Louis Krages (racing driver)
Nation: | Germany | ||||||||
DTM | |||||||||
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First race: | Diepholz 1992 | ||||||||
Teams (manufacturers) | |||||||||
1992, 1995 Zakspeed ( Mercedes-Benz ) 1994 Joest ( Opel ) | |||||||||
statistics | |||||||||
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Podiums: | - | ||||||||
Overall wins: | - | ||||||||
Points: | 14th |
Klaus louis krages aka John Winter (* 2. August 1949 in Bremen ; † 11. January 2001 in Atlanta , USA ) was a German racing driver and businessman in 1985, the 24 Hours of Le Mans on a Porsche 956 C of Joest Racing won .
Career
Louis Krages used his pseudonym "John Winter" to keep his racing activities a secret from his family, especially his mother. According to his own statements, he feared that his mother would disinherit him if she found out about his hobby. However, when he won Le Mans in 1985, he was no longer able to keep his secondary occupation a secret in view of the numerous reports in the media.
He contested most of his races for Reinhold Joest's team . In 1994 Krages survived a serious racing accident at the German Touring Car Championship in an Opel Calibra V6 4 × 4 V6 on the AVUS with minor burns. In the 1995 season he competed for the last time in the German Touring Car Championship, as in 1992 in a Mercedes-Benz C-Class DTM from Zakspeed .
Krages had to give up his hobby after he had lost a large part of his private fortune as a result of bad economic decisions before a competitor took over his timber trading company. He left his hometown and went to the USA.
In January 2001 he was found shot dead in his Atlanta apartment. The police assumed a suicide .
statistics
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
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1978 | Porsche Kremer Racing | Porsche 935/77 | Dieter Chimney | Philippe Gurdjian | not classified | |
1979 | Porsche Kremer Racing | Porsche 935K3 | Axel Plankenhorn | Philippe Gurdjian | Rank 13 | |
1984 | Dieter Schornstein Racing | Porsche 956 | Dieter Chimney | Volkert Merl | Rank 5 | |
1985 | New-Man Joest Racing | Porsche 956B | Klaus Ludwig | Paolo Barilla | Overall victory | |
1986 | New-Man Joest Racing | Porsche 956B | Klaus Ludwig | Paolo Barilla | failure | Engine failure |
1988 | Blaupunkt Joest Racing | Porsche 962C | Frank Jelinski | Stanley Dickens | Rank 3 | |
1989 | Joest Racing | Porsche 962C | Frank Jelinski | Pierre-Henri Raphanel | failure | Leak in the water cooler |
1990 | Joest Porsche Racing | Porsche 962C | Bob Wollek | Stanley Dickens | Rank 8 | |
1991 | Joest Porsche Racing | Porsche 962C | Henri Pescarolo | Bernd Schneider | failure | overheated cylinder |
1993 | Joest Porsche Racing | Porsche 962C | Frank Jelinski | Manuel Reuter | failure | Engine failure |
Sebring results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | Momo Joest Racing | Porsche 962 | Randy Lanier | Giampiero Moretti | failure | Engine failure |
1987 | Joest Racing | Porsche 962 | Sarel van der Merwe | Danny Ongais | Rank 4 | |
1988 | Joest Racing | Porsche 962 | Paolo Barilla | Frank Jelinski | Rank 2 | |
1990 | Joest Racing | Porsche 962C | Henri Pescarolo | Bob Wollek | failure | accident |
1991 | Joest Porsche Racing | Porsche 962C | Henri Pescarolo | Frank Jelinski | Rank 4 | |
1992 | Joest Racing | Porsche 962C | Bernd Schneider | Frank Jelinski | failure | Engine failure |
1993 | Joest Porsche Racing | Porsche 962C | Manuel Reuter | Chip Robinson | failure | accident |
Web links
- “Racing driver John Winter found shot” , Die Welt , January 17, 2001
- John Winter at motorsportmemorial.org (English)
Individual evidence
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Krages, Louis |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Krages, Klaus Louis (full name); Winter, John |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German racing driver and businessman |
DATE OF BIRTH | August 2, 1949 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Bremen |
DATE OF DEATH | January 11, 2001 |
Place of death | Atlanta , USA |