Camille Jenatzy

Born in Schaerbeek, not far from Brussels, Jenatzy was one of the most successful racing drivers from the early days of motorsport. Because of his red beard and daring, sometimes risky driving style, he was nicknamed the "Red Devil". In 1899, Jenatzy became the first person to break the 100 km/h barrier with his electric vehicle "La Jamais Contente". He joined the Mercedes racing team in 1903 and won the Gordon Bennett race in Ireland that year in a 60 hp Mercedes Simplex. The Mercedes 90 hp racing cars originally prepared for this event had fallen victim to the major fire at the Daimler factory on the Seelberg in Cannstatt three weeks earlier.

The following year, in the next edition of this race held around Homburg vor der Höhe, Jenatzy was once again the best driver for the Mercedes team, but finished second behind the Frenchman Thery driving a Richard-Brasier. in 1909, the daring Belgian set a world record over 500 metres in a performance-enhanced Mercedes racing car based on the Grand Prix model on the beach at Ostend, reaching a speed of 180 km/h. Four years later, Jenatzy was killed in a tragic hunting accident in the Belgian Ardennes.