Max Sailer

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Max Sailer at the French Grand Prix in 1914 .

Max Sailer (born December 20, 1882 in Esslingen am Neckar ; † February 5, 1964 there ) was a German automobile racing driver and engineer .

Career

Max Sailer started as an engineer at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft on November 26, 1902, and worked there until July 1, 1905, with interruptions due to studies. He then worked for the Eisenach vehicle factory for five years . On October 1, 1910, he returned to DMG.

In 1914 he was a member of the famous Mercedes works team , which successfully competed in the French Grand Prix . Max Sailer, for whom the Grand Prix races were still new territory, started with full commitment right from the start. At the end of the first of the more than 37 km long laps he was in the lead. In the fourth lap he set a new lap record. Sailer increased his lead to almost three minutes, but after about two hours of racing he had to give up with engine failure .

In 1921 , at the Targa Florio in Sicily in a Mercedes 28/95 hp , Max Sailer finished second in the overall standings behind the Italian Giulio Masetti ( Fiat ) and ahead of Giuseppe Campari ( Alfa Romeo ) and won his class. On the approximately 108 km long Medio circuito delle Madonie he turned the fastest race lap in 1: 47: 06.0 h ( average speed 60.504 km / h) . In the following year he was able to repeat this class victory.

In 1923 , the DMG factory team competed for the first time at the prestigious Indianapolis 500 in the USA . The supercharged cars were a first in the history of the race. Sailer did best with eighth place. His teammates Christian Werner and Christian Friedrich Lautenschlager finished eleventh and 23rd respectively.

The 1924 Grand Prix season was the last of Sailer's active career. In his last internationally important race, the II Gran Premio do San Sebastián on the Circuito Lasarte , he retired in a Mercedes TF after a collision.

In 1925 Max Sailer became director of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. In November 1934 he was appointed technical director and deputy board member of Daimler-Benz AG . He replaced the late Hans Nibel . Sailer was thus head of the entire design and development of the vehicle program, which also included the racing cars. Among other things, numerous successful racing cars and the Mercedes-Benz 260 D, the world's first passenger car with a diesel engine , were built under his direction . In 1941 he was replaced by Fritz Nallinger in this role .

Sailer retired in 1942. He died of an embolism on February 5, 1964 at the age of 81 in his hometown Esslingen am Neckar .

  • Max Sailer at the French Grand Prix in 1914
  • Max Sailer at the 1914 French Grand Prix (3) .jpg
  • Max Sailer at the 1914 French Grand Prix (4) .jpg
  • Max Sailer at the 1914 French Grand Prix (6) .jpg

Web links

Commons : Max Sailer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Max Sailer. wiki.mercedes-benz-classic.com, accessed on January 12, 2016 .
  • Max Sailer. www.historicracing.com, accessed on January 11, 2016 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 12 ° Targa Florio 1921. www.targapedia.com, accessed on January 12, 2016 (Italian).
  2. ↑ Mercedes-28/95 PS racing car history. wiki.mercedes-benz-classic.com, accessed on January 26, 2010 .
  3. ↑ a b Died: Max Sailer. Der Spiegel , February 19, 1964, accessed January 12, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Sailer, Max
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German racing car driver and engineer
DATE OF BIRTH December 20, 1882
PLACE OF BIRTH Esslingen am Neckar
DATE OF DEATH 5th February 1964
Place of death Esslingen am Neckar