Hans Klenk

Hans Klenk
  • Surname
    Klenk
  • First name
    Hans
  • Date of birth
    28.10.1919
  • Date of death
    24.03.2009

Born in Künzelsau in Hohenlohe, Klenk began gliding at the age of 11 in his hometown of Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental. Under the impression of his personal contacts with the aircraft designer Willy Messerschmitt, he gave up his original career aspiration of becoming a surgeon and started studying aircraft and automotive engineering in Munich. During the Second World War, Klenk was deployed as a fighter pilot.

In the early 1950s, he founded a design office in Stuttgart and produced sports cars in small series using BMW components. From the spring of 1951, he competed in national circuit races in his Meteor racing cars with considerable success, and in 1952 he was allowed to compete for Mercedes-Benz in one of the three new 300 SL racing cars entered for Le Mans. The marathon stage ended with a double victory for Mercedes-Benz, but the number 22 car driven by Karl Kling and Hans Klenk retired with damage to the alternator.

Klenk also took part in the other endurance races of 1952, the Mille Miglia and the Carrera Panamericana, as co-driver for Mercedes-Benz works driver Karl Kling. The Mexican road race resulted in another one-two for Mercedes-Benz, not least thanks to Klenk's meticulous track record. Before that, however, Klenk suffered in the legendary vulture episode when one of these birds of prey smashed through the windscreen of the 300 SL and hit him in the face along with shards and splinters, but only causing minor injuries.

An accident during a training run at the Nürburgring ended Klenk's racing career in July 1953. He narrowly escaped death, but was left with a walking disability. He found a new professional future at Continental Gummiwerke Hannover, where he first worked as a racing service manager and then as head of public relations until his retirement.

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