Klaus Ludwig
Encyclopedia
Biography
Unlike Hans-Joachim Stuck, Rolf StommelenRolf Stommelen
Rolf Johann Stommelen was a racing driver from Siegen, Germany. He participated in 63 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points...
, Harald Ertl
Harald Ertl
Harald Ertl was an Austrian motorsport journalist and racing driver.-Career:Ertl was born in Zell am See and attended the same school as drivers Jochen Rindt and Helmut Marko, so he had an early relation to motorsports. In 1969 he bought a Formula 5, won six races, but also rolled at the Nürburgring...
, Hans Heyer
Hans Heyer
Hans Heyer is a racing driver from Wegberg, the site of the Grenzlandring, a former high speed race track oval...
and Jochen Mass
Jochen Mass
Jochen Richard Mass is a former race car driver from Germany.He participated in 114 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 14, 1973 at the British Grand Prix...
, he has never raced in single seaters (just doing a few test drives). He is called König Ludwig for his success with touring car
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
s and in sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
.
In the 1970s, Ludwig drove for Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft or simply DRM as it was known, was a touring car and Sportscar racing series...
, winning in 1979 with a Kremer
Kremer
- People :* Honorable I. Raymond Kremer, Court of Common Pleas Judge* Andrea Kremer, ESPN and HBO reporter focusing on sports* Gerard de Kremer, Gerardus Mercator* Gidon Kremer, a celebrated Latvian violinist and conductor....
-Porsche 935
Porsche 935
The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans....
. With this car, based on the then 15 year old Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
road car design, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
overall in the wet, an unprecedented and never repeated win against the faster pure sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
prototypes.
In 1984 and 1985, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
for Joest Racing
Joest Racing
Joest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest...
in their #7 Porsche 956
Porsche 956
The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship...
. Considering Le Mans and sportcars too dangerous after the deaths of Manfred Winkelhock
Manfred Winkelhock
Manfred Winkelhock was a German racing driver. Born in Waiblingen, he was the brother of Joachim Winkelhock and father of Markus Winkelhock, also both racing drivers....
and Stefan Bellof
Stefan Bellof
Stefan Bellof was a racing driver who is famous for setting the fastest lap ever on the Nordschleife configuration, at the Nürburgring, setting the time in a Porsche 956 in 1983...
, he was recruited for the 1987 World Touring Car Championship for Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
only to finish runner-up by a single point to BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
driver Roberto Ravaglia
Roberto Ravaglia
Roberto Ravaglia is a former auto racing driver, who currently runs ROAL Motorsport, who operate the BMW Team Italy-Spain operation in the World Touring Car Championship...
after a post-season disqualification. He then moved to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft
Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide....
(DTM), and became champion in 1988 in a Ford Sierra RS500
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project with the purpose of producing an outright winner for Group A racing in Europe.- Development :...
. Ludwig also represented IMSA in the 1986 International Race of Champions
International Race of Champions
International Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was a North American auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an American All-Star Game or The Masters...
, finishing 8th.
He repeated the success at Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
in 1992 and 1994, before moving back to sports cars racing for them in 1997
1997 FIA GT Championship season
The 1997 FIA GT Championship season was the first season of FIA GT Championship motor racing. It featured a series for Grand Touring style cars broken into two classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, called GT1 and GT2...
to become the 1998
1998 FIA GT Championship season
The 1998 FIA GT Championship season was the 2nd season of FIA GT Championship. It is a series for Grand Touring style cars broken into two classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, called GT1 and GT2...
FIA GT Champion
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
. He retired when the series did not continue in the 1999 season.
He soon returned in June 1999, to win the 24 Hours Nürburgring
24 Hours Nürburgring
The 24 Hours Nürburgring is a touring car and GT endurance racing event on the Nürburgring Nordschleife . With a lap length of over , it allows the participation of more than 200 cars, and over 700 drivers.-Overview:...
on the Nordschleife for the third time driving a Zakspeed
Zakspeed
Zakspeed is a motor racing team from Germany, founded in 1968 by Erich Zakowski and nowadays run by his son Peter Zakowski. Their home town of Niederzissen is located not far away from the Nürburgring race track.-1973 to 1981: Saloon and sports car racing:...
Viper
Dodge Viper
The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January...
.
When the DTM resumed as Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere in Europe....
in 2000, he returned to the series, winning at the age of 50 years at the Sachsenring
Sachsenring
The Sachsenring racing circuit is located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship.- History :...
circuit, only to retire once again.
Ludwig returned as a "hobby pilot" to the Nürburgring Nordschleife when given the opportunity to drive a high power vehicle.
The years 2004 and 2005 saw him enter the 24 Hours Nürburgring with Uwe Alzen
Uwe Alzen
Uwe Alzen is a German racing driver specialised in touring car racing and sports car racing....
on the Jürgen Alzen
Jürgen Alzen
Jürgen Alzen is a race car driver from Germany.He drove one race in both the FIA GT Championship and the American Le Mans Series of 2001 for his own Alzen Porsche team. He has also raced in Australia appearing in both the 2002 and 2003 Bathurst 24 Hour races held at the Mount Panorama Circuit...
Porsche 996
Porsche 996
The Porsche 996 is the internal designation for the Porsche 911 model manufactured and sold between 1998 and 2005. It has since been replaced by the Type 997...
GT2 Bi-Turbo. With a normally aspirated Porsche 997 GT3 of the Alzen brothers, Ludwig plus Christian Abt
Christian Abt
Christian Abt is a race car driver born in Kempten, Germany, into a family of amateur race drivers and car dealers.His elder brother Hans-Jürgen Abt runs the Abt Sportsline Audi racing teams as well as their tuning company for Audi and Volkswagen.Christian Abt started his career in motocross and...
managed to beat the old distance record in the 2006 edition of the 24h, yet finished only second, 1 lap behind the winners.
