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Grosser Preis der Tourenwagen

Nürburgring Nordschleife, BRD

Date: 17/6/1962
Track length: 22.810 m
Attendance: unknown
Entries accepted: unknown
Starters: >100
Finishers: unknown

Pole position: Lindner in 11.13,0
Fastest lap: Lindner in 11.05,6 = 123,37 kmh

Distance: 6 hours
Average speed: 117,72 kmh
Weather: unknown
Ruleset: unknown
Car info:  

 

This year the Six Hour Touring Car event at the Nürburgring, the "Grosser Preis der Tourenwagen", was run on 17th June and was divided into nine classes under the Group 2 improved Touring Car Regulations.

The entries in the larger classes were dominated by the Lindner team of 3.8 Jaguars and the heavy entry of Volvos, opposed only by a single Rootes-backed Belgian-entered Sunbeam. In the smaller classes the BMW, DKW and NSU machines still outnumbered all other types of entries in their categories, but, in the 2000 c.c. class, the new Mini Coopers proved as popular as the Auto Union, and the German public and press were waiting with interest to see their first appearance at the Ring.

Not a drop of rain fell on the circuit during practice, but the road was made most difficult towards the end of the day by the amount of rubber deposited by competitors making full use of the fine weather conditions. In the morning last year's winner, Lindner, really put in some fast motoring with the Jaguar to record a time of 11.13,0 over the 14.2-mile course; on each lap he amazed the crowd by using all the road and some of the ditch at the difficult uphill turn at Brünnchen. Rader (Alfa Romeo) and Mahle (Volvo) led their classes, both with times under 11.30, but some of the most startling times were returned by the 700, 850 and 2000 cc categories - their class leaders all being under 12 minutes, with Ruby's DKW Junior lapping in less than 11.40!

Over 100 cars left the line in unusually favourable conditions. Lindner's Jaguar and two Volvos led the field four deep through the 360 degrees South Curve. As the cars passed the back of the pits and swept into the North Curve, Rader's Alta Romeo and Ruby's DKW, which had both made a bold start along the edge of the pit counters, were well up with the leaders. Only two cars went out as the field bumped and shunted its way up to Aremberg, and the Carlisle/Galliford and Aley Mini-Coopers seemed well placed as they shot under the Dunlop Bridge. Inevitably, as the more tightly bunched tail-enders swung down towards Adenau, two small German cars collided. An incredible collision followed-a dozen cars were damaged, two inverted and five were unable to continue. The following field was forced to a standstill and it still seems unbelievable that no cars went over the 200 ft. drop at the roadside. The track was completely blocked, so the drivers left their cars and manhandled a narrow way through the wreckage. A British entered Mini-Cooper sneaked through first and the rest of the field quickly rejoined the race behind it. Thus, at the end of the first lap the field was strung out in two separate groups and, even though they soon settled down to some fast racing, a feeling of depression hung about the pits.

Rain clouds appeared at midday and it became quite dark along the twisting section from the Wippermann down to Brünnchen. After two hours the cars started coming in to change drivers, refuel and check tyre wear, but it did not rain.

Throughout the race a great struggle waged in the 1600 class between the German-entered Volvos and the Belgian Sunbeam of Clements and Carlos. The Belgians caused consternation on the line by having their car jacked up with the rear brake drum off only four minutes before the start. Evidently they decided to fit rain tyres at the last moment and somehow pushed a wheel stud inside the drum. Unfortunately, having worked their way through into first position, the Sunbeam threw a tread in the closing stages of the race and was forced to take second place behind the Ehrensperger/Muller Volvo.

Marx and Hartner soon showed their intense knowledge of the circuit by taking the lead in the 1000 c.c. class with their Panhard; however, Galliford and Miss Carlisle drove a spirited race to hold second place after a similar Swiss entry had gone out with a fractured lightweight wheel. Jean Aley worked her very standard Mini-Cooper into fifth place, a position which her husband was able to maintain to the end. The best Auto Union finished in fourth position and the Longbacon Morris, as usual, trundled in halfway down the class.

