Fritz Riess

The Nuremberg native, whose name is also spelled "Rieß" in numerous sources, was one of the most successful German drivers in the period immediately after the Second World War. Initially, he entered motorbike racing for the Nuremberg Victoria-Werke AG, but switched to four wheels from 1949. Coming from a wealthy family, Riess acquired two new Veritas and AFM racing cars for the 1950 season, with which he excelled in numerous racing events.

His performance at the Eifel Race at the Nürburgring attracted particular attention this year, where he won both the 2-litre sports car class and the racing car class. Riess won the German championship for sports cars up to 2 litres capacity this year and received the Golden Motorsport Badge.

The 1951 season brought the Nuremberg driver further good placings, for example at the Schauinsland near Freiburg, at Hockenheim and at the Grenzlandring. He won on the Dessau motorway circuit as well as at the Eifel race, where he defeated the veteran Toni Ulmen in the sports car category after a fierce battle.

After extensive testing in Monza, the private driver from Nuremberg was appointed to the revived Mercedes-Benz works team by Alfred Neubauer in 1952. There, in his first outing in the newly developed 300 SL racing sports car, at the Prize of Bern for sports cars, he took third place behind his team-mates Karl Kling and Hermann Lang.

Riess experienced the greatest triumph of his career alongside Hermann Lang as the winner of the Le Mans 24-hour race, also in one of the new 300 SL racing sports cars. Riess's career as a Mercedes-Benz works driver came to an end with a third place in the Nürburgring Jubilee Grand Prix for sports cars. in 1953, he still competed in a few sports car races driving Alfa Romeo, but soon withdrew from the sport for professional and family reasons.