Rudolf Heydel (1912-1936)

[sebbbl]

Hello everybody,

I've been living in Leipzig for some years now and did a lot of research on the Leipzig racetrack from the 1950s. But there's one thing that I only managed to do today. I went to the Südfriedhof cemetery - one of Germany's largest right next to the famous Monument to the Battle of the Nations to see the grave of Auto Unions junior-driver from 1935/1936. He was born in Leipzig and died in Monza.

An interesting article on Heydel's testing accident.


The main-building of the cemetery.


The nearby Monument to the Battle of the Nations from the cemetery.


The grave itself.


Father and son.


A plate from the Auto Union team.

Bernd Rosemeyer's car after catching fire during the Tunis GP, 1936. He survived uninjured:
http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/images/Benhuset/images/scans/cla ... emeyer.jpg

This is Rudolf Heydel's fatal Wreck from Monza 1936...

Regards, sebbbl

[PTRACER]

Thank you! Is it possible to do a translation of the section that describes the accident?

Motorsport Memorial's description:

The promising Heydel was invited by the Auto Union team to Monza, where the three new recruits were to be given further training on an Auto Union Grand Prix Rennwagen Typ B. On Tuesday, 04 February 1936 morning, the veteran Stuck, who also was at the track, warmed the car up. Then Rudolf Heydel took the wheel and started his first run, pressing out at terrific speed. On his third lap the inexperienced driver lost control of the car on the approach to the Vialone bend (now called "Ascari Chicane"). The car struck the barrier, spilling its fuel which ignited and set the car ablaze. The car was totally wrecked and Rudolf Heydel was killed on the spot.

Only 25 years old, still so young.

Anyway, I'm wondering if MM's description of the location is accurate. The Vialone bend for the 1936 Italian GP:



The chicanes look temporary, so perhaps they weren't there for testing and it was a flat out left-hander. I think from 0:39, you see the left hander which was halfway down towards the Parabolica, and took the cars back onto the banking:



So going back to the aftermath photo posted in your article sebbbl, it's more likely he lost control of the car halfway round the Vialone bend rather than on the entry.

[erwin greven]

In sebbbl's article it reads that the car ended 200 meters away from the chicane. I don't know if this is accurate.

[Andy]

The backstraight was farther away back then and the "Parabolica" was a full 180° turn , occasionally with a chicane in the apex. Only when the new oval was introduced ('in early 50s i believe) the parabolica as we know it today was built. I believe there is an old road in the oval infield that traces along the old pre 50s backstraight. the name of the 180 was curva poca or porca , not sure
The difference can be seen very good in guido de carli`s tracks around the world library. Looking up links but can`t promise anything

edit: Found it - follow the link and scroll down the site a bit. There are a couple overlays of the different layout traces since 1922
http://www.gdecarli.it/php/circuit.php?var1=538&var2=1

[PTRACER]

Oh wow, that's new to me. You can still see the old back straight on Google Maps lined with trees, just like in the photo in sebbbl's article.

This seems to be it on the gdecarli site:

[erwin greven]

[Jesper Hvid]

Thanks a lot for your contribution. Another case of "won't download" for me, tho, as in the Bandini-angle. It's no use clicking on the relevant buttons.

[PTRACER]

Great! That must have been taken after 1954 Erwin, you can see the two curves at the bottom left of the picture which were used for the 1949-1954 Italian GP. I was confused how the banking could be sitting on top, but I now understand that the oval circuit used until 1938 was longer and you can actually see the old banking below the 'new' banked turn just above where it says 'Autodromo'.

You can see the old banked south curve (including the chicane) from about 2m06s on here:



It wasn't anywhere near as steep.

[PTRACER]

Thanks a lot for your contribution. Another case of "won't download" for me, tho, as in the Bandini-angle. It's no use clicking on the relevant buttons.

Jesper:

http://img4.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads ... mwfzdu.jpg
http://img4.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads ... 0uxk2m.jpg

[erwin greven]

The old Vedano circuit is very good visible. The curva poca which was the predecessor of the parabolica is barely noticeable.

[PTRACER]

The old Vedano circuit is very good visible. The curva poca which was the predecessor of the parabolica is barely noticeable.

Apparently it's the very faint line in the grass to the north of the new Parabolica. By this image (1960s? 1970s?), the Vedano circuit has begun to fade completely and the old banking can just be made out by a groove in the trees:



If you look at the Google Maps you can see there's nothing left of the Vedano circuit except the start of the home straight and whatever was left of the old banking has been swallowed by the trees.

[sebbbl]

I'll do a quick translation today in the evening.

Here's an article by David McKinney from AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum → TNF's Archive which he posted in 2002.

No announcement on 1936 Auto Union driving personnel was made before the annual try-out for new drivers at the Nürburgring in November 1935. Among those invited to show their talents this time was 23-year-old Ernst von Delius, who had started with small BMWs five years before and, after showing further promise at the wheel of a Monza Alfa in 1934, had proved virtually unbeatable in this year's German sportscar events with a 2-litre BMW. Also given a chance were 25-year-old Ulrich Bigalke and 29-year-old Rudolf Hasse, both of whom had also done well in cross-country trials and sportscar races. Hahn and Simons were also reappraised, the latter following a nice letter from Dr Goebbels reminding the Auto Union management of the Bugatti driver's work for the Party...
In addition there were the usual motorcyclists - and why not, after Rosemeyer's spectacular transition from two wheels to four? The gentlemen in question this year were Arthur Geiss and 28-year-old Ernst Loof.
And finally came two company employees, Rudolf Heydel and one Scheeff. Heydel, a Horch test driver, had apparently been loaned to Stuck as a chauffeur at one stage during the year, and so impressed the Bergmeister that he had promised to put in a word for him.
Stuck's judgement proved sound indeed when it was Heydel who ended up fastest of all in the Nordschleife test, with a time of 11min 11.3sec. Then came von Delius at 11'20.0, Scheeff at 11'24.2, Hasse at 11'29.1 and Simons at 11'29.3 - these five all being inside the best time set in the previous year's trial. Hahn had an accident though - he was not invited back a third time.
In February Auto Union announced that Varzi, Stuck and Prince zu Leiningen would form the 1936 team, but that was presumably to hurry Rosemeyer into signing a contract, for by the time the season started the ex-motorcyclist's name had indeed replaced that of Leiningen who, gratefully it seems, went back into retirement. Junior team driver Pietsch meanwhile announced his retirement from racing, on "personal grounds", his motivation no doubt having something to do with the fact that his wife had run off with Varzi. Pietsch did in fact return to the international arena after a year's absence and, after some particularly fine drives in Maseratis, was invited to join Mercedes for 1940.
Also in February (1936), Heydel, von Delius and the bespectacled Hasse were confirmed as members of a "junior team" for the year (management apparently had reservations about Scheeff's attitude).
Then it was off to Monza, where the three new recruits were to be given further training. Stuck warmed the car up, then Heydel took it out. One lap, two laps - he never completed the third. The inexperienced Heydel lost control of the difficult car on one of Monza's fast curves, crashed it and was killed.

[sebbbl]

Here's my quick translation in notes:


The course of death in the park of Monza.
Diary of a mechanic of the Auto Union racing team.

- Rudolf Heydel - test driver for the Horch car brand
- he was young, humorous, cheerful and popular in the factory

- he passed the young drivers test at the Nürburgring in November '35
- the team decided to give him a 2nd testing-opportunity in Italy in early '36
- Monza is the venue of the Italian GