Georg Braun (2 September 1918 in

Hechingen Hechingen ( Swabian: ''Hächenga'') is a town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about south of the state capital of Stuttgart and north of Lake Constance and the Swiss border. Geography The town lies at the foot of t ...

Province of Hohenzollern A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

– 4 April 1995 in Hechingen) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

road racer.

Motorcycle racing career

His first foray into racing in 1939 was ended by the war. In 1950, as a 32-year-old "newcomer", he won 6 of 8 races with his supercharged

DKW DKW (''Dampf-Kraft-Wagen'', en, "steam-powered car", also ''Deutsche Kinder-Wagen'' en, "German children's car". ''Das-Kleine-Wunder'', en, "the little wonder" or ''Des-Knaben-Wunsch'', en, "the boy's wish"- from when the company built to ...

. Engines of this kind were not allowed on international level, where Germans could compete again from

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

onwards. Braun then rode several machines, like

Horex Horex is a German motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1923 by Fritz Kleemann in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe in Hesse. From 1935 to the mid-1950s, the company operated as Horex-Columbus-Werk K.G.,then as Horex-Werke KG. The brand name Ho ...

and NSU Sportmax, or a 250cc Moto Parilla with which he finished 3rd in the Feldbergrennen at Oberreifenberg in the

Taunus The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is ''Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and ''Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range spans ...

mountains. In the 1953 Grand Prix season, he was jointly ranked, together with five others, in 17th place in the 125cc class, riding a Mondial. His sixth place at the

Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix The Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing season that takes place at Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto outside Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucia. In addition to this event, three ...

had earned him a single point. In the 350cc and 500cc classes, he entered on Horex machines. The best result of his Grand Prix career was scored in a wet race, the 1954

Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix The Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix was a motorcycling event that was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season from 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1949 to 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1954. Official names and sponsors * ...

at Bern's

Circuit Bremgarten The Circuit Bremgarten was a motorsport race track in Bern, Switzerland which formerly hosted the Swiss Grand Prix from 1933 to 1954 (Formula One, 1947 to 1954) and the Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix in 1949 and from 1951 until 1954. Bremgarten wa ...

. Riding a NSU he finished second behind

Rupert Hollaus Rupert Hollaus (4 September 1931 – 11 September 1954) was an Austrian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who competed for the NSU factory racing team. He is the only Austrian to win a road racing World Championship, and the first racer to do so ...

who took the checkered flag after 1 hour, 1min and 56 sec. This earned him 6 points and a sixth rank in the 250cc class of the 1954 season. The same year, Braun also finished sixth on a 350cc Horex at his home

German motorcycle Grand Prix The German motorcycle Grand Prix, first held in 1925, is a part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Championship since 1952. The event is due to take place at the Sachsenring until at least 2026. History The first two ''Großer Preis von ...

on Stuttgart's Solitudering, which ranked him 17th with 4 points. Braun crashed and suffered injuries in the

1955 Isle of Man TT In the 1955 Isle of Man TT the Lightweight 250cc race moved to the 10.75 miles long Clypse Course, also used for the Lightweight 125cc TT race, and the Sidecar TT, and the course was used for these races until 1959. During this period the r ...

. After recovering, he competed again at his home race on the Solitude. Due to lack of success, old age, and the declining motorcycle sales in Germany, he retired to operate an automobile repair shop and filling station in his home town of

, where he died a few years ago.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

Source: (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Literature

* Eugen K. Schwarz: ''Porträt des Motorrad-Rennfahrers Georg Braun und seine Erfolge auf Horex, DKW und Parilla'', MOTORRAD, 1955

References

External links

Georg Braun

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Georg 1918 births 1995 deaths People from Hechingen Sportspeople from Tübingen (region) German motorcycle racers People from the Province of Hohenzollern 125cc World Championship riders 250cc World Championship riders 350cc World Championship riders