My first contact with motorsport was going to races on the Salzburgring in Austria, where stars like Jochen Rindt, Nicki Lauda were still racing in Formula SuperV, Formula 2, etc.  Starting from there it became my dream!

BUT - no money - no car - no races!

So initially an old VW Beetle had to be converted for racing - the so-called

"Stock Cars" - used on oval tracks in the US and also used in the US military bases in Germany. The first experience - I was very quick, but also very quick with rollovers and major crashes!

Now it was time to follow Jochen Rindt's footsteps. Apart from the fact that I would have better tried to become a basketball player with my height of 194 cm, I continued my dream :). This was to race a "single seater" and I took the chance when a german Motorsport Magazine announced following:

Young racing drivers sighting in Zolder - the prize for the 10 best drivers is a free "Formula Vee" course in Zolder! 120 applicants paid for & were invited including me. Outcome: 2nd placed behind a Frenchman who later made it into Super V and furtehr on! For me the dream ended here - no money - no car!

Take a look at the cars & the racing suits :) ... Winter jacket, no seat belts, steel frame, steel rims, VW Beetle suspension, ... basically a Beetle weighing 380 kg & a sport for young people commited to suicide! ... BUT VERY FAST !!!

During a home vacation in AUstria, I visited a run for the Austrian

"Auto Cross Championship" and discovered my next steps in motorsport very quickly! The money was no more a showstopper as you can't buy such cars - you had to design & build them yourself! That was "cheap" and my entry into single seater racing!

Many months of work, sleeping in the rented garage and endless technical problems (self-made out of ignorance and experience of others ) finally brought my first racing car to live! Frame, fairing, steering engine, gearbox, rims, electrics, etc ... everything done myself! ... I was very proud of that!

1st race = 2nd place, 2nd race 1st place.

With the success and the meanwhile "unbreakable self-confidence" to be the best racing driver ever born, I decided to take the next step -

the Auto Cross Europe Championship!

First step: A lighter, faster vehicle was to be built - a new single-seater. Apart from a broken front suspension in the first race due to a "too light construction" :) - the car immediately proved potential and being a very competitive vehicle, which gave me the overall victory right away in Spain.

The championship ended in 3rd place due to 2 missed races and some "massive" newcomer mistakes, which ended in rollovers and pointless (DNF) races!

A change in my job ended my auto cross activities when my employer wanted me to work in Saudi Arabia for a few years. In Saudi I also took my first steps on a motorcycle because apart from sailing and "dune driving" there weren't many leisure activities available.

A SUZUKI RM125 should help me to get used to riding bikes! With a few friends I tried to beat the sand & dunes for the first time! In contrast, sand stretches in Europe are highways :) Desert is something completely different!  

Back from Saudi Arabia I followed my decision made long back and to race in the ultimate CUP Races of the Renault 5 Cup

But one day I was cleverly maneuvered by my brother-in-law in a completely different direction! He invited me to visit an MX race in Germany. Exidently for my brother in law there also was a"MX Sidecar Race" which I had never seen or heard about before and I was was immediately overwhelmed!

3 laps after the start, I said to myself: It's like driving a car - I can do this!

3 days later I bought a sidecar & went on a MX track with my brother-in-law as a co-driver , which lasted for 3 years.

Some very exciting races & arguably the toughest sport I've ever done till that date. 1000cc Yamaha engine! Weight & handling like a "Military Tank!

And once again me and my family  went abroad to support the Kuwaiti Ministries in their IT activities - sent off there by my employer IBM.

It was there that I got to know my later best and long-time friends Ottmar & Josef, who both were actively involved in rallye car racing.

With these two I probably spent more time in the GARAGE than ever before in my life - a drama for my wife :) !! ?? * !!

4th place in the Kuwait International Rally with a Nissan 240RS was the best result achieved. With another Austrian driver - "FRISI" I recorded my first rollover in a VW Rallye Beetle from Oettinger Motorsports! Another new experience :)

But now it was time for a hobby that took less time ... the karts are small and handy - an easy hobby and not much work & time to be wasted?

I had one frame with 2 engines imported from the UK & off we went - at least that's what I thought? But that was a very serious mistake!  A kart consumes a lot more time than anything else I've ever tried before!

My wife almost went crazy with me ** X!

The participation in the Kuwait Championship & International Races in the United Arab Emirates was simply too much again and the family came to short again!

Back from Kuwait, I joined a German sidecar team that took part in the German and the world championship.

Sidecar Team Klaus & Thomas Weinmann. These guys were already quite successful and now also took on the fight for the World Cup. We hoped that I & a Berlin engine specialist could provide a little more speed for them. I also think that we did it pretty well & the brothers took 1st place in the DM and 3rd place in the World Cup! Furthermore, later still 2nd place in the World Series. Not bad for "privateers" who had to work all alone for the financing & logistics! I was just one teath in the gearbox but the experience and friends I made over the years have been priceless!

Because of the follow-up from a good friend, I switched to another

Sidecar Team Dierolf / Baur, which also competed in German & at World Cup races.

The motorcycles used at that time were the WASP Yamaha and the world-famous 'EML Jumbo Team' ==> a 2-stroke / 2-cylinder 'Power BANK'.

Unfortunately, the team split up after some time for family reasons, which ruined the chances of possible championships.

Another business stay in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi & Dubai) finally made me "addicted to the desert". Every week I spent 2 days in the desert - one by car & another by motorcycle. Soon I started various Baja races together with my son. Since my son also competed in the UAE MX Championship, there wasn't much time left for other sporting activities. I still dream of those days - great weather, freedom, etc. - what are we doing here in Germany with the constant rain?
 

And then it really started to get tought! As I got older, I wanted to test my rallying skills on the advice of a friend. The age spoke in favor ( experience, endurance, etc ...)

After a lot of thought and various "cool & embarrassing sayings" from my wife, I started my first rally in 2000.

Amazed at the results of the first stages (P10 overall), there was no question of continuing this sport!  

In 2004 I returned to Germany for the first time and there I fully concentrated on my son's activities - IGE, GCC, MX, etc ...

But over the years I couldn't really deal with the weather and many other things in Europe - I guess I had become half a Bedouin & I just missed the freedom.

Out of this I had choosen to return to Dubai in 2005 to work for a friend. Actually just wanted to enjoy the desert a little, drive a few beach races & explore the deserts by car.

BUT shortly before my final return to Germany I was gripped again. and I decided to do the UAE Desert Challange one more time. "At the age of 63".

Back in Germany in 2014 I competed in a few endurance races before I had to realize that hard ground & predefined racetracks do not suit my purpose! In the desert you choose the track and the path yourself - in the forest this is not possible :) - the trees always were botherring me!

To put it briefly ==> I started learning from scratch & never really managed to come to terms with it. Still it was fun & I even managed the prologue at the Erzberg, the prologue at the 111 MEGAWATT & some ednuro rides with a few mountains in the Piedmont ... :)