 | |
| Born | (1948-11-03)3 November 1948 Vienna, Austria |
|---|---|
| Died | 6 October 1974(1974-10-06) (aged 25) Watkins Glen, New York, U.S. |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Austrian |
| Active years | 1974 |
| Teams | Surtees, non-worksBrabham |
| Entries | 3 (2 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1974 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1974 United States Grand Prix |
Helmut[1] Koinigg (3 November 1948 – 6 October 1974) was anAustrian racing driver who died in a crash in the1974 United States Grand Prix, in his second Grand Prix start.[1]
Koinigg was born inVienna. Like several other Formula One drivers, Koinigg's first racing car was aMini Cooper, which he had purchased fromNiki Lauda. He raced intouring cars,Formula Vee andFormula Ford before a period insports car racing. He subsequently found the finance to buy a seat withScuderia Finotto driving their Brabham at his home Grand Prix in 1974, and although he failed to qualify, this led to a contract withSurtees for the last two races of the season.
After a good showing at the1974 Canadian Grand Prix, Koinigg was beginning to establish himself as a good prospect for 1975. But running near the back in theUS Grand Prix atWatkins Glen, Koinigg's car suffered a suspension failure at turn 7, pitching it head-on into theArmco barrier. The speed at which Koinigg crashed was relatively low, and he ought to have escaped the accident uninjured. However, as with a number of other circuits at that time, the Armco was insecurely installed and the bottom portion of it buckled as the vehicle struck it. The car passed underneath the top portion, which remained intact, decapitating Koinigg and killing him instantly. Koinigg's accident was reminiscent of the death of Formula One driverFrançois Cevert on the other side of the circuit in turns 2-4 the previous year.[2]
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Scuderia Finotto | BrabhamBT42 | CosworthV8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT DNQ | ITA | NC | 0 | ||
| Team Surtees | SurteesTS16 | CAN 10 | USA Ret | |||||||||||||||||
Source:[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 |  Ford Motorenwerke Deutschland |  Gerry Birrell Jean Vinatier | Ford Capri LV | TS 3.0 | 152 | DNF | DNF |
| 1974 | Martini RacingPorsche System |  Manfred Schurti | Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo | S 3.0 | 87 | DNF | DNF |
| Preceded by | Formula One fatal accidents 6 October 1974 | Succeeded by |
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