Klaus Enders
Klaus Enders ( born 2 May 1937 in Wetzlar ) is a former German motorcycle racer.
Between 1967 and 1974 he was a total of six times sidecar world champion as a pilot, along with the co-drivers Ralf Engelhardt and Wolfgang Kalauch on BMW.
- 3.1 Literature
- 3.2 External links
- 3.3 Notes and references
Career
Klaus Enders began his career in the early 1960s, he first started as a solo driver as well as in the sidecar class. In 1963 he became German Junior Champion in the 500 cc class. In 1964, he stood on Norton before winning the German Championship of class to 500 cc, a fall in the decisive race at the AVUS track in Berlin almost 220 km / h with a punctured front wheel then ruled in favor of Walter Scheiman. In 1966, Enders decided to put his focus on the sidecar class.
In 1966 won the Wetzlar, together with co-driver Reinhold Mannischeff, the race at Spa -Francorchamps in fourth place his first championship points in the three World Championship races before they were each failed. Manischeff retired right after that for professional reasons back. At the following race, the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man, Enders started with Ralf Engelhardt as co- pilot, the two again won the fourth place, what the fifth World Cup overall earning.
1967 succeeded Klaus Enders with Ralf Engelhardt then the final breakthrough. On May 7, he celebrated the Grand Prix of Germany at the Hockenheimring his first victory; course of the season followed the four more successes. Since only the best five results came at this time in the championship standings, the duo Enders / Engelhardt secured on BMW with the maximum score of 40 points his first world title.
After a less successful 1968 season in the win, the two only two second places and could only sixth in the World Cup, followed in 1969 the second world title. Enders drove a four victories and secured the title just ahead of compatriot Helmut Fath.
For the 1970 season, Ralf Engelhardt retired from professional reasons, as a private driver in motorcycle racing back then could barely make money. On his position drew Kalauch Wolfgang, who was in 1968 together with Helmut Fath already become World Champion and 1969 had been dumped a little unsporting of this. When training for the Grand Prix of Czechoslovakia at the Masaryk Circuit in Brno, the duo Enders / Kalauch crashed heavily. Wolfgang Kalauch was thrown from the side car, had to be treated with serious injuries in the hospital and could not participate in the race. Fortunately, Ralf Engelhardt had traveled to Brno as a spectator and represented his substitute. Enders / Engelhardt won the race and the two remaining Grands Prix. Klaus Enders won with five wins, two and three with Kalauch with Engelhardt, after his third world title.
After a trip to motor racing in 1971 in Wetzlar in 1972 returned to the team races back. In the winter of 1971/72 a by Dieter Busch and Klaus Enders radically redesigned team was formed. Busch developed a motor with center bearing and a separate ignition system, Enders its own double - duplex drum brake - because he held nothing of disc brakes - and own -hub design of the wheels. Although the team only the third World Championship race of the 1972 season was completed, which is also a little lay to the hesitant commitment from BMW, which were concerned motors and Erastzteilversorgung, Enders / Engelhardt managed an instant win, but still without the motor with center bearing. Although the duo had 27 point deficit at the start of the season, they won the World Cup back to Busch BMW. In 1973, the two won at Busch BMW all seven world championship races in which they were at the start and thus world title number five. 1974 succeeded Enders / Engelhardt, despite the strong competition of the two-stroke engine equipped with king - trailer combination by Werner Schwärzel / Karl -Heinz Kleis, on bush special sixth title.
Overall, the Wetzlar won with his co-drivers Engelhardt and Kalauch more than 46 % of all Sidecar World Championship races in which he competed 1966-1974. With 27 victories, he is behind Toni Mang second best German in the all-time best list.