In the smaller categories the Fischhaber/Koch BMW 700 held off a strong challenge from the Martini Nürburgring School, but the most amazing car was the Ruby/Mantzel DKW Junior which won its class and also beat the class-winning Panhard, Alta Romeo and 1600 Volvo.

The Six Hour event drew to a close and, as had been expected, the Lindner/Nöcker Jaguar won for the second time, having maintained its lead from the start. The German cars did not fare well in the larger classes, but the British marques received favourable comment from both public and press, especially the little Mini-Cooper which seemed ideally suited to conditions at the Nürburgring. Of the three British entries competing, all finished. Our two lady drivers received applause and a special award for the occasion.

The meeting itself is being nominated in Germany for the International Touring Championship mooted for next year and it will be followed this July by an International 12 hour Race for touring cars up to 1000 cc.

source: Autosport/Nigel Moores

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 54  
Jaguar Mk II 3.8		 Peter Lindner, D
Peter Nöcker, D
 3781 L6 +2000 32 laps, 6:03.53,5     11.05,6  
2 2    
Jaguar Mk II 3.8		 Tilo Schadrack, D
 3781 L6 +2000 32        
3 1    
DKW Junior		 Peter Ruby, D
Wolf-Dieter Mantzel, D
 741 L3 850 30     11.45,2  
4 1    
Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI		 Hans Bergmann, D
Ernst Furtmayr, D
 1290 L4 1300 30     11.53,5  
5 1    
Volvo P 544		 Gerd Weisgerber, D
Bernhard Grab, D
 1778 L4 2000 30 laps, 6:04.21,8        
6 2    
Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI		 Michael Rader, D
 1290 L4 1300 30        
  1    
Panhard Z1		 Peter Marx, D
Kurt Härtner, D
   B2 1000 29 laps, 6:02.16,2     12.03,5  
  1    
BMW 700 S		 Toni Fischhaber, D
Gottlieb Koch, D
 697 B2 700 30 laps, 6:11.18,5     12.02,1  
  1    
Volvo P 544		 Walter Ehrensberger, CH
Rolf Müller
 1582 L4 1600 29 laps, 6:11.42,2        
  1    
Glas Isar T 600		 Gerhard Bodmer, D
 584 B2 600 27 laps, 6:05.29,7     13.03,2  
  3    
Mercedes 220 SE		 J.F. Bischoff
J. Bischoff
 2195 L6 +2000          
  2    
Volvo 122 S		 Jochen Neerpasch, D
 1778 L4 2000          
  3    
Volvo 122 S		 Arthur Feltes, D
Hermann Dorner, D
 1778 L4 2000          
  2    
Sunbeam Rapier Series IIIA		 Emile-Claude Clemens ("Carlos"), D
Victor Heylen, B
 1592 L4 1600          
  3    
Volvo PV 544		 Franco Birchler
Fritz Baumann, CH
 1582 L4 1600          
  3    
Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI		 Hans Braun, D
Karl-Heinz Panowitz, D
 1290 L4 1300          
  2    
Morris Mini Cooper		 Peter Galliford, GB
Christabel Carlisle, GB
 997 L4 1000          
  3    
Austin Mini Cooper		 Georges Theiler, CH
Max Pichler
 997 L4 1000          
  5    
Morris Mini Cooper		 John Aley, GB
Jean Aley, GB
 997 L4 1000          
  2    
Fiat Abarth 850 TC		 Manfred Höhnig
Leoni Lichtenberg
 847 L4 850          
  3    
DKW Junior		 Heinz Schütz, D
Karl-Heinz Emde, D
 741 L3 850          
  2    
BMW 700 S		 Ludwig Hammer, D
Ulrich Deuhsen
 697 B2 700          
  3    
BMW 700 S		 Arthur Schneider, D
Helmut Rathjen, D
 697 B2 700          
  2    
NSU Sport Prinz		 Dietrich Krumm, D
Karl-Heinz Panowitz, D
 598 L2 600          
  3    
NSU Prinz		 Rolf Scheel, D
"Karl Valentin", D
 584 L2 600          
       
Alfa Romeo 1900 TI Super		 Franz Rader, D
 1984 L4 2000       11.36,4  
       
Volvo PV 544		 Josef Maasen, D
Friedhelm Theissen, D
 1582 L4 1600       11.41,9