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Hockenheim 12 hours

Hockenheim Motodrom, BRD

Date: 26/5/1958
Track length: 7.725 m
Attendance: 8.000
Entries accepted: 40
Starters: 32
Finishers: 20

Pole position:
Fastest lap:

Distance: 12 hours
Average speed:
Weather:
Ruleset:
Car info:  

 

The first long-distance race for (very) small cars was held under a lot of controversy. BMW claimed the first four places, but that was only when fuel consumption was taken into account; in fact, the best BMW was placed third behind two Lloyd Alexander cars.
The idea was to demonstrate that a small car could be driven fast without too much fuel consumption, but to avoid cars creeping around the track all classified cars would have to cover 85% of the distance of the winner.
In practice, it was already clear that some cars were more standard as others; the original, fast layout of the Hockenheimring allowed average speeds over 100 km/h!
Cars entered had to have been built at least 100 times, on the market on January 1, 1958 and some modifications were allowed - on the carburettor for instance, to optimise fuel consumption, was the idea.

The 85% clause was about to be dropped until the Italian “Scuderia Ambrosiana” Fiat 500 squad protested.

The first laps of the race confirmed the fears of the organisers; it was a race, nothing else, and some cars had received more works support than expected leading to the winners’ average of 110,7 kmh - including pit stops for fuel and driver changes - for a car with a maximum speed of 100 kmh... but confronted with this, Lloyd told that the cars were in fact the prototypes for the forthcoming Alexander TS. More than 100 cars had been divided under privileged dealers all over Germany. The best NSU (average 110,5 kmh, top speed 105 kmh) was “blueprinted” according to tuner Wilhelm Herz.

The finish was spectacular; the NSU had been in the lead from the fourth hour until 30 minutes before the end; then the car slowed, and the Lloyd Alexanders which were between 1 and 2 laps behind came closer and closer. In the final lap, the NSU still led but only 23 seconds covered the top-3. 800 metres before the finish the Lloyd’s passed the helpless NSU and celebrated a 1-2!

BMW on the other hand was more interested in the “Caltex” fuel consumption award, which they won with 5,22 litres per 100 km (against the winning Lloyd 7,47 litres per 100 km).

Touring cars under 600 cc
Pos Pos in class # Team / Entrant
Car- Engine		 Drivers, Nationality Engine
vol. (cc)		 Engine
Type		 Group Distance,
time		 Qualifying position Qualifying time Fastest lap Reason out,
remarks
1 1 6?  
Lloyd Alexander		 K.H. Schäufele, D
R. Hewitt, D
 596 L2 600 172 laps, 12:00.40,1, 110,7 kmh avg        
2 2    
Lloyd Alexander		 H. Boes, D
R. von Hoff, D
 596 L2 600 172 laps, 110,6 kmh        
3 3    
NSU Prinz 30		 Wilhelm Herz, D
Rainer Günzler, D
 583 L2 600 172 laps, 12:00.55,1 110,5 kmh        
4 4    
Lloyd Alexander		 Elga Thouret, D
H. Russel, D
 596 L2 600 171        
5 5    
Lloyd Alexander		 Fuhr
Wahl
 596 L2 600 170        
6 6    
BMW 600		 Helm Glöckler, D
Wolfgang Seidel, D
 585 B2 600 170        
7 7    
NSU Prinz 30		 Nieders, D
Römer, D
 583 L2 600 169        
8 8    
BMW 600		 Hans Stuck Sr, D
Max Klankermeier, D
 585 B2 600 167        
  9    
BMW 600		 Horst Meinke, D
Karl Herd, D
 585 B2 600          
  1    
Fiat 500 Sport		 Levy, D
Joseph Jeser, D
 499 L2 500 166 laps, 12:01.1, 106,7 kmh        
  2   Scuderia Ambrosiana
Fiat 500 Sport		 Eraldo Nicosia, I
Massimo Leto di Priolo, I
 499 L2 500 164        
  3    
Fiat 500 Sport		 Messadaglia, I
Villoresi, I
 499 L2 500 164        
  4    
Fiat 500 Sport		 C. di Priolo, I
Ottavio Prandoni, I
 499 L2 500 161        
  5    
Goggomobil TS 400		 Jungmayer, D
Reisinger, D
 395 L2 500 161        
  1    
Goggomobil TS 300		 P. Viererbl, D
Robert Poensgen, D
 296 L2 350 144 laps, 12:00.23,0        
  2    
Goggomobil TS 300		 "Metzger", D
Düll, D
 296 L2 350 144 laps, 12:02.55,0        
  3    
Goggomobil TS 250		 H. Spieker, D
Iffinger, D
 247 L2 350 132        
  4    
BMW Isetta		 Hans-Gerhard Dobler, D
Helmut Zick, D
 298 L1 350 127        
  5    
Zündapp Janus		 Heilmann, D
Hass, D
 248 L1 350 127       1. Caltex 350 cc
CL      
Fiat 500		 Karl Eisele, D
Kurt Eisele, D
 479 L2 500         1. Caltex 500 cc
CL      
BMW 600		 Bieling
Walter Honegger, CH
 585 B2 600         1. Caltex 600 cc
       
Lloyd Alexander Kombi		 Schuh
Neumann
 596 L2 600          
DNF      
Fiat-Abarth 500		 Ovidio Capelli, I
Villoresi, I
 479 L2 500         Engine
DNF   40  
Friskysport		 Unknown
Unknown
 324 L2 350         Accident