Walter Zeller (motorcyclist)

Walter Zeller ( born September 11, 1927 in Ebersberg; † 4 February 1995) was a German motorcycle racer.

Zellers Vice World Championship in 1956 in the 500cc class of the MotoGP World Championship is still the best placement of a German in the " top tier " of motorcycle racing dar. addition Schorsch Meier Walter Zeller is considered to be the only racing driver, the BMW RS 54 of the post-war years dominated one hundred percent.

Life

Walter Zeller was born on September 11, 1927 as the fourth child of Alfred and Anna Zeller. After attending junior high school, from which he graduated with from middle school, he completed a two year training in the family business. From 1946 Zeller attended the engineering school in Munich. From 1957 to 1975 he led the family business, the steel plant " Annahütte " in Hammerau.

Walter Zeller died on 4 February 1995 at the age of 67 of heart failure.

Career

Walter Zeller started in 1947 as a driver card to BMW and was able to celebrate in 1948 its first successes. In 1949 he became license driver and right away German Vice Champion in the 500 cc class. After the third overall in 1950 Zeller won in 1951 his first German 500cc Championship. 1954 and 1955 were followed by the track number two and three.

In the season 1956 Zeller won the biggest success of his career by winning the World Cup runner-up in the 500 cc class. With the fourth place at the Tourist Trophy, second places in Belgium and the Netherlands and sixth place at the Nations Grand Prix in Monza, he secured behind John Surtees on the MV Agusta second overall in the World Cup series.

1957 Zeller was third place in the Grand Prix of Germany at Solitude and at the Dutch TT in seventh in the 500 World Championship.

The death of his brother Kurt forced Walter Zeller in 1957 to end his active career and to take care of the family business. From 1977 he took accompanied by Gustl Lacher Meier, his race mechanic, and Rudi Mannetstetter, called " butcher Rudl " regularly at many veterans race at home and abroad participate.

Honors

The classic car club Feldkirchen eV from Feldkirchen, a district of Ainring in Upper Bavaria, where Zeller last lived, held every second (odd) year on a Saturday in July, " Zeller Memorial Rally ". Following the rally takes place on Sunday in Feldkirchen a great classic car meeting place.

Achievements

References

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