Some photos of DKW motorcycles
The picture above shows the DKW racing team at the height of the ORe and Are charge‑pump era in 1929 at the Eilenriede. From left to right: Barthels, Walfried Winkler, ?, Hans Winkler (Munich), Sprung, Sepp Klein (Frankfurt), Niemeck (Hamburg), Xaver Gmelek (Munich). Behind them on the left: race director Friedrich Prüssing (Chemnitz), Arthur Geiss; in the centre, wearing a hat: Director Blau, Zschopau.
This DKW 250 SS comes from the Audi Tradition museum in Ingolstadt. The left picture shows August “Gustl” Hobl (Vice World Champion 1956 in the 350 cm³ class) sitting on the motorcycle after the first run of the Großglockner Trophy 2004. |
Martin Schneeweiss from Vienna already owned a 250 cm³ supercharged DKW in 1939, kept hidden behind a sheet of tin to protect it from curious visitors. With this motorcycle he won the last race before the Second World War at the Großglockner in 1939: Großglockner Rennen 1939. |
A DKW 250 SS from 1939 – the last version before the war: water‑cooled double‑piston two‑stroke engine with piston charge pump, 4‑speed gearbox, two carburettors, 20 hp. |
Christian Krackowizer in 1975 at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Salzburg Ring, riding a DKW 350 SS from 1939 (a machine ridden by Kurt Mansfeld in the post‑war years). |
A humorous picture from 1947: Kurt Mansfeld (in the back) on a DKW 350 during the first post‑war race at the Nürburgring. Because riders often lacked the money for a room at an inn or hotel, Mansfeld spent the night in the paddock in the open air. And where to keep one’s personal belongings during the race? Right – in a backpack. |
Helmut Krackowizer in summer 2001 in Bern, only a few months before he died, standing behind a very rare DKW 350 SS 1939 production racer. |