Today in Technology History

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January 28

A dramatic day of record-setting car racing exactly 65 years ago ended the life of one of the world's most impressive young auto racers.

Despite his Italian-sounding name, Rudolf Caracciola was a German race-car driver, born in 1901. He won Germany's first Grand Prix when he was 25, and he proceeded to win dozens of races all around Europe. He was severely wounded in a couple of crashes in the 1930s, including one crash that left him with chronic leg pain, but he kept racing. A calm driver, he raced for Mercedes.

Eight years younger than Caracciola was Bernd Rosemeyer, another German racer. He started racing with motorbikes in about 1930, becoming a crowd favorite because of his cheerfulness and because of the risks he took. Rosemeyer started racing cars in 1935, instantly becoming one of the best. Excitable, with a streak of the brash daredevil in him, Rosemeyer raced for the German Auto-Union (now Audi).

Caracciola and Rosemeyer became fierce (but friendly) rivals, with one or the other of them taking victories in many major races. Rosemeyer became the European champion in 1936, and he won a big race in the U.S. in 1937. That same year, he set several world records for road speed on the German autobahn.

The final showdown between Caracciola and Rosemeyer came on January 28, 1938. That morning, Caracciola and the Mercedes racing team set out to break one of Rosemeyer's speed records -- the record for one kilometer on a road, with a "flying start" -- driving on a stretch of highway near Frankfurt. Caracciola succeeded, setting a new world record: 268.3 miles per hour.

Within minutes of Caracciola's run, Rosemeyer and his Auto-Union team were ready to reclaim their record on the same stretch of road. But heavy winds made Rosemeyer's car swerve as it reached top speed. A front tire wrenched off. The car skidded for 80 yards, flipped over twice, and was flung 200 yards through the air. Rosemeyer was thrown from the car, and he died instantly upon hitting the ground.

The 28-year-old Rosemeyer left behind a wife with a new baby. (His wife, Elly Beinhorn, was a record-setting German pilot; she is still alive, and turned 95 last year. We'll write more about her later this year.)

Caracciola continued to race until 1952, racking up a total of more than 100 victories, including 20 Grand Prix races. He died of cancer in 1959. His land speed record of 268.3 miles per hour has apparently never been broken on a public road.

Related links:

• Click here, here and here to read more about Bernd Rosemeyer.

• Click here, here and here to read more about Rudi Caracciola.

 

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