was also a regular guest driver at the Goodwood Revival . Kalbfell died on August 17, 2013 after a racing accident at Brands Hatch . During training for a run of the English championship for historic motorcycles (WRR Lansdowne Cup Championship 500 cm³) he fell with a Matchless G50 at the exit of the Druids curve and was hit by a subsequent driver. Calfskin was hospitalized where he succumbed to his injuries.

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