Manfred von Brauchitsch | |
|---|---|
 Von Brauchitsch in 1937 | |
| Born | (1905-08-15)15 August 1905 Hamburg, Germany |
| Died | 5 February 2003(2003-02-05) (aged 97) Gräfenwarth,Schleiz, Germany |
| Occupation | Racing driver |
Manfred Georg Rudolf von Brauchitsch (15 August 1905 – 5 February 2003) was a Germanauto racing driver who drove forMercedes-Benz in the famous "Silver Arrows" ofGrand Prix motor racing in the 1930s.
Brauchitsch won three Grands Prix - the 1934ADACEifelrennen which saw the first appearance ofSilver Arrows Mercedes Race cars, the 1937Monaco Grand Prix (considered his greatest victory), and the 1938French Grand Prix. His fastest lap in the 1937 Monaco race (1 minute 46.5 seconds, 11.9 seconds faster than the old record lap) set a record that stood for 18 years.
He was twice runner-up in theEuropean Championship, in 1937 and 1938, and finished third in 1935.
He was noted for his red helmet and his bad luck, losing a number of other Grands Prix when he was on the very verge of winning (no less than five, by some counts). His most famous loss was the 1935German Grand Prix, when a tire blew while he was leading the last lap, handing victory toTazio Nuvolari in anAlfa Romeo in one of the latter's most famous victories - one of the only times during the reign of the Silver Arrows when a Grand Prix was won by a car other than a Mercedes orAuto Union.
Brauchitsch was born inHamburg, of an old military family (his uncle was theWorld War II generalWalther von Brauchitsch). He had a brother, Harald.[1] He entered the GermanReichswehr afterWorld War I, but after a serious accident he was invalided out in 1928. Due to his many racing injuries, he was rejected for military service in World War II. While working during the war, he met his first wife, Gisela. He became a member of theNational Socialist Motor Corps, in which he held the rank ofSturmführer.
Following World War II, being the son and nephew of military officers was not of much practical use inWest Germany. After several failed businesses, Brauchitsch contactedCaracciola, who gave him contacts in South America. Unable to settle there, he returned to West Germany embittered and became a target for the communists ofEast Germany. Again unable to settle, he returned to West Germany, where he was arrested and charged withespionage. In 1951, he was jailed and then released on bail.[citation needed]
During a bail period in 1955, Brauchitsch defected toEast Germany; after his wife Gisela committed suicide a year earlier. He was put in charge of the East German national motor sport organisation, as well as becoming president of its movement to promote the Olympic ideal. The latter led to his being awarded theOlympic Order in 1988 by theInternational Olympic Committee.[2]
Brauchitsch later remarried, to Lieselotte, and they were permitted to visit West Germany occasionally. Following the death ofHermann Lang in 1987, Brauchitsch was regarded as the last surviving member of the pre-war "Silver Arrow" drivers. He died inGräfenwarth in 2003.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, * denotes a shared drive)
| Year | Entrant | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | EDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | MON Ret | FRA 2 | BEL 2 * | GER 5 | SUI Ret | ITA Ret | ESP 3 | 3 | 34 |
| 1936 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | MON Ret | GER 7 | SUI Ret | ITA | 10= | 24 | |||
| 1937 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | BEL Ret | GER 2 | MON 1 | SUI 3 | ITA Ret | 2 | 15 | ||
| 1938 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | FRA 1 | GER Ret | SUI 3 | ITA 3 * | 2 | 15 | |||
| 1939 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes-Benz | BEL 3 | FRA Ret | GER Ret | SUI 3 | 4= | 19 |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
