Udo Jürgens, the racing fan
12/25/2014
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Everyone knows that Udo Jürgens (30. 9. 1934 - 21. 12. 2014) was one of the greatest entertainers in the German-speaking world. Many also know that he landed a number 1 hit with "Greek Wine".
But hardly anyone knows about his relationship with motorsport. He was a big racing fan at the end of the 1960s and attended various F1 Grand Prix every year. However, the reason for this was not the sport alone, but rather his great friendship with the Graz F1 driver Jochen Rindt.
Although the former Lotus driver was born in Mainz on April 18, 1942, he spent his entire childhood in Graz. The two crossed paths somewhere and a close friendship developed. After the tragic death of Jochen Rindt on September 5, 1970 in Monza, Udo Jürgens was no longer seen at the racetrack. But Udo dedicated a song to his friend: "Der Champion".
"You only hear the engine screaming. You only have the track in front of you. You just know you have to be faster, there's someone else ahead of you, be faster than him, o-oh. The dust, the noise, the heat of the sun. You only feel with the gas pedal. You dream the big wild dream, like every time. Yes, it's a rush, a fascination. After just one lap, it takes hold of you. It is fear and at the same time its reward and yet much more. It's a rush that you don't understand yourself, like an inferno that spins furiously. You love your life, which is what this is all about, so much once again.
You think of your wife and child at home, just this one more race, you promised it so firmly, you know you won't let it go. Victory, defeat or death, your game only knows three chances. You are racing towards one of them; towards the finish line. It's a rush that frays your nerves because only death is your passenger and if you forget that for a few seconds, it wins the game. It is a rush that is like no other, only the feeling is perhaps even more beautiful, you realize that victory has been achieved, in jubilation at the finish line.
Perhaps the two friends will meet again after 44 years ...
The picture shows Udo Jürgens (with jacket and program booklet in hand) on the occasion of the Austrian Grand Prix in 1970 next to Jochen Rindt (in a shirt with a floral pattern). In the middle is Gunther Philipp, doctor, actor and racing driver with his own racing team Ecurie Vienne, behind him on the right is Helmut Zwickl, long-time F1 reporter and current organizer of the Ennstal-Klassik.
