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Nürburgring 12 hours

Nürburgring Nordschleife, BRD

Date: 8/7/1962
Track length: 22.810 m
Attendance: unknown
Entries accepted: unknown
Starters: >100
Finishers: about 50

Pole position: unknown
Fastest lap: Lindner in 11.12,0 = 122,2 kmh

Distance: 12 hours, 61 laps, 1391,41 km
Average speed: 115,60 kmh
Weather: unknown
Ruleset: unknown
Car info:  

 

The hour of 6 a.m. is never the best of times but nevertheless as the sun rose over the Nürburgring on Sunday, 8th July, over 100 drivers were lined up preparing to sprint across to their cars to start the International 12-hour race for touring cars of all sizes. The flag fell, there was a patter of feet and the usual traffic jam into the South curve. Unlike the six-hour race last month, the general standard of driving was generally more competent and restrained, resulting in only two retirements on the first lap, an NSU Sport Prinz which surprisingly overturned going up hill and a Swiss-entered Cooper-Mini with a burnt piston.

However, as the day wore on retirements became more numerous and by the end only about half the starters were still running, many of those being in a pretty sorry state. And surprises were there in plenty.

It was no surprise to see an early lead taken, and maintained until the end, by the 3.8 Jaguar of Peter Lindner, this time partnered by European Rally Champion Hans Walter, but it was remarkable to see the other four Jaguars running behind the two factory-entered Lancia Flaminias. Unfortunately one of the latter retired towards the end after breaking one of its light alloy wheels, a trouble that beset many cars, but nevertheless Lancia was able to claim a second place overall and a victory in that stronghold of Mercedes, the 3-litre class.

It was a bad day altogether for the Mercedes-Benz group of companies for in both the 850 and 1000 c.c. classes the Auto Unions and DKWs were beset by recurring troubles. First the Ruby/Mantzel car seized its motor, then Schultz broke his front suspension, Schriber's ignition stopped igniting, Rosner found himself upside down and most of the others were delayed by unscheduled pit stops. The others had their troubles too but through it all the English-entered Cooper-Minis of Longbacon Engineering and Squadra Blez International pressed on steadily without any drama so that after 12 hours the writer and his co-driver Frank Hamlin found themselves standing on a dais, feeling proper charlies while a German band played our National Anthem!

A similar thing happened in the 850 c.c. class where an Abarth 850 TC won easily, and the remaining British entry, an 850 Mini driven by two Cambridge undergraduates John Thurston and Mike Clarke, took fifth place after a completely uneventful drive.

The 700 c.c. class was of course the usual BMW benefit although surprisingly the fastest car, driven by Herbert Linge, retired early and other drivers showed more restraint than usual, not living up to their "kamikaze" reputation.

Alfas, as expected, took the 1300 c.c. class and Volvos won both 1600 c.c. and 2-litre groups. In the latter the Equipe Nationale Belge had entered a "works" Citroen DS 19 driven by Lucien Bianchi and Paul Frère, but this was withdrawn after six hours when delayed by a long pit stop, as the Citroen representative felt it would be bad for prestige for it to finish low in the general classification behind the faster NSU’s and other small cars!

No report of this race would be complete without some mention of the organisation. Several of these long-distance races have been less enjoyable for competitors through either chaotic inefficiency or over-officiousness but this event had the same air of friendly competency that marks a good British meeting and particular care was taken to look after foreign competitors. What a pity there were not more British entries.

