Louis Krages
Encyclopedia
Louis Krages, more commonly known by his pseudonym John Winter, (12 August 1949 in Bremen
– 11 January 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia
) was a German
racing driver and businessman.
He used the pseudonym to prevent his family, mainly his mother, from learning about his "hobby".
As John Winter, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans
in 1985
with the Porsche 956
of Joest Racing
, with Klaus Ludwig
and Paolo Barilla
. Winter drove a single stint in the early hours of Sunday in support of his teammates. After the success and the publicity involved, his alter ego was revealed to his family when, the next day, his mother picked up a newspaper, with a picture of Louis in the rostrum.
Winter spent many seasons competing in the German Interserie
series, usually racing privately entered Porsches, taking the title in 1986. Winter was also a regular entrant at Le Mans, competing 10 times at the race. Apart from his victory, his best finish was third in a Joest Racing
Porsche 962
in 1988. He would also won the 24 Hours of Daytona
in 1991 for Joest in the same car and also drove in the IMSA GTP until 1993 when the series ended, making the car obsolete.
In 1994, Winter would along with the team defect to DTM
, driving an Opel Calibra
, it was at Round 10, Race 1 at AVUS
, he was involved in fiery accident, in which his car disintegrated in a fireball. For the following year, driving a privateer Mercedes-Benz C-Class
, he reverted back to his real name, which he competed throughout the season and which was also was his last.
Krages soon sold off his business and emigrated to Atlanta
where he started up a toy business.
In 2001, suffering from problems in his business and from depression, he committed suicide by shooting himself, at his home.
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
– 11 January 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
racing driver and businessman.
He used the pseudonym to prevent his family, mainly his mother, from learning about his "hobby".
As John Winter, 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...
in 1985
1985 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 53rd Grand Prix of Endurance as well as the fourth round of the 1985 World Endurance Championship. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, France, on June 15 and 16 1985....
with the 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...
of Joest Racing
Joest Racing
Joest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest...
, with Klaus Ludwig
Klaus Ludwig
Klaus Ludwig is a German race driver.- Biography :Unlike Hans-Joachim Stuck, Rolf Stommelen, Harald Ertl, Hans Heyer and Jochen Mass, he has never raced in single seaters...
and Paolo Barilla
Paolo Barilla
Paolo Barilla is a former Formula One driver who raced for the Minardi team. Paolo is one of the heirs of the vast Barilla pasta empire.Barilla started racing in 1975 and won the Italian 100cc karting title in 1976...
. Winter drove a single stint in the early hours of Sunday in support of his teammates. After the success and the publicity involved, his alter ego was revealed to his family when, the next day, his mother picked up a newspaper, with a picture of Louis in the rostrum.
Winter spent many seasons competing in the German Interserie
Interserie
Interserie is the name of a European-based motorsport series started in 1970 that allows for a wide variety of racing cars from various eras and series to compete with less limited rules than in other series....
series, usually racing privately entered Porsches, taking the title in 1986. Winter was also a regular entrant at Le Mans, competing 10 times at the race. Apart from his victory, his best finish was third in a Joest Racing
Joest Racing
Joest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest...
Porsche 962
Porsche 962
The Porsche 962 was a sports-prototype racing car built by Porsche as a replacement for the 956 and designed mainly to comply with IMSA's GTP regulations, although it would later compete in the European Group C formula as the 956 had...
in 1988. He would also won the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
in 1991 for Joest in the same car and also drove in the IMSA GTP until 1993 when the series ended, making the car obsolete.
In 1994, Winter would along with the team defect to DTM
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....
, driving an Opel Calibra
Opel Calibra
The Opel Calibra, also known as the Vauxhall Calibra in the United Kingdom, the Chevrolet Calibra in South America, and the Holden Calibra in Australia and New Zealand is a sports car engineered and produced by German automaker Opel between 1989 and 1997, but sold until 1999 in the UK...
, it was at Round 10, Race 1 at AVUS
AVUS
The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, is a public road that was also used as a motor racing circuit. It is located in the south-western districts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee, and is nowadays an important part of the public highway system, as...
, he was involved in fiery accident, in which his car disintegrated in a fireball. For the following year, driving a privateer Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a compact executive car produced by the Mercedes-Benz division of Daimler AG. First introduced in 1993 as a replacement for the 190 range , the C-Class was the smallest model in the marque's lineup until the 1997 arrival of the A-Class...
, he reverted back to his real name, which he competed throughout the season and which was also was his last.
Krages soon sold off his business and emigrated to Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
where he started up a toy business.
In 2001, suffering from problems in his business and from depression, he committed suicide by shooting himself, at his home.