On the 50th anniversary of Gerhard Mitter's death - memories of a great racing driver and wonderful person

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On the 50th anniversary of Gerhard Mitter's death - memories of a great racing driver and wonderful person

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Created on August 1, 2019

Text:

Rainer Braun

Photos:

Josef und Daniel Reinhard

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Daniel Reinhard

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HP Seufert (Archiv Rainer Braun)

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Anonym (Archiv Rainer Braun)

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Porsche AG / Porsche Schweiz AG

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Lothar Spurzem (CC BY-SA 2.0 DE)

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Kai Gattermann

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Balz Schreier

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Porsche Archiv

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Archivbild

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McKlein (Archiv Rainer Braun)

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Archiv Porsche (Archiv Rainer Braun)

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Archiv

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Porsche 906 Carrera 6 (1966) - on the Porsche factory premises - Mitter shines

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Mitter-DKW Formula Junior (1961) - Gerhard Mitter during test drives with the undisguised racing car after chassis improvements

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Mitter-DKW Formula Junior (1960) - Gerhard Mitter wins the day at Rossfeld

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Lotus 18 (1961) - Gerhard Mitter as Schauinsland day winner in 1961

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Gerhard Mitter does not seem to be completely satisfied with his engine after test drives

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Lotus 22 DKW (1963) - Gerhard Mitter won again in the juniors at the Gaisberg race in 1963

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Lotus DKW (1962) - Gerhard Mitter became the new course record holder in the Lotus at the 1962 Gaisbergrennen

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Lotus Coventry Climax (1964) - Gerhard Mitter also retired in the starting pile-up of the 1964 Solitude race

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Porsche 904 (1965) - Gerhard Mitter in the six-cylinder at Mont Verdoux

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Gerhard Mitter takes part in the 1965 Gaisbergrennen as a Porsche works driver

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Porsche Carrera 6 (1966) - The works Porsche with Herrmann in the Carrera 6 and Mitter in the 910/8 Coupé at the start in Freiburg in 1966

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Porsche 907 (1967) - In the middle of the mountain

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Norisring 1966 - Schütz, MItter, Ben Pon having a cheerful chat

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Porsche 906 (906-010) (1966) - Gerhard Mitter conquers the mountain fastest in the 1966 Gaisberg race with the Ollon-Villard Spider converted to a coupé

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Porsche 910 (1966) - Gerhard Mitter at full speed in the Porsche 910-002 at the Sierre-Montana-Crans hill climb

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Victory with a plaster leg and crutches - Mitter at the Mainz-Finthen airfield race in 1967

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Quick witnesses - Mitter 2nd from left and Schütz far right.

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Fun with Playboy magazine at Rossfeld 1967 - Mitter, Scarfiotti, Schmid, far left author Braun

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In 1968, our longtime friend Fritz Huschke von Hanstein bid farewell as Porsche race director - Rolf Stommelen, Joe Buzzetta, Hans Herrmann, Vic Elford and Gerhard Mitter

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Hans Herrmann and Gerhard Mitter at the Gaisbergrennen 1966

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Porsche 908 Spyder (1969) - Gerhard Mitter in the #29 Porsche 908 (12 Hours of Sebring 1969)

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Porsche 917 (1969) - on the right, a satisfied Piëch in conversation with Gerhard Mitter

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A very special victory - Mitter and Schütz win the Targa Florio in the Porsche 908

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Mitter in the BMW F2 racing car with adventurous wing system at the Eifel race at the Nürburgring in 1969

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One of the last pictures of Gerhard Mitter in the BMW F2 on August 1, 1969

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The scene of the accident - the wreckage of the Mitter-F2 at the Schwedenkreuz intersection

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Fellow racing drivers, including Jo Siffert and Rolf Stommelen, accompany Mitter to his eternal resting place

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Porsche works driver colleagues accompany Gerhard Mitter on his last journey on August 6, 1969

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A memorial at the Schwedenkreuz cross marks the spot where Gerhard Mitter died in 1969

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Gerhard Mitter's son drove the Mitter-DKW Formula Junior (1960) - Formula racing car at the 2017 Solitude Revival

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Mitter-DKW Formula Junior (1960) - International Edelweiss Mountain Prize Rossfeld 2018

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Mitter-DKW Formula Junior (1960) - Solitude Revival 2019

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Summary

Gerhard Mitter was an exceptional talent, excelled in all types of vehicles and was also a great person. Exactly 50 years ago, on August 1, 1969, he died in an accident at top speed on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. He left behind a huge gap. Rainer Braun was a close friend of Gerhard Mitter and in this article he recalls the qualities of the works racing driver, who drove for BMW and Porsche at the same time - unthinkable today.

This article contains the following chapters

Presumably material defect
Works drivers at Porsche and BMW at the same time
Outstanding all-rounder
Fun was part of it
Patient teacher
Direct line
Personal ties
Huge gap
Renouncing his Ferrari career

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It is Friday, August 1, 1969, and Formula 2 and Formula 1 racing cars are completing their joint practice session for the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. At 4.15 pm, the BMW Formula 2 works car with starting number 24 is recorded for the last time by the timing system at the start and finish. Gerhard Mitter did not survive the terrible high-speed accident a few minutes later. The then German number 1 professional racing driver dies at the scene of the accident as a result of serious injuries. "You don't fly out at this point, and a Mitter certainly not," says his horrified Porsche colleague Rolf Stommelen in a fragile voice, "it's almost a straight line from the airfield down into the dip to the Schwedenkreuz."

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