Ludwig has also worked as a TV commentator on DTM races.
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 1976 European Formula Two season The 1976 European Formula Two season was contested over 12 rounds.-Calendar:Note:Race 1, 6, 9 and 12 were held in two heats, with results shown in aggregate.Race 1 and 6 was won by a graded driver, all graded drivers are shown in Italics... |
Willi Kauhsen Racing Team Kauhsen Kauhsen was a Formula One constructor from Germany, founded by former sportscar driver Willi Kauhsen. The team started in Formula Two in 1977, purchasing Renault cars, and raced with an assortment of drivers with limited success. Kauhsen then entered the 1979 Formula One season, spending 1978... |
March 762 March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... |
Hart Brian Hart Ltd. Brian Hart Ltd., also known as Hart and Hart Racing Engines was a motor racing engine manufacturer that participated in 157 Formula One Grands Prix, powering a total of 368 entries.... |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... Ret |
THR Thruxton Circuit Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing.... |
VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the... 13 |
SAL Salzburgring The Salzburgring is a permanent race track in Austria, east of Salzburg.-History:This race track had been opened in 1968. Lying in a narrow, alpine valley, it has a rather simple layout, with two long straights plus the sweeping and fast "Fahrerlagerkurve" at the bottom, and the narrow... |
PAU 7 |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... 9 |
ROU Rouen-Les-Essarts Rouen-Les-Essarts was a race track in Grand-Couronne, near Rouen, France.From its opening in 1950, Rouen-Les-Essarts was recognized as one of Europe's finest circuits, with modern pits, a wide track, and spectator grandstands... |
MUG Mugello Circuit Mugello Circuit is a race track in the Mugello region of Italy near Florence. Its length is . It has 15 turns and a long straight.Grand Prix motorcycle racing host an annual event here . Also, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters hold an annual event. The track is property of Scuderia Ferrari which... 9 |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
EST Autódromo do Estoril The Autódromo do Estoril is a race course in Portugal, owned by state-run holding management company Parpública. Its length is . It was the home of the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix from 1984 to 1996.... |
NOG Circuit Paul Armagnac Circuit Paul Armagnac is a motorsport race track near Nogaro in southwestern France. The track was built in 1960. The venue hosted the French round of the Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world championship in 1978 and 1982, as well as the 2003 round of the FIA Sportscar Championship. It also... 6 |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... 10 |
13th | 4 | |
| 1977 1977 European Formula Two season The 1977 European Formula Two season was contested over 13 rounds.-Calendar:Note:Race 3, 10 and 11 were held in two heats, with results shown in aggregate.Race 6 originally scheduled over 73 laps, but stopped early due to heavy rain.... |
Willi Kauhsen Racing Team Kauhsen Kauhsen was a Formula One constructor from Germany, founded by former sportscar driver Willi Kauhsen. The team started in Formula Two in 1977, purchasing Renault cars, and raced with an assortment of drivers with limited success. Kauhsen then entered the 1979 Formula One season, spending 1978... |
Jabouille 2J Jean-Pierre Jabouille Jean-Pierre Alain Jabouille is a former racing driver from France.-Biography:A native of Paris, Jabouille was one of the last of a breed of Formula One drivers who were also engineers.... |
Renault Renault Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker... |
SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... Ret |
THR Thruxton Circuit Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing.... Ret |
HOC Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix... Ret |
NÜR Eifelrennen The ADAC Eifelrennen was an annual motor race, organised by ADAC Automobile Club from 1922 to 2003, held in Germany's Eifel mountain region even before the Nürburgring was built there.- History :... 8 |
VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the... DSQ |
PAU 7 |
MUG Mugello Circuit Mugello Circuit is a race track in the Mugello region of Italy near Florence. Its length is . It has 15 turns and a long straight.Grand Prix motorcycle racing host an annual event here . Also, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters hold an annual event. The track is property of Scuderia Ferrari which... |
ROU Rouen-Les-Essarts Rouen-Les-Essarts was a race track in Grand-Couronne, near Rouen, France.From its opening in 1950, Rouen-Les-Essarts was recognized as one of Europe's finest circuits, with modern pits, a wide track, and spectator grandstands... |
NOG Circuit Paul Armagnac Circuit Paul Armagnac is a motorsport race track near Nogaro in southwestern France. The track was built in 1960. The venue hosted the French round of the Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world championship in 1978 and 1982, as well as the 2003 round of the FIA Sportscar Championship. It also... |
PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... |
MIS |
EST Autódromo do Estoril The Autódromo do Estoril is a race course in Portugal, owned by state-run holding management company Parpública. Its length is . It was the home of the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix from 1984 to 1996.... |
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| KWS Autotechnik | Chevron B40 Chevron Cars Ltd Chevron Cars Ltd. is a manufacturer of racing cars, founded by Derek Bennett in 1965. Following Bennett's death in 1978, the firm has remained active in various guises. The original company's designs and name continue to be utilized by Roger Andreason to build replacement parts and continuation... |
Ford | DON Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship... Ret |
Achievements
- Winner 24 Hours of Le Mans24 Hours of Le MansThe 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
: 1979, 1984, 1985 - Deutsche Rennsport MeisterschaftDeutsche Rennsport MeisterschaftDeutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft or simply DRM as it was known, was a touring car and Sportscar racing series...
champion 1979, 1981 - Deutsche Tourenwagen MeisterschaftDeutsche Tourenwagen MeisterschaftThe Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide....
champion 1988, 1992, 1994 - FIA GT World Champion 1998