Günter Klass
Günter Klass ( born January 25, 1936 in Stuttgart, † July 22, 1967 in Florence ) was a German racing driver who was active in the 1960s, not only on the track but also in hill climbs, road races and rallies. He was born in 1966 European Rally Champion and impressed in the same year at the Targa Florio in qualifying and clear leadership before he retired after a collision with his team-mate.
Life and career
The career of the craftsman who was known as "Bobby", began in the early 1960s. In 1963 Klass at the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring for the first time in a World Championship race in part, together with Sepp Greger on a set from the factory Porsche 356 B Carrera Abarth GTL. At the rally Wiesbaden, he sat a privately a Porsche 356 B Carrera 2 and, together with Rolf Wütherich ninth. In 1964, he was both a private driver as well as a works driver with a Porsche 356 B 2000 GS- GT " Scraper " with 1.6 -liter engine in endurance racing at the start. At the Targa Florio, he was together with Jochen Neerpasch seventh. Race director Huschke von Hanstein was reported on the vehicle, but did not go. At the Nürburgring were Klass / Greger Fifteenth in the overall standings and class parties. At the Tour de France for automobiles Klass / Wütherich occupied after 2200 kilometers in the works Porsche 904 fourth. In the 1000 km de Paris in Montlhery his teammate Robert Buchet difference in the privately entered 904 early.
In the World Cup 1965 season Klass was several times for the Porsche factory at the start. He retired in Le Mans, was in fifth and sixth respectively at the Nürburgring in Sebring and the Targa Florio. On a Porsche 904 of the Swiss Scuderia Filipinetti Klass won the Schauinsland race in sixth place.
For the 1966 World Cup season Porsche undertook under the direction of Ferdinand Piech great efforts. It was new variants developed and used mainly more vehicles than before. Klass started again several times for the Porsche factory. With Udo Schütz, he was in Daytona eighth in the old 904, in Sebring, together with Gerhard Mitter he was eliminated in the new Porsche 906 with engine failure. For the Targa Florio, he was together with Colin Davis, the winner of 1964, the Porsche 906, race number 224, entrusted with 2.2 - liter eight-cylinder engine that went into the prototype class about two liters at the start. With the 270 -hp eight-cylinder, the two were scheduled on the big four-liter Ferrari 330P3 of Vaccarella / Bandini, and Klass undercutting submitted by local hero in Friday practice 39.07,1 minutes to more than one second. For the race, the training time was of little importance in the Targa; it was launched individually as at rallies, with 30 -second intervals, so that the car drove only indirectly against each other. A position battle on the narrow track showed little sense, because the earlier Started in the rating usually already lagged. In principle, the smallest and slowest car started first, the start times of some cars, however, was often moved to Sicily. On the night of storms sometimes muddy, sometimes rain-soaked runway initially took Mitter in about 50 hp six-cylinder weaker the top. In the fourth round began a hail storm that particular einbremste those drivers who had taken over the control after the third round. Klass, however, drove a fourth round, his lap time was about three minutes faster than the second fastest of fellow Dieter Glemser, which Klass after four rounds and 2:50:03,1 hours with over three minutes ahead ( 2:52:37,0 hours) before the big Ferrari the Sicilian Vaccarella leading the race. Then took over Davis, who lost four minutes weakened by a disease, before handing back to Klass. Klass then chased the now driven by Bandini four-liter Ferrari with the number 230, which had to refuel in the middle of the 72- km long line at the junction for Polizzi. Although the Ferrari was launched two and a half minutes before, Klass was now on the track ahead. Cheered on by spectators tried Bandini again to overtake, but came from a hairpin turn of the track. At the same time the Dino fell from Parkes with engine damage and from 906 of Glemser by accident, so that the two works cars of Klass and Mitter spearheaded the race, ahead of the Swiss Semi- Factory 906. But the position battle in the seventh round of Klass and Mitter touched, whereupon Mitter retired, while Klass was able to finish the round and as third from bottom even came in the standings. This was hardly a consolation for the Swabians, were eliminated from the four factory cars with three German drivers by accident, while Arena / Pucci were third. The four works Ferraris suffered a similar fate, and in the end it paid off that Porsche chassis 906-128, which had Rank 4 is for the plant in Monza and later won in network services in Zeltweg, the Scuderia Filipinetti entrusted whose drivers Herbert Müller and Willy Mairesse won.
At the Nürburgring in 1966 five factory cars were at the start. Klass was there, but the eight-cylinder drove Jochen Rindt and Nino Vaccarella, who reached third on the grid. In the team competition of the internal six-cylinder factory rider achieved Klass / contactor and Herrmann / Glemser the best training period ( fifth and sixth starting position ), but the race result was disappointing. After the failure of the three fastest Porsche Phil Hill / Joakim Bonnier won with a Chaparral before the two-liter Ferrari Dino. In Le Mans Porsche did not have any chance of overall victory, but the two two-liter classes they wanted to secure what again five works cars were called. After a debacle of Ferrari won three seven liter Ford before the three Porsche prototypes, followed by Klass and Rolf Stommelen as a class winner in the two-liter sports car.
The newly built motodrome the Hockenheimring hosted the Grand Prix in Hockenheim, who counted only in the small class for the World Cup. Ferrari stayed away, and Porsche awarded three works cars at the Stuttgart local heroes Mitter, Herrmann and Klass. In both runs Mitter won; Klass was only third in training, but set the fastest race lap. It should be the last Porsche factory use for Klass, because the mountain race Sierre -Crans Montana Mitter drove the eight-cylinder Bergspyder and Herrmann the new Porsche 910 Klass, however, had brought on Porsche 911 R the European Rally Championship title.
The World Cup 1967 season began with a triple triumph of the great Ferrari prototypes in Daytona. During the subsequent 12 - hour race at Sebring these were absent, but Klass was now works drivers of the Scuderia Ferrari sports car of the type Ferrari Dino and thus direct opponent of the Porsche 910 at Sebring he left, however, together with Herbert Müller by suspension defect. At the Targa Florio he came from in the first round of the Sicilian mountain road, probably because he wanted to beat his former colleagues from Porsche, Mario Casoni was not so used. In the 1000 - km race at the Nürburgring damage the enlarged 2.4 liter engine in training prevented a start together with Ludovico Scarfiotti which had taken place from the fifth position. In Le Mans Günter Klass and Peter Sutcliffe drove one of the big four-liter factory Ferrari 330P4 ( chassis # 0860, number 19 ), but left a few hours before the end of the race in fourth place lying down with a damage to the fuel pump.
Accident
The ninth World Championship race, the Gran Premio Mugello, took place on the 66 km long street circuit Circuito del Mugello place, near the later built Autodrome. In training accident "Bobby" on Saturday afternoon with the T- Car Ferrari Dino 206SP (Chassis 0842 ) fatal. On the descent from the Passo del Giogo to Firenzuola the Dino came to a quick left turn, according to eye- witnesses may be due to a technical defect of the road and met with the right side, where Ferrari, the driver sits on a tree to center of the vehicle penetrated. Klass was salvaged after a few minutes and taken by helicopter to Florence, where he was declared dead.
The Scuderia subsequently withdrew not only provided for the race along with Jonathan Williams ( GB) Factory Ferrari Dino 206p (Chassis 010, number 19 ), but also the other Dino Ludovico Scarfiotti and Nino Vaccarella, the better training performance of the Porsche this beneficiary.