Helmut Krackowizer – his years as a motorcycle racer

Infected by the motorsport bacillus

Helmut Krackowizer was eleven years old when his father took him to the last hill‑climb race before the Second World War on the Gaisberg mountain near Salzburg in 1933. At sixteen he rode a Norton “Inter”. Then the war abruptly ended all of Helmut’s motorsport ambitions. As described in the story of his first Rudge, he managed to buy a Rudge 250 during the war, and upon returning home he was burning for the first opportunity to race.

Motorcycle racing under Allied occupation

1946

In autumn 1946 he rode his first motorcycle race with his Rudge 250 cm³ in pouring rain during the first post‑war event in Salzburg‑Nonntal. He finished in third place.

1947

In spring 1947 the first dirt‑track race in Salzburg, organised by the newly founded SAMTC (Salzburg Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club), attracted 20,000 spectators to the trotting racecourse in Salzburg‑Aigen. Encouraged by this success, the first motorcycle road race finally took place on the motorway near Salzburg on 6 July 1947.

In 1958 this race became the “Grand Prix of Austria”, later moved to the motorway Anif–Grödig near Salzburg, and eventually to the Salzburg‑Ring.

In the motorcycle race on 6 July 1947, Helmut Krackowizer won the junior class up to 250 cm³ on his Rudge in 44:32.8 minutes, followed by Salzburg’s Fritz Walcher on an Imperial (46:43.4) and Richard Kwitt on a Puch (46:43.4). The race covered 15 laps, corresponding to 63 km (one lap: 4.2 km). Krackowizer also led the senior race for three laps before retiring due to a defect. This marked the beginning of his racing career, which lasted until 1955.

The year 1947 became one of his most successful seasons. Among other events he competed in Rankweil and Lustenau (Vorarlberg), the Innsbruck–Hungerburg hill climb, Graz–Lazarettsiedlung, the Ries hill climb, the Pötschenpass, and in Liechtenstein at the Triesenberg race (his remark: “Much gravel and few francs! Still, my comfortable 4th place would have been enough for victory, according to Swiss experts.”).
Results of 1947: three 1st places, two class records, two 2nd places, two 4th places — the most successful Austrian rider in class A up to 250 cm³.

1948

This year he intended to compete in the Isle of Man TT, but failed to cross the Swiss border due to missing documents.

On his Rudge 250 cm³ he finished third at the motorway road race near Salzburg behind Radler (Puch, Vienna) and the Italian Nocchi. At the Ries hill climb near Graz he again finished third, behind Nocchi and Rott (Vienna) on JAP — only two seconds behind the winner and 0.2 seconds behind second place.

1949

His father noted about the two Swiss races:

“Erlen, Switzerland: …Even today I see my Salzburg friend Volzwinkler, who rode the fast 350 Norton, when we both were at the bottom of the field because we were not used to the custom of raising the flag instead of dropping it… Even after passing Fergus Anderson on his new AJS ‘Boy Racer’, my clutch caused problems and I had to retire from fifth place, with rainwater pouring out of my boots…”

His second Swiss start was also unsuccessful. After a late start he overtook rider after rider like a slalom specialist on his Velocette 350 KTT Mk VIII. But in one corner he braked too late and crashed into wooden planks. Nothing was broken, but the carburettor needle jumped out of its clamp and the engine received no fuel — he had to retire again.

Both “performances” left an impression on the organisers — a friendly but clear refusal of his entry for the following year.

Successes in Austria, 1949:
• Road race Korneuburg: 2nd place
• Road race Dornbirn: 2nd place in the supercharger class on his “normal” Rudge 250 cm³
• Two 2nd places in the 350 cm³ and 500 cm³ classes on his Velocette 350 (owned since March 1949)
• International road race Rankweil: 5th place, second‑best Austrian behind Anderson (GB), Volzwinkler (A), Nocchi (I) and Roland (?)

1950–1955

With varying success he competed in Austria, Switzerland (Schauinsland hill climb), Ingolstadt, the Norisring in Nuremberg, and the Hockenheimring in Germany. He also took part in numerous other races and hill climbs in Austria.

Over the years he rode several motorcycle makes: Rudge 250 cm³, Velocette KTT Mk VIII 350 cm³ (ex Binder), BSA Gold Star 350 cm³, Lohner scooter, Norton 500 cm³, AJS, Puch and others. In 1955 he retired from active motorcycle racing.