Klaus Enders

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Klaus Enders (born May 2, 1937 in Wetzlar ; † January 20, 2019 in Aßlar ) was a German motorcycle racer . Between 1967 and 1974 , as a driver, together with his co-drivers Ralf Engelhardt and Wolfgang Kalauch , he was a six-time sidecar world champion in a BMW .

Career

Klaus Enders began his career in the early 1960s, first he started both as a solo driver and in the sidecar class . In 1963 he was German junior champion in the 500 cc class. In 1964 he stood on Norton before winning the German championship in the class up to 500 cm³, a fall in the decisive race on the Berlin AVUS with almost 220 km / h due to a flat front wheel then decided in favor of Walter Scheimann . In 1966, Enders decided to focus on the sidecar class.

In 1966 the man from Wetzlar, together with his co-driver Reinhold Mannischeff, achieved his first championship points in fourth place in the race in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium ; they had failed in the three previous championship races. Manischeff retired immediately afterwards for professional reasons. In the following race, the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man , Enders started with Ralf Engelhardt as co-pilot, the two again achieved fourth place, which brought them to fifth place overall.

In 1967 Klaus Enders made his final breakthrough with Ralf Engelhardt. On May 7th, he celebrated his first victory at the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring ; Four more successes followed in the course of the season. Since only the best five results made it into the World Championship at that time, the duo Enders / Engelhardt secured their first World Championship title with a BMW with a maximum of 40 points.

After a less successful season in 1968 , in which the two only achieved two second places and only sixth in the World Cup, the second World Cup title followed in 1969 . Enders achieved four wins and secured the title just ahead of compatriot Helmut Fath .

For the 1970 season, Ralf Engelhardt retired for professional reasons, as a private rider in motorcycle racing could hardly earn any money at the time. Wolfgang Kalauch , who had already become world champion together with Helmut Fath in 1968 and was dumped somewhat unsportingly by him in 1969, moved into his position . During training for the Czechoslovak Grand Prix on the Masaryk-Ring near Brno , the duo Enders / Kalauch had a hard crash. Wolfgang Kalauch was thrown out of the sidecar, had to be treated in hospital with very serious injuries and could not take part in the race. Fortunately, Ralf Engelhardt had traveled to Brno as a spectator and was replacing his substitute. Enders / Engelhardt won the race and the two remaining Grands Prix. Klaus Enders won his third world title with five wins, two with Kalauch and three with Engelhardt.

After an excursion to automobile racing in 1971, the man from Wetzlar returned to team races in 1972 . In the winter of 1971/72, Dieter Busch and Klaus Enders built a completely new team. Busch has developed a motor with center bearing and its own ignition system, Enders its own double-duplex - drum brake - because he thought nothing of disc brakes - and its own hub -construction of the wheels. Although the team was not ready until the third World Championship round of the 1972 season, which was also due to the hesitant promise from BMW regarding engines and spare parts supply, Enders / Engelhardt managed to win straight away, but without the engine Center bearing. Although the duo were 27 points behind at the beginning of the season, they became world champions again on Busch-BMW. In 1973 the two of them won all seven world championship races in a Busch-BMW and thus world championship number five. In 1974 , Enders / Engelhardt won the sixth title on Busch-Spezial , despite the very strong competition from the two-stroke engine- equipped König team of Werner Schwärzel / Karl-Heinz Kleis.

All in all, the Wetzlar driver and his co-drivers Engelhardt and Kalauch won more than 46% of all sidecar world championship races in which he competed between 1966 and 1974. With 27 victories, he is the second best German in the all-time list of the best after Toni Mang .

For his sporting successes, he and his co-driver Ralf Engelhardt were awarded the Silver Laurel Leaf on January 17, 1968 .

Klaus Enders died in January 2019 at the age of 81 in the Aßla district of Werdorf .

successes

title

Isle of Man TT victories

year class Co-driver machine Average speed
1969 Sidecar 500 ( carriages 500 cm³) GermanyGermany Ralf Engelhardt BMW 92.48  mph (148.83  km / h )
1970 Sidecar 500 (sidecar 500 cm³) GermanyGermany Wolfgang Kalauch BMW 92.93 mph (149.56 km / h)
1973 Sidecar 500 (sidecar 500 cm³) GermanyGermany Ralf Engelhardt BMW 94.93 mph (152.78 km / h)
Sidecar 750 (sidecar 750 cm³) GermanyGermany Ralf Engelhardt BMW 93.01 mph (149.69 km / h)

literature

  • Frank Rönicke: German motorcycle world and European champions: from Schorsch Meier to Stefan Bradl . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 978-3-613-03410-5 , pages 128 to 135.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Obituary notice. In: Mittelhessen.de. Retrieved January 25, 2019 .
  2. ^ Hans Georg Isenberg, Helmut Rebholz: Fascination Motorcycles - Carriages. Sidecar - races on the road, off-road, on the track . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-87943-988-5 .
  3. ↑ Sports report of the Federal Government of September 29, 1973 to the Bundestag - printed matter 7/1040, page 68.
personal data
SURNAME Enders, Klaus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German motorcycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Wetzlar
DATE OF DEATH 20th January 2019
Place of death Asslar