You can read about it in the easily over-looked “Lest We Forget” section of the “Motorsport Memorial”:
But did it really happen?Herbert Demetz lost his life during the winter of 1965 in a farming accident, while testing a new snow-groomer at Ortisei, near his Selva di Val Gardena hotel. He was 29-year-old. The accident happened on 22 December 1965. Ironically it was his close friend Ernesto Prinoth who created the Prinoth P60 snow-groomer, the machine in which Demetz had his fatal accident. The company founded by Ernesto Prinoth was joined with the Leitnersnow Company in 2000, becoming the world greatest snow-groomer producer.
You can also find this
and thatAnother great passion of Herbert Demetz - aside from his love of the Maciaconi - was car racing. He begun racing in 1957 when friends of his tried to convince him that his talent ought to be extended even to the world of competition.
The first car that accompanied him along his many victories was a Steyr Puch 500. Custom designed to his needs this car got him many top prizes after placing him in pole position. In 1960 and 1961 he even acquired the title of Italian Champion of his category.
In 1962 Herbert decided to enter a new category -the "Formula Baby Junior". He and his friend Ernst Prinoth, (Prinoth was the inventor of the first snowploughs), built a prototype and made test runs with it. It turned out to be an exceptional car which landed them to winning the 1962 Championship of the Tre Venezie.
Although he officially abandoned the racing scene in 1965 he raced a few more times with the famous Lancia Appia Zagato car until 1967 when he finally decided to take up managing the Maciaconi full time with his wife Erna.
After all the source for the latter ones is the homepage of his family’s hotel "Maciaconi" (here & there)!In 1967 "Nonno Alfonso" passed the Maciaconi onto his son Herbert and his wife Erna. Unfortunately Herbert passed away much too soon, in 1999, and his wife Erna skillfully pursued the Hotel tradition of excellence.
Is there an explanation to this mystery?