Bernd Rosemeyer (14 October 1909 – 28 January 1938) was a German

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

and speed record holder. He is often considered one of the greatest racing drivers of his era.

Career

Rosemeyer's father owned an auto and motorcycle garage and repair shop ''Rosemeyer & Co sur Bahnhofstraße'', where young Rosemeyer worked on motorcycles and cars. Having started by racing motorcycles, Rosemeyer became a member of the

Auto Union Auto Union AG was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony. It is the immediate predecessor of Audi as it is known today. As well as acting as an umbrella firm for ...

racing team with hardly any experience in racing cars. This was later considered a benefit as he was not yet used to the handling of traditional layout race cars. The

Ferdinand Porsche Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was a German automotive engineering, automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche, Porsche AG. He is best known for creating the first Petrol engine, gasoline–Electric motor, el ...

-designed

mid-engine In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle. History The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered the original layout ...

Silver Arrows Silver Arrows () is a nickname typically given to silver racing cars with a significant connection to a German car manufacturer. Although the term was coined in 1932, it came into popular usage regarding Germany's dominant Mercedes-Benz and ...

were fast, but hard to drive, and only he, Tazio Nuvolari and to a lesser extent

Hans Stuck Hans Erich Karl Josef Stuck (; sometimes called Hans Stuck von Villiez; 27 December 1900 – 9 February 1978) was a German motor racing driver. Both his son Hans-Joachim Stuck (born 1951) and his grandsons Johannes and Ferdinand Stuck became ...

truly mastered the machines. Rosemeyer was also a very skilled mechanic, so, like Hermann Lang of Mercedes, he was able to give good technical feedback to Dr. Porsche and development engineer Eberan von Eberhorst to further develop the Auto Union cars and set his cars up for races to make them quicker and easier to drive. In only his second ever Grand Prix, at the daunting

Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...

, Rosemeyer took the lead from the great

Rudolf Caracciola Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola (30 January 1901 – 28 September 1959) was a German racing driver.Bolsinger and Becker (2002), p. 63 He won the European Championship (auto racing), European Drivers' Championship, the pre-1950 equivalent of the m ...

and was almost in sight of the finish line when he missed a gear and was overtaken. However, in subsequent years he made up for this mistake by winning three consecutive races at the

, one famously in thick fog. Later in 1935 he won his first Grand Prix at the

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

Masaryk Circuit The Masaryk circuit () or Masarykring, also referred to as the Brno Circuit, refers to two motorsport race tracks located in Brno, Czech Republic. The original street circuit was made up of public roads, and at its longest measured . The track ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. Whilst on the podium in 1935 at the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix he was introduced to the famous aviator Elly Beinhorn. Their celebrity relationship was too good an opportunity to miss for the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

. Rosemeyer and Beinhorn were exalted and instrumentalized by the Nazi Party to the ideal German celebrity couple of that time. Rosemeyer joined the SS in November 1933, though it is not known if he did it out of opportunism or ideological sympathies. Though he was not a member of the

, he was made a member of the SS for propaganda purposes and held the rank of

Hauptsturmführer __NOTOC__ (, ; short: ''Hstuf'') was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organizations such as the SS, NSKK and the NSFK. The rank of ''Hauptsturmführer'' was a mid-level commander and had equivalent seniority to a ...

. Several sensational

Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and ...

victories in 1936 and 1937, in addition to the AAA-sanctioned

Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nass ...

in the U.S, made him popular not only in Germany. He won the European driving championship in 1936. Of the twelve Grands Prix contested in 1937 between Mercedes and Auto Union, Rosemeyer won four of Auto Union's five victories against Mercedes's formidable new W125. Rosemeyer's superlative performances that year cemented him alongside Rudolf Caracciola and Tazio Nuvolari as three of the greatest drivers of 1930s Grand Prix racing. His marriage to Beinhorn added even more celebrity hype. It also made it possible for him to learn to fly a private plane. Before a testing session, he once used a now-defunct airfield next to the ''Flugplatz'' section of the

as a landing strip, and rolled his plane to the pits via the race track - in the opposite direction. His son Bernd Jr. was born in November 1937, only ten weeks before his death. Rosemeyer considered 13 to be his lucky number. He was married on 13 July 1936. 13 days later he won the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. His last Nürburgring victory came on 13 June 1937. His last race victory came at his 13th start of the 1937 season at

Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport Race track, circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, sti ...

Fatal record attempt

Rosemeyer was killed during a

land speed record The land speed record (LSR) or absolute land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. By a 1964 agreement between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de M ...

attempt on a regular traffic route on the

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

between

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

and

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

on 28 January 1938. Competing for the record against

, Rosemeyer went out later in the day in his Auto Union streamliner, setting a new class record of 432 km/h (268 mph). In an effort to raise the record still higher, despite a report that wind was picking up, Rosemeyer took the streamliner again. After two preliminary runs he was on his third and final attempt at 11:47, when the car suddenly went out of control. Whether caught by a gust of wind or by an unforeseen aerodynamic effect, it skidded to the left onto the median, then right and off the highway, where it went airborne and collided with a bridge embankment. Rosemeyer was thrown out of the car as it somersaulted through the air; he died at the roadside.

Memorial

The Rosemeyer memorial is south of Frankfurt at the Rosemeyer layby (German: "Bernd-Rosemeyer-Parkplatz") on the southbound side of A5 motorway at kilometer marker 508. At the south end of the layby a footpath leads west into the forest, where the memorial is located at . Audi honoured the 100th anniversary of Rosemeyer's birth by placing a wreath at the memorial.AUSringers.com - Happy 100th to Bernd Rosemeyer
/ref> Image:Bernd-Rosemeyer-Denkmal-1.JPG, Road sign Image:Bernd-Rosemeyer-Denkmal-2.JPG, Memorial site Image:Bernd-Rosemeyer-Denkmal-4.JPG, Memorial Image:Bernd-Rosemeyer-Denkmal-3.JPG, Memorial

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

built a

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

, the Audi Rosemeyer, which combined elements of modern design with styling strongly resembling the former

" Grand Prix racers, namely their 16-cylinder car driven by Rosemeyer, after which the car is named. There is also a bronze memorial situated next to the entrance to the

Museum in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

. Bernd Rosemeyer is buried in the Waldfriedhof Dahlem on Hüttenweg in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In his birthplace of Lingen (Ems), Bahnhofstraße, where the racer grew up, was renamed by the Nazi Party in his honor as "Bernd-Rosemeyer-Straße" in 1938. In addition, the city is the home of Motorsport Club "MSC Bernd Rosemeyer Lingen e.V. im ADAC", founded in 1964. The namesake "Autohaus Rosemeyer" at Lindenstraße 7 closed its doors on 30 November 2003.

Motorsports career results

Notable career victories

* European driving championship

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

ADAC The ADAC, officially the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (), is Europe's largest automobile association. The ADAC is the largest wikt:Verein, ''verein'' (club) in Germany, with around 21 million members. Its headquarters are located i ...

Eifelrennen The Eifelrennen was an annual motor race, organised by ADAC Automobile Club from 1922 to 2003, held in Germany's Eifel mountain region. Like other races of its time it was first held on public roads. In 1927 it was moved to the newly-built Nürbu ...

(1936), (1937) * Donington Grand Prix (

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

) * Coppa Acerbo (1936), (1937) * Czechoslovakian Grand Prix (1935) * ''Feldbergrennen'' in Hochtaunuskreis (not at Feldberg in

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

) (

hillclimbing Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the firs ...

) (1936) *

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix () was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history: the Nürburgring in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hockenheimring in B ...

(1936) * Großer Bergpreis von Deutschland at

Schauinsland The Schauinsland (literally "look-into-the-country"; near Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany) is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of above sea level. It is a popular destination for day trips. Due to the high amount of silver mining, ...

(

) (1936) *

Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix () is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, motor racing Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921 ...

(1936) * Swiss Grand Prix (1936) *

(1937)

European Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

References

Publications

* * Elly Beinhorn: ''Bernd Rosemeyer: Mein Mann, der Rennfahrer''. Herbig, München 2009, . * Frank O. Hrachowy: ''Stählerne Romantik, Automobilrennfahrer und nationalsozialistische Moderne''. Schriften zur Literaturwissenschaft, Verlag BOD, Norderstedt 2008, . * Eberhard Reuß: ''Hitlers Rennschlachten – Die Silberpfeile unterm Hakenkreuz'' Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin 2006, . * Jörg Reichle: ''Das Leben, ein Spiel. Vor 70 Jahren verunglückte der Rennfahrer und Nationalheld Bernd Rosemeyer''. In: ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'', 26./27. Januar 2008. * Ludwig Remling, ''Die Anfänge der Rennsportkarriere Bernd Rosemeyers''. In: ''Kivelingszeitung'' 2008. Hrsg. vom Bürgersöhne-Aufzug zu Lingen „Die Kivelinge“ e. V. von 1372, Lingen 2008, S. 149–155. * Hans Langenfeld: ''Bernd Rosemeyer aus Lingen, ein Star der „braunen Dreißiger“''. In: Jahrbuch / Niedersächsisches Institut für Sportgeschichte Hoya, 10, 2008, S. 242–262 * Peter Kirchberg (Hrsg.): ''Die Schicksalsfahrt'', Verlag Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2008, . * Cesare De Agostini: ''Rosemeyer. L'asso invincibile''. G. Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2009, . * Christoph Frilling, ''Elly Beinhorn und Bernd Rosemeyer – kleiner Grenzverkehr zwischen Resistenz und Kumpanei im Nationalsozialismus''. Studien zu Habitus und Sprache prominenter Mitläufer, Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2009 . * Christoph Frilling, Die Pilotin und der Rennfahrer – Elly Beinhorn und Bernd Rosemeyer auf Gratwanderung im Nationalsozialismus. Verlag W. Dietrich, Reinhardtsgrimma 2009, .

External links

Bernd Rosemeyer

! colspan="3" style="background:#9f6;", Sporting achievements {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosemeyer, Bernd 1909 births 1938 deaths People from Lingen People from the Province of Hanover German racing drivers Grand Prix drivers Racing drivers from Lower Saxony Racing drivers who died while racing Sport deaths in Germany AAA Championship Car drivers SS-Hauptsturmführer Road incident deaths in Germany Nazi propaganda