Report by John Aley

Touring cars
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    
Jaguar Mk II 3.8		 Peter Lindner, D
Ludwig Walter, D
 3781 L6 +2500 61 laps     11.12,0  
2 1    
Lancia Flaminia		 Luigi Cabella, I
Marcello di Luca di Lizzano, I
 2458 V6 2500 60        
3 2    
Jaguar Mk II 3.8		 Hans-Otto Kreft, D
Werner Fleck, D
 3781 L6 +2500 60        
4 1    
Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI		 Michael Rader, D
Hans Bergmann, D
 1290 L4 1300 60     11.44,9  
5 3    
Jaguar Mk II 3.8		 Castell
Richard Weiland, D
 3781 L6 +2500 59        
6 1    
Volvo PV 544		 Gerd Weisgerber, D
Bernhard Grab, D
 1778 L4 2000 59        
7 2    
Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI		 Helmut Zick, D
Frank Kalkuhl, D
 1290 L4 1300 58        
8 2    
Volvo 122		 Arthur Feltes, D
Dörner
 1778 L4 2000 58        
9 3    
Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI		 Lothar Köttgen, D
Rindfleisch
 1290 L4 1300 58        
10 1    
Volvo PV 544		 Josef Maasen, D
Friedhelm Theissen, D
 1582 L4 1600 58        
11 4    
Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI		 Georges Hacquin, B
Jacques Beeckmans, B
 1290 L4 1300 58        
12 4    
Jaguar Mk II 3.4		 Tilo Schadrack, D
Bernd Degner, D
 3442 L6 +2500 57        
13 2    
Volvo PV 544		 Baumann
? Franz Heine, D
 1582 L4 1600 57     11.39,0  
14 2    
Mercedes 220 SE		 Rudi Golderer, D
Helmut Kögel, D
 2195 L6 2500 56        
15 1    
Fiat Abarth 850 TC		 Joachim Springer, D
Hans-Georg Plaut, D
 847 L4 850 56        
16 5    
Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI		 Hans Braun, D
Arnold Graf
 1290 L4 1300 56        
17 1    
BMW 700 S		 Jürgen Zink, D
Reinhold Zink, D
 697 B2 700 56        
18 2    
BMW 700 S		 Wessels
Eder
 697 B2 700 55        
19 2    
Renault		 Frank Ruata, F
Joffre Lobry, F
 845 L4 850 55        
20 1    
Morris Mini Cooper		 John Aley, GB
Frank Hamlin, NZ
 997 L4 1000 55        
  3    
Volvo PV 544		 Georg Bialas, D
Hans Schiffer, D
 1582 L4 1600 55        
  3    
BMW 700 S		 Klaus Bongard, D
Gustav-Dieter Edelhoff, D
 697 B2 700 55        
  4    
Volvo PV 544		 Delling
Harris
 1582 L4 1600 54        
  3    
Volvo PV 544		 Karl-Friederich Kronenberg, D
Karl von Kothem, D
 1778 L4 2000 54        
  4    
Peugeot 404		 von Czemin
Bonn
 1618 L4 2000 54        
  3    
Renault		 Hubert? Obels, D
Engels
 845 L4 850 54        
  2    
Morris Mini Cooper		 Peter Sherman, GB
Paul Hughes, GB
 997 L4 1000 53        
  4    
DKW Junior		 Günter Schreiber, D
Kurt Pfnier, D
 741 L3 850 53        
  1    
Glas Isar T 600		 Gerhard Bodmer, D
Günther Pohl, D
 584 B2 600 53     12.55,0  
  4    
BMW 700 S		 Yvan Pillonell, F
Michel Finquel, F
 697 B2 700 52        
  2    
NSU Prinz		 Rolf Scheel, D
Müller
 584 L2 600 52        
  3    
NSU Prinz		 Dietrich Krumm, D
Peter Schäfer, D
 584 L2 600 51        
  3    
Auto Union 1000S		 Peters, D
Monika Wallraf, D
 981 L3 1000 50        
  4    
Austin Mini Cooper		 Waldemar Warmbold, D
Bethge
 997 L4 1000 49        
  4    
NSU Prinz		 ? Caspar Rittinger, D
Albert Pfuhl, D
 584 L2 600 49        
       
Austin Mini Seven		 John Thurston, GB
Mike Clarke, GB
 848 L4 850          
DNF 3    
Lancia Flaminia		 Piero Frescobaldi, I
Cesare Fiorio, I
 2458 V6 2500 48     11.36,0 Broken rim
       
BMW 700 S		 Hubert Hahne, D
 697 B2 700       11.47,0  
DNF      
BMW 700 S		 Herbert Linge, D
 697 B2 700          
DNF      
DKW Junior		 Wolf-Dieter Mantzel, D
Peter Ruby, D
 741 L3 850       11.37,0 Engine
       
Volvo 122 S		 Jochen Neerpasch, D
 1778 L4 2000       11.44,0  
       
Austin Mini Cooper		 Rico Steinemann, CH
 997 L4 1000       12.07,0  
DNF     Equipe Nationale Belge
Citroën DS 19		 Lucien Bianchi, B
Paul Frère, B
 1911 L4 2000         Withdrawn after long pit stop