Bernd Rosemeyer born October 14, 1909 in Lingen, Lower Saxony, Germany – died January 27, 1938 on the Frankfurt/Darmstadt Autobahn.
His father owned a garage and repair shop where Rosemeyer worked on motorcycles and cars. Having started by racing motorbikes, Rosemeyer became a member of the Auto Union racing team with hardly any experience in normal race cars. The rear engined Silver Arrows of Auto Union were hard to drive, and only he and Italian Legend Tazio Nuvolari truly mastered these 500hp beasts.
Several sensational Grand Prix motor racing victories in 1936 and 1937 (also in the Vanderbilt Cup in the USA) made him popular not only in Germany. He won the European Driving Championship in 1936. His marriage to young flying ace Elly Beinhorn added even more celebrity hype.
Sadly, in an attempt to beat the previously set speed record of over 430 km/h, he died on the Autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt, in early 1938.
Nowadays, there is a monument near a rest area, roughly where his car left the road due to wind gusts.
Major career victories:
External links
