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Potz Blitz - Opel's cautious start in motorsport and other stories

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Created in 2009

Reading time 18min

Written by:

Rainer Braun

Photos:

Hallo Fahrerlager / Archiv Rainer Braun

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Hallo Fahrerlager / Archiv Rainer Braun

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Meilenstein - der Opel Rekord 1900 (genannt "Schwarze Witwe") ist Opels erster Renn-Tourenwagen - Erich Bitter hält damit 1968 in Hockenheim einen Porsche 911 in Schach

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Werbeaktion - in einer Anzeigen-Kampagne dokumentiert Opel den Erfolg vom Ring

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Untergrund-Kämpfer - die Versuchsingenieure Hans Beck (links) und Herbert Heuser gewinnen 1966 im selbst präparierten Opel Kadett die Marathon-Rallye „Tour d’Europe“

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Premiere - beim ersten Opel-Markenrennen 1969 am Nürburgring dominieren der Niederländer Toine Hezemans im Commodore GS (links) und der Schwede Per Tjerneld im GT 1900 (Mitte)

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Männer der ersten Stunde - Opels Sportchef Peter Preikschat (rechts) und sein Technik-Experte Gert Hinterthan

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Steinmetz mit Marko, Mechaniker, Kauhsen im Jahr 1970

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Schwarze Witwe - diesen Kosenamen bekam der „Renn-Rekord 1900“ (hier als Nachbau zu sehen) hausintern verpasst

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Erfolgsauto - Steinmetz-Commodore GS mit Gesamtsieger Hans-Joachim Stuck beim Opel-Rennen 1971 am Nürburgring im Hatzenbach-Kurvengeschlängel

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Siegerehrung des Opel Markenrennens (1972) am Nürburgring - v.l.n.r. Ekkehard Rohde, Bo Brasta, Sportchef Preikschat, Alberto Rasselli, Gesamtsieger Werner Christmann (Commodore), Helmut Mander, AvD-Rennleiter Leopold von Zedlitz

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Siegerehrung (1970) - vorne Peter Preikschaft, Vostand Bob Lutz (ganz links), Alexander Cunningham, Archim Warmbold und Co-Pilot Wulf Biebinger, Ekkehard Rohde, Gert Hinterthan, Theo Fritzau (ganz rechts)

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Gruppenbild mit Dame - zum erfolgreichen Diesel-Weltrekord-Fahrerteam gehörten auch die Rallye-Damen Marie-Claude Beaumont und Silvia Österberg (beide im Rennoverall)

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Feiner Herr - Opels erster Sportchef Peter Preikschat

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Gesellenbrief - dass dieser Werkzeugmacher-Azubi kein Musterschüler war, lässt sich im Abschlusszeugnis nicht verheimlichen

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Ticket/Fahrerausweis für das Opel-Rennen von 1969

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Summary

Until the mid-sixties, there was no official motorsport with Opel Blitz, then the fronts slowly began to clear and step by step Opel built up its own sports reputation, both on the circuit and in rallying. The first Head of Sport Preikschat, Walter Röhrl, Jochen Berger, Erich Bitter, but also Rainer Braun were closely involved, which is why he can draw on a wealth of memories and once again serve the reader a highly exciting collection of stories and anecdotes. After all, he even spent his time as an apprentice at Opel, and not without some ruckus.

This article contains the following chapters

Police operation with consequences
The "guerrilla squad"
The first head of sport arrives
The birth of the "Black Widow"
Business trip in the Opel GT 1900
Big appearances on the Ring
World record drive in the Diesel GT
Preikschat leaves, Bein arrives
"Helle was the best"
The crisis kills almost everything

Estimated reading time: 18min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Our report comes from the 3rd volume from 2009 of the popular book series "Hallo Fahrerlager" by Rainer Braun. Opel and motorsport - a very difficult matter for the writing guild in the sixties. The official Opel statement: "No, we do not engage in motorsport at the factory and are not planning to do so," said press officer Josef-Christoph Hepting sternly in 1965. "Yes, there is an unofficial initiative by test engineers on a private basis, but nobody is actually allowed to know that," was discreetly heard from another corner. The topic remains a tricky mission - even for someone like me who knows his way around Opel because he completed his training there and started placing articles about the more underground Opel motorsport in the regional daily newspaper early on.

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