Hubert Hahne (28 March 1935 – 24 April 2019) was a

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

from Germany. He was the older brother of

Armin Hahne Armin Hahne (born September 10, 1955 in Moers, West Germany) is a German racing driver, best known for his exploits in touring car racing. The highpoint of his career was winning both the 1982 and 1983 Spa 24 Hours driving BMW's. Another highli ...

, as well as the uncle of

Jörg van Ommen Jörg Van Ommen (born 27 September 1962 in Moers, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a former German racing driver. He drove for Mercedes-AMG in the DTM in 1995 and 1996, finishing in second place in 1995 in a Mercedes C-Class. He also is the nephew o ...

Career

He participated in five

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

World Championship Grands Prix, two of those at the wheel of

Formula Two Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009– 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name ...

cars, and one non-Championship Formula One race. Hahne was successful in

touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not mov ...

, including the

European Touring Car Championship The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004. In 2005 it was superseded by the World ...

. In 1966, he raced a

BMW New Class The BMW New Class (german: Neue Klasse) was a line of sedans and coupes produced by German automaker BMW between 1962 and 1977. These models ensured BMW's solvency after the company's financial crisis of the 1950s and established the identity of ...

2000TI. In the six-hour "''Großer Preis der Tourenwagen''" on 3 July 1966, an

Alfa Romeo GTA The Alfa Romeo GTA is a coupé automobile manufactured by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1965 to 1971. It was made for racing (Corsa) and road use (Stradale). Giulia GTA In 1962, the successor for the very popular Giulietta series w ...

had lowered the

Nürburgring The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around the village a ...

touring car race lap record to 10:08.9. A month later, in a support race for the

1966 German Grand Prix The 1966 German Grand Prix was a mixed Formula One and Formula Two motor race held at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on 7 August 1966. It was race 6 of 9 in both the 1966 World Championship of Drivers and the 1966 International Cup for Formula On ...

, Hahne was the first to lap the Nürburgring in under 10 minutes in a touring car, in 9:58.5.''In touring car racing in the early 1960s, Hubert Hahne sets the highlights for BMW. Hahne, who was born on 28th March 1935 in Moers on Rhine, quickly discovers his passion for motor racing and in 1963 celebrates his first major success behind the wheel of a BMW 700, winning the European Touring Car Cup.'' ''The following year, Hahne dominates the German Circuit Championship with a BMW 1800Ti. By the end of the season he has won an impressive 14 of the 16-round season. His most successful year, however, is yet to come: In 1966, he wins another European Championship and, with a BMW 2000Ti, he masters the challenge of the “Green Hell” in 9:58.5 minutes, thus being the first touring car driver to lap the Nürburgring in less than ten minutes. Furthermore, he wins the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race with Jacky Ickx.'' ''In 1966 and the following years, Hahne also successfully contests Formula 2 and establishes two world records at Monza. In 1969, he finishes runner-up in the European Formula 2 Championship and enters several Formula One races. One year later, in 1970, the man who now resides in Italy, ends his motor racing career.'' - https://web.archive.org/web/20100204052743/http://bmw-motorsport.com/ms/en/fascination/history/bmw_touring/heroes/index.html%27%27 BMW F2, 4-Zyl

On the old and very long Nürburgring, Formula Two cars occasionally had their own race alongside the Formula One cars in the same events to fill the field, which provided other drivers like Kurt Ahrens Jr.,

Gerhard Mitter Gerhard Karl Mitter (30 August 1935 – 1 August 1969) was a German Formula One and sportscar driver. Early life and career Mitter was born in Schönlinde (Krásná Lípa) in Czechoslovakia, but his family was expelled from there, to Leonberg ...

and

Dieter Quester Dieter Quester (born 30 May 1939 in Vienna) is an active touring car racing driver from Austria. Dieter has participated in 53 24-Hour Races. He competed in a single Formula One race in which he finished ninth. Starting with motorboats in the 1950 ...

the opportunity to enter the

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...

. As the Formula Two section was counted separately, the drivers could not score World Championship points. Hahne participated in the

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

and

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

German Grands Prix in the special Formula Two sections of those events, but withdrew before the start of the 1969 event due to the fatal accident suffered by his team-mate Gerhard Mitter. For his true Formula One debut at the 1967 German Grand Prix, Hahne drove a Formula Two Lola chassis fitted with a 2-litre 16 valve BMW engine, thus qualifying the drive for Formula One. The BMW factory were allowed to run this to give some national encouragement. He retired on lap 7 with suspension failure. The following year he finished 10th in the same car. Hahne got himself a

March 701 The March 701 is a Formula One racing car model, designed by Robin Herd with Peter Wright, and built by March Engineering. The 701 was March's first Formula One design – following their one-off March 693P Formula Three prototype of 1969 – ...

for 1970, but could not qualify for the

1970 German Grand Prix The 1970 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Hockenheimring on 2 August 1970. It was race 8 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 50-lap race ...

which was held at the

Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it has h ...

that year. Hahne claimed that chassis and engine were among the worst of the many March and Cosworth delivered that year.

Ronnie Peterson Bengt Ronnie Peterson (; 14 February 1944 – 11 September 1978) was a Swedish racing driver. Known by the nickname 'SuperSwede', he was a two-time runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Peterson began his motor racing care ...

showed later at

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and ...

that this very car could reach adequate times, and Hahne retired from racing.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

( key)

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20060522051555/http://bmw-motorsport.com/ms/en/fascination/history/bmw_touring/heroes/index.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20060220041357/http://www.autocoursegpa.com/driver~driver_id~11791.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20060627021546/http://www.john-w.de/bmwf2/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Hahne, Hubert 1935 births 2019 deaths German racing drivers German Formula One drivers People from Moers Sportspeople from Düsseldorf (region) European Formula Two Championship drivers Lamborghini people Racing drivers from North Rhine-Westphalia BMW (1950s–60s) Formula One drivers Tyrrell Formula One drivers European Touring Car Championship drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers