Rudi Knees

500 cc Norton Manx from 1952

Rudolf "Rudi" Knees (born May 19, 1907 in Danzig ; † April 16, 1982 ) was a German motorcycle racer .

Life

Rudi Knees grew up in Königsberg . At the age of 18, he first competed in bicycle races before switching to motorsport. He was team captain at NSU - factory team . During the Second World War he served as SS-Obersturmführer at the SS-Kraftfahrschule I in Apeldoorn .

Career

In 1950, Rudi Knees was German runner-up in an AJS in the 350 class behind Heiner Fleischmann (Kompressor- NSU ) and ahead of Siegfried Wünsche (Kompressor- DKW ). He took first place in the special ratings “Best Private Driver” and “Best Suction Engine Driver”.

In the 1951 season, at the last round of the German Motorbike Road Championship on the Solitude race track near Stuttgart , Knees collided with Hans Baltisberger , who was only second overall behind Roland Schnell in the 350 cm³ class . Knees was badly injured.

In 1952 Rudi Knees won the German half-liter championship ahead of Siegfried Fuß (also Norton), Georg Meier ( BMW ) on a 500 cm³ Norton Manx after victories at the Dieburg triangle race , the Feldberg race , the Halle-Saale loop and the Eilenriederennen in Hanover . and Friedel Schön ( Horex ). In 1952, Knees and Karl Rührschneck (both Norton) finished the race on the Autobahn spider in Dresden-Hellerau in “ Totem Race ”.

On his favorite track, the Schleizer Dreieck , Rudi Knees won three races in 1951 and 1953 and in 1953 he was also successful at the Sachsenring .

In 1952, Knees moved to Nagold with his family . He passed on his passion for fast motorcycles to his son Peter (born December 4, 1935 in Königsberg, † 2012 in Nagold). In 1954 Peter Knees was German junior champion in the 350 cm³ classes on Norton and 500 cm³ on BMW-RS and in 1955 third in the German motorcycle championship behind Walter Zeller and Ernst Riedelbauch , both BMW. In Halle an der Saale, Peter Knees won in 1954 and 1956 with the 500 series BMW-RS. His father won there in 1952 and 1953 on his Norton / 500. As early as 1950 Peter was doing gymnastics in Bruno Ziemer's sidecar, who came from Danzig . At the Feldberg race on the Großer Feldberg im Taunus , the two took second place with a 600 cm³ NSU behind Wilhelm Noll and Fritz Cron in a BMW.

Rudi Knees competed in Formula Vee races at the age of 60 . He died on April 16, 1982 at the age of 74.

statistics

title

• 1950 - Best naturally aspirated engine driver in the 350 cc class of the German championship on AJS
• 1952 - German 500cc champion on Norton

Race wins

year	class	machine	run	route
1951	350 cc	AJS	Schleizer triangle race	Schleizer triangle
1952	500 cc	Norton	Dieburger triangle race	Dieburger triangle
	500 cc	Norton	Eilenriederennen	Eilenriede
	500 cc	Norton	Eifel race	Nürburgring - Nordschleife
	500 cc	Norton	Halle-Saale-Schleifen spring race	Halle-Saale loop
	500 cc	Norton	Feldberg race	Feldbergring
1953	500 cc	Norton	Halle-Saale-Schleifen spring race	Halle-Saale loop
	350 cc	Norton	Schleizer triangle race	Schleizer triangle
	500 cc	Norton	Schleizer triangle race	Schleizer triangle
	350 cc	Norton	Sachsenring race	Sachsenring
1954	500 cc	Norton	Halle-Saale loop race	Halle-Saale loop
1955	500 cc	BMW	Gran Premio del Pilar	Zaragoza
1956	500 cc	BMW	Halle-Saale loop race	Halle-Saale loop

References

Web links

• Can't count for much. www.spiegel.de, September 10, 1952, accessed on May 25, 2015 . 
• Tribute to Rudi Knees, son Peter and daughter Christa. clubmanclassics.blogspot.de, February 16, 2012, accessed on May 25, 2015 (English). 
• Hansjörg Meister: Feldbergrennen 1952. www.feldbergrennen.de, accessed on September 17, 2018 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A sportsman through and through - racing driver Rudi Knees has died. (pdf) The Ostpreußenblatt , June 19, 1982, accessed on May 25, 2015 .