Hans Herrmann's helmet on the Grossglockner
09/20/2012
Despite his 84 years, Hans Herrmann is still a thoroughbred racing driver and is happy to take the opportunity to show off a Porsche 550 RS, the Carrera Panamericana car, in demonstration runs at the Grossglockner Grand Prix 2012.
Many people know Herrmann from his accident on the Berlin Avus in 1959, for which he was given a BRM by Stirling Moss. When the brakes failed at 260 km/h and a 60 km/h bend followed, Hans Herrmann's only option was to hit the (wet) straw bales. The car overturned, Herrmann fell out of the car and flew around 60 meters. He remembers thinking: "Now it's your turn .... oh' no, not in Berlin, where there are so many beautiful girls ...".
As if by a miracle, Hans Herrmann was only slightly injured, mainly from burns. He kept his helmet, which had probably brought him luck. And it was precisely this helmet that he wore again on the Grossglockner when he drove up the mountain today in the Porsche 550 RS.
A gifted racing driver, an entertaining storyteller and, above all, a very likeable person, this Hans Herrmann.
Tomorrow we continue on the Grossglockner with two timed ascents. A comprehensive report on Zwischengas will follow soon.
