Günter "Bobby" Klass (13 June 1936 in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
– 22 July 1967 near
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
) was a versatile
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
, competing in
hillclimbing
Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the firs ...
,
rallying
Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...
, and the
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing series run for sports car racing, sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), from 1953 World Sportscar Championship, 1953 t ...
as factory driver for
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
and the
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "the Pranc ...
.
Career
Günter Klass's career began in the early 1960s. In
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
, Klass took part in a World Sportscar Championship event, the
1000 km Nürburgring, in which he and
Sepp Greger shared a factory-entered
Porsche 356
The Porsche 356 is a rear-engine sports car, and the first ever production Porsche model.
The 356 is a lightweight and nimble-handling, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door available both in hardtop coupé and open configurations. Engineer ...
B Carrera Abarth GTL. In rallying, e.g., at Wiesbaden, he entered driving a private Porsche 356 B Carrera 2, with
Rolf Wütherich as co-driver. Wütherich, a Porsche mechanic, had also been co-driver for
James Dean
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...
, and was serving in that capacity during Dean's fatal car crash. Wütherich was badly injured in the incident.
In
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
, Klass continued to enter road races, sometimes representing the factory and sometimes with private entries. At the time, Porsche's cars had a maximum capacity of 2000 cc and were considered to be underdogs in major events. At the
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo, Sicily, Palermo. Founded in 1906 Targa Florio, 1906, it was the oldest sports car ra ...
, Klass and
Jochen Neerpasch finished seventh, with veteran racer and team manager
Fritz Huschke von Hanstein having been entered in the same car, without competing. On 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 motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
, Klass/Greger finished fifteenth overall and third in their class. In the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
for automobiles, Klass/Wütherich finished fourth after 2200 km in a factory-entered new
Porsche 904, while at the
1000 km of Paris at
Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...
, he and
Robert Buchet did not finish while driving a privately entered car of the same type.
In the
1965 World Sportscar Championship season Klass was entered into races several times by Porsche, which had not yet started the ambitious race program that would lead to the development of the
917. Klass did not finish the race in
Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
, but ranked fifth both in
Sebring and at the Targa Florio, and came in sixth place at Nürburgring. A Porsche 904 of the Swiss team
Scuderia Filipinetti
Scuderia Filipinetti (also French name ''Ecurie Filipinetti'') was a Switzerland, Swiss motor racing team that competed in sports car racing and occasionally in Formula One between 1962 and 1973. It was founded by Georges Filipinetti (1907-1973) t ...
carried Klass to a sixth-place finish at the
Schauinsland
The Schauinsland (literally "look-into-the-country"; near Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany) is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of above sea level. It is a popular destination for day trips. Due to the high amount of silver mining, ...
hillclimb in Germany.
In 1966, he became a
European rallying champion driving a
Porsche 911R.
Vic Elford
Victor Henry Elford (10 June 1935 – 13 March 2022) was an English sports car racing, rallying, and Formula One driver. He participated in 13 World Championship F1 Grands Prix, debuting on 7 July 1968. He scored a total of 8 championship poin ...
, competing in the
Rally Corsica, drove a second 911 given to him by
Huschke von Hanstein, Porsche's man in charge of racing. Elford later recalled that the service van provided by Porsche contained only wheels and tires, and no spare parts at all, and that he complained about the lack. Hanstein, however, assured him that, ''“Porsches, even rally-prepared Porsches, simply don't break.”''
The
same year, Porsche, under
Ferdinand Piëch, started a serious effort toward improving their sports car racing and developed the new
Porsche 906. At the
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo, Sicily, Palermo. Founded in 1906 Targa Florio, 1906, it was the oldest sports car ra ...
, Klass was selected to drive the special hill climb 906 with the 2200 cc, eight-cylinder engine that was derived from the 1962 F1-winning
Porsche 804. He duly put the 270 bhp car on pole, his only pole in WSC races, one second ahead of the much more powerful 12-cylinder
Ferrari 330P3 driven by Sicily's local heroes,
Nino Vaccarella and
Lorenzo Bandini
Lorenzo Bandini (21 December 1935 – 10 May 1967) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Bandini won the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix with Ferrari. In endurance racing, Bandini won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in , as w ...
.
After battling the Ferrari's drivers while it was “raining the proverbial pushrods”, Klass reclaimed the lead lost by his ill teammate
Colin Davis
Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom ...
. Soon after, however, he brushed with Porsche teammate
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 Expulsion of Germans after World W ...
who, with a standard 2000 cc six-cylinder version, had set the fastest
race lap, and both drivers were out of the race. With three factory Porsches now out due to crashes, the possible 1-2-3 triumph was lost, a disappointment for which Klass seems to have received the lion's share of blame from Zuffenhausen. Klass raced twice more for Porsche, in major races Nürburgring and Le Mans,
[ at the latter of which Klass and ]Rolf Stommelen
Rolf Johann Stommelen (; 11 July 1943 – 24 April 1983) was a German racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing, Stommelen was a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona with Porsche.
Stommelen participated in ...
won the 2000 cc sports car class. Klass also raced for Porsche at the first Grosser Preis von Hockenheim at the new Hockenheimring
The Hockenheimring, officially 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 mot ...
. This event only counted in the small classes towards the World Sportscar Championship, and in the absence of major competition, Porsche gave three factory-entered 906Es to the local hero drivers from Stuttgart, Hans Herrmann, 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 Expulsion of Germans after World W ...
, and Klass, with several private 906s, driven by Udo Schütz, Jo Bonnier and others, completing the parade. Klass clocked his only WSC fastest lap in that slipstream battle.
At Ferrari
In 1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
, after being a factory driver for Porsche for several years, Klass moved to Ferrari. The season opener at Daytona saw a 1-2-3 triumph of the Italian 12cyl prototypes, which was commemorated by the naming of the Ferrari Daytona
The Ferrari Daytona is a two-seat grand tourer produced by Ferrari from 1968 to 1973. It was introduced at the Mondial de l'Automobile, Paris Auto Salon in 1968 to replace the Ferrari 275, 275 GTB/4, and featured the 275's Ferrari Colombo engine ...
. Klass drove a V6 Dino 206 S shared with Herbert Müller, but the car's suspension failed in the banked corners. The Scuderia skipped Sebring, while the factory Fords were absent at the 1000 km Monza
The 6 Hours of Monza (formerly the 1,000 Kilometres of Monza and known after 1966 as the Trofeo Filippo Caracciolo) is an endurance race, mainly for sports cars, which is held at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy.
Overview
...
, as they focused on the American races and the prestigious 24 Hours at Le Mans. Ferrari won at Monza, although Klass did not get to drive in the race because the Dino engine failed early, while Jonathan Williams was still at the wheel. The 1000 km Spa
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (formerly the 1000 Kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps) is an endurance race for sports cars held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
History
The Spa 24 Hours had been introduced in 1924, and other races ...
occurred only a week later on a similar high speed rack, and the Scuderia remained absent.
At the Targa, Porsche challenged Ferrari again on their home soil. In the first long lap of the Sicilian mountain roads, Mitter's 8-cylinder Porsche 910 Introduction
The Porsche 910 or Carrera 10 is a prototype race car built by Porsche in 1966 and 1967. It is preceded by the Porsche 906 and followed by the Porsche 907 and Porsche 908. The chassis is a steel space frame design covered by a li ...
, Klass in the factory Dino, and the Vaccarella/Scarfiotti 330P4 crashed out. After the private 330P3/4 of Müller and the privately entered Dinos also succumbed or were outpaced, three Porsches took the podium.
By now, it was obvious that Ferrari was finding it difficult to provide competitive and reliable cars both for Formula 1 and sports car racing. They were facing challenges in the big sports car category from the Ford GT40 program, and in the small 2000cc category from Porsche. In addition, Bandini died after being trapped under his 312F1 in Monte Carlo and suffering burns. The Nürburgring event was held only two weeks before Le Mans, and as the bumpy track favored nimble cars anyway, the factory big-bangers of Ford and Ferrari remained absent. The Scuderia equipped Klass' Dino with the 2400cc V6 previously used by Bandini in F1, but that engine did not survive the practice session.
For the all-important Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
event, the Scuderia entered four Ferrari 330P4s, backed by two private 330P3/4s. The car driven by Klass and Peter Sutcliffe
Peter William Sutcliffe (2 June 1946 – 13 November 2020), also known as Peter Coonan, was an English serial killer who was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attempting to murder seven others between 1975 and 1980. He was du ...
, (the #19 P4: chassis #0860), ended in the 19th hour, after 296 laps, when the 12-cylinder engine failed. Ford prevailed with a 7-litre Mk. IV ahead of two P4s.
Death
On Saturday 22 July 1967, Klass was killed on the then-66 km-long road course Circuito del Mugello while practicing in the T-car, the hill climb Dino 206 S (Chassis 0842). His car went off the road on the downhill from Giogo Pass to Firenzuola and burst into flames when it crashed into a tree on the right (driver's) side. Klass was trapped behind the steering wheel and suffered fatal chest and internal injuries. Rescuers were able to free him from the burning Ferrari and transported him by helicopter to Careggi Hospital in Florence, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Ferrari retired not only the race car (Dino 206 S Chassis 010, #19) Klass would have shared with Jonathan Williams, but also the factory Dino of Ludovico Scarfiotti and Vaccarella.
External links
* motorsportmemorial.org
Günther Klass
* pilotosmuertos.es
* racing-database.com
Günter Klass
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klass, Guenter
1936 births
1967 deaths
German racing drivers
European Rally Championship drivers
Racing drivers who died while racing
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
Racing drivers from Stuttgart
Sport deaths in Italy
World Sportscar Championship drivers
Porsche Motorsports drivers