Karl Gall (racing driver)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Karl Gall (born October 27, 1903 in Vienna , Austria-Hungary , † June 13, 1939 in Ramsey , Isle of Man ) was an Austrian motorcycle racer .

Gall was a BMW factory driver for many years and was German motorcycle road champion in the class up to 500  cc in 1937 .

Career

Karl Gall was the youngest of three brothers - Franz, Adolf, and Karl, all of whom were racing drivers - and learned the trade of motor vehicle mechanic . He competed in his first race in 1924 on a 350 cc Zenith - JAP on a dirt track in his hometown. In 1925, Gall won the 250 cc race for the Austrian TT in Hinterbrühl on a New Imperial . In 1927 the Austrian became a works driver for BMW , for which he drove road races. With the exception of 1929, when he started for the Ludwigsburg manufacturer Standard , he was under contract with BMW until 1933 and between 1936 and 1939.

In 1930, while racing for the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring , Karl Gall had a serious accident in which he broke his hand , which prevented him from participating in races for three years. In the 1936 season the Austrian competed for the first time on the newly developed 500 cm³ compressor machine .

1937 was Gall's most successful career year. He won the Eilenriederennen in Hanover , the Hungarian Grand Prix , the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring, the Dutch TT in Assen and the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring and was German road champion in the 500 cc class. From 1938 the Austrian started for Germany after the annexation of Austria to the German Reich . In the same year Karl Gall won the Hamburg city park race and the AVUS race in Berlin . On the Hanoverian Eilenriede he only had to give way to his team mate Schorsch Meier . In the further course of the season he had a serious crash while preparing for the Isle of Man TT , the world's most difficult motorcycle race at the time, and had to skip all further races due to injury.

Deadly accident

On June 2, 1939, Karl Gall had a serious accident in the evening training for the TT on the Isle of Man , in which he took part in the 500 cc class, the so-called Senior TT . On his first lap, he fell while jumping over Ballaugh Bridge and sustained serious head injuries. He was taken to the nearby Ramsey Cottage Hospital and operated on. Nevertheless, his condition worsened in the following days. Gall succumbed to his injuries on June 13, 1939.

Karl Gall is buried in the Munich forest cemetery. A memorial stone today commemorates him on the Isle of Man.

statistics

title

Race wins

year class machine run route
1925 250 cc New Imperial Austrian TT Hinterbrühl
1927 250 cc BMW Kolberger bath race Kolberg
1928 500 cc BMW Austrian TT Breitenfurt near Vienna  - Laab im Walde  - Wolfsgraben
1000 cc BMW Grand Prix of Austria Vösendorf
1929 350 cc default All about bulkheads Schottenring
500 cc default All about bulkheads Schottenring
1937 500 cc BMW Eilenriederennen Eilenriede
500 cc BMW Hungarian Grand Prix unknown
500 cc BMW Grand Prix of Germany Sachsenring
500 cc BMW Eifel race Nürburgring - Nordschleife
500 cc BMW Dutch TT Circuit van Drenthe
1938 500 cc BMW Hamburg city park race Hamburg city park
500 cc BMW AVUS race AVUS
1939 500 cc BMW Hamburg city park race Hamburg city park

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Gall, Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian motorcycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH October 27, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH June 13, 1939
Place of death Ramsey