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An article from Der Spiegel (original article in German) with Willi Kauhsen about the time he took then West German President Gustav Heinemann for a lap of a snowy Nürburgring:
Magical Moments "On the brink of powerlessness"
Willi Kauhsen, 77, from Aachen about his ride in a racing car with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Gustav Heinemann as co-driver
SPIEGEL: You drove on the 3rd of April 1973 with Gustav Heinemann at the Nürburgring. You were a well known racing driver at the time - how did that happen?
Kauhsen: At the beginning of February somebody from Bonn (former capitol city of West-Germany) called me and asked: "Well, the President, who wishes to be ridden a lap over the Nürburgring in the strongest racing car in the world - you, can we do that?"
SPIEGEL: The ring was a mountain and valley route for about 22 kilometers and was considered highly dangerous. It was extremely risky to drive there in the Porsche 917, which was called "Monster" because of its 1000 hp.
Kauhsen: At the time, I also worked as a test driver at Porsche. I had covered many thousands of kilometers with this car. And I knew the Nürburgring from many races. It was also not about driving with the Heinemann in record time. The car's acceleration was so insane that anyone who did not know it was on the verge of fainting.
SPIEGEL: So you suspected Heinemann would be easy to impress.
Kauhsen: Yes. I did not have to do anything wild.
SPIEGEL: However, there was an unexpected problem: The night before there was a onset of winter. Did Heinemann get scared?
Kauhsen: Not him, but everyone else. When the whole delegation rolled up, Hilda Heinemann, his wife, asked: "Herr Kauhsen, is not that too dangerous?" I answered: "Only at two or three places will there be snow, so I drive carefully."
SPIEGEL: What did Heinemann himself mean?
Kauhsen: He was happy and beamed at me. He did not want to hear about concerns.
SPIEGEL: How did the wintry trip start?
Kauhsen: First a team car drove to the track to see if there are terrorists. With police officers left and right on the running boards, heavily armed. Heinemann got a helmet and sat next to me with suit and coat. Then we started.
SPIEGEL: Did the ride go smoothly?
Kauhsen: It was thawing, and indeed: at first everything was free. But suddenly I saw the crew car lying in the ditch. The police walked around and collected their submachine guns. I made an emergency stop - and the car spinned around.
SPIEGEL: Was Heinemann feeling queasy at the same time?
Kauhsen: I looked at him, he gave a thumbs-up.
From the german News magazine „Der Spiegel“ 14. January 2017
Willi Kauhsen managed a Lap time with Dr. Heinemann in the Porsche and a snowy Nürburgring around 12:30.
A lap in dry conditions at this time was around 7:30 and around 8:30 in the wet.
In the evening there was a Dinner for Dr. Heinemann near the Nürburgring. The President was looking around to have a chat with Kauhsen, but Kauhsen was at this time back home in Aachen. Nobody invited him to the dinner with the President.
From Facebook
Magical Moments "On the brink of powerlessness"
Willi Kauhsen, 77, from Aachen about his ride in a racing car with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Gustav Heinemann as co-driver
SPIEGEL: You drove on the 3rd of April 1973 with Gustav Heinemann at the Nürburgring. You were a well known racing driver at the time - how did that happen?
Kauhsen: At the beginning of February somebody from Bonn (former capitol city of West-Germany) called me and asked: "Well, the President, who wishes to be ridden a lap over the Nürburgring in the strongest racing car in the world - you, can we do that?"
SPIEGEL: The ring was a mountain and valley route for about 22 kilometers and was considered highly dangerous. It was extremely risky to drive there in the Porsche 917, which was called "Monster" because of its 1000 hp.
Kauhsen: At the time, I also worked as a test driver at Porsche. I had covered many thousands of kilometers with this car. And I knew the Nürburgring from many races. It was also not about driving with the Heinemann in record time. The car's acceleration was so insane that anyone who did not know it was on the verge of fainting.
SPIEGEL: So you suspected Heinemann would be easy to impress.
Kauhsen: Yes. I did not have to do anything wild.
SPIEGEL: However, there was an unexpected problem: The night before there was a onset of winter. Did Heinemann get scared?
Kauhsen: Not him, but everyone else. When the whole delegation rolled up, Hilda Heinemann, his wife, asked: "Herr Kauhsen, is not that too dangerous?" I answered: "Only at two or three places will there be snow, so I drive carefully."
SPIEGEL: What did Heinemann himself mean?
Kauhsen: He was happy and beamed at me. He did not want to hear about concerns.
SPIEGEL: How did the wintry trip start?
Kauhsen: First a team car drove to the track to see if there are terrorists. With police officers left and right on the running boards, heavily armed. Heinemann got a helmet and sat next to me with suit and coat. Then we started.
SPIEGEL: Did the ride go smoothly?
Kauhsen: It was thawing, and indeed: at first everything was free. But suddenly I saw the crew car lying in the ditch. The police walked around and collected their submachine guns. I made an emergency stop - and the car spinned around.
SPIEGEL: Was Heinemann feeling queasy at the same time?
Kauhsen: I looked at him, he gave a thumbs-up.
From the german News magazine „Der Spiegel“ 14. January 2017
Willi Kauhsen managed a Lap time with Dr. Heinemann in the Porsche and a snowy Nürburgring around 12:30.
A lap in dry conditions at this time was around 7:30 and around 8:30 in the wet.
In the evening there was a Dinner for Dr. Heinemann near the Nürburgring. The President was looking around to have a chat with Kauhsen, but Kauhsen was at this time back home in Aachen. Nobody invited him to the dinner with the President.
From Facebook
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