15 replies to this topic

[Menditeguy]

I recently saw a picture of him seated with tie and cuffs in his car about to take it for a spin - I think it must have been a Autounion - the question is how did he die exactly ...? I know he had some sort of accident on the highway and hit a bridge..was it a test ? as it a technical fault ?

also who was Von Delius ?

[JimE]

Rosemeyer died in January 1938, a crash while attempting a record run is thought to have been caused when his streamlined Auto Union was cought by a crosswind. The cars designer Dr Ferdinand Porsche was not at the scene but later said `I would not have let him start had I known it was windy, especially since the car was so sensitive to side winds`

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JimE

[Duane]

Yeah, apparently it took the wind and rotated as it exited a tunnel at well over 300 kph, that's what I heard anyway. Carraciola and Merc were present as well.

[Lutz]

Bernd Rosemeyer died on the German Autobahn A5 between Frankfurt and Darmstadt. If you should ever travel on this road,(possibly on your way to Hockenheim, coming from Frankfurt) you should not miss to stop at a very tiny rest area, shortly after the "Frankfurter Kreuz". There you should follow a dirt path into the woods and after ca.30 meters you will see the Bernd Rosemeyer memorial on the spot where he was found. I stop there almost every time, even over sixty years after his death there was always at least one flower or a candle.

[Don Capps]

Lutz,
When growing up, one of the places I lived was in Heidelberg. I used to visit the spot where he died several times a year. The last time I was in Europe, I had to visit the USAREUR HQ and went by the Rosemeyer site. My driver thought I was a tad weird until I told hin the story. Since he was a racing nut, he appeciated it and for months would show pictures of the site and repeat the story. I think most of my NCOs were happy when he rotated out to another unit - my new driver, however, wasn't much of a racing or soccer fan.

The death of Bernd Rosemeyer was completely unnecessary and an example of how bad ideas get worse. As mentioned, at one time record-breaking was a serious business on both sides of the Atlantic. In early 1938, Mercedes and Auto Union were in what was essentially a competition that was bound to lead to trouble. The whole thing was under the NSKK (the party's motor sport authority) and the management of the two companies were eager for the publicity as well.

On the morning in question, the Mercedes team had the autobahn. Caracciola set some records and was happy not to have to repeat the experience since the wind was picking up and there was even ice at places on the road surface.

Auto Union was determined to beat the new MB records and Rosemeyer was eager to get the job done. Although the AU racing manager Dr. Karl Feuereissen initally canceled the attempt, Rosemeyer persuaded him to let him have a go and Feuereissen relented. One run was made and Rosemeyer complained that the engine wasn't up to its operating temperatures and he set out once more.

For whatever reason, the wind or mechanical fialure, at about the 9-km marker the AU crashed. It was easily going in the neighborhood of 430+ km/h when it crashed. The car was totally destroyed and not help in determining the cause of the accident. Rosemeyer was thrown from the car and died soon after members of the AU team arrived - including his faithful mechanic Ludwig Sebastian.

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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

[Lutz]

Menditeguy,
Ernst von Delius was Rosemeyers teammate at Auto Union. He was of course in his shadow and I think his best result in the AU was second, behind Rosemeyer at the 1937 Eiffel GP. He died tragically after his collision with Seaman at the German GP 1937 at the Nürburgring. He only had a broken leg and was fully conscious (sp?), even joking with Ellie Rosemeyer-Beinhorn. The same night though he died of a "Trombose" (I only know the German word). I guess he was a victim of the state of medical care of the time. In Ellie Rosemeyer Beinhorns book "Mein Mann, der Rennfahrer" (My husband, the racedriver) von Delius is mentioned very often and many stories are about the friendship between the Rosemeyer and von Delius families.

[This message has been edited by Lutz (edited 11-30-1999).]

[Don Capps]

Just to add a tiny bit to what Lutz wrote on Ernst von Delius (12 March 1912/ 26 July 1937): was a voirturette driver (Zoller in 1934 & ERA 1935) who was called up to the Auto Union team in 1936.
In 1936 his record was: Penya Rhin - 4th; Eifelrennen 9th; Hungarian GP 5th; German GP 6th; Coppa Acerbo 2nd; Swiss GP 5th; Italian GP 3rd.
In 1937 AU entered two races in South Africa. In the South African GP he retired, but in the Grosvenor GP von Delius was 1st with Rosemeyer 2nd only after they caught Lord Howe on the very last lap of the race; Tripoli 3rd; the AVUSrennen 2nd; Eifelrennen 10th; Vanderbilt Cup 4th; and then the German GP. He died from a blood clot that reached his lungs, very similar to what happened to Ronnie Peterson.

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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

[Lutz]

Ooops, sorry, I didn't mean to take away von Delius victory in Grosvenor. I just don't have the database in my head like Don ;)

[Menditeguy]

Thank you gentlemen.

I passed that spot several times and never knew that it was such a tragic place.

400 + Km/H ? the road must have seemed very narrow ......and with the wind blowing..the car must have felt like going all over the place..poor Rosemeyer..at least he died doing what he liked most.

[Dennis David]

Rosemeyer in describing his record setting run stated that "... at about 240 mph the joints in the concrete road surface are felt like blows, setting up a corresponding resonance through the car, but this disappears at a greater speed. Passing under bridges the driver receives a terrific blow to the chest, because the car is pushing air aside, which is trapped by the bridge. When you go under a bridge, for a split second the engine noise completely disappears and then returns like a thunderclap when you are through.



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Regards,

Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david

Life is racing, the rest is waiting

Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/

[Lutz]

I read, that after one record attempt on the same road Rosemeyer was not able to leave the car on his own, he was almost unconscious. Does anyone know more about the incident?

[Rosemayer]

I read, that after one record attempt on the same road Rosemeyer was not able to leave the car on his own, he was almost unconscious. Does anyone know more about the incident?

Rosemeyer won the race to 250 mph, setting two world and thirteen class records with three Auto Unions, but it was no cakewalk. On the second day of runs, exhaust fumes infiltrated his cockpit and he nearly passed out. Describing the sensation of rifling through underpasses on 25-foot-wide pavement, Rosemeyer reported, "The side blasts of air [I] felt when going through the bridges demand instant reactions . . . The strain of a ten-mile attempt is, therefore, greater than that of a grand prix, even though it only lasts about two minutes and forty seconds."

[B Squared]

A detailed account of Rosemeyer's accident that I saw a few years ago. Thought it may be of interest. I apologize in advance of historical inaccuracies that may be in the article.

http://www.kolumbus....ellman/zana.htm

Brian

[Mark A]

The rest area is now subtitled 'Bernd Rosemayer' (when I was there a few years ago).

[Tim Murray]

A detailed account of Rosemeyer's accident that I saw a few years ago.

As featured in this thread:

Rosemeyer's death 65 years ago

[B Squared]

Tim - Thanks for the thread link. I had seen the article by Aldo when doing a google search and was not aware of it being tied to TNF. It's a shame that the dialogue stopped on the Rosemeyer crash. Getting to the bottom of "paparazzo" was certainly a more worthy goal.

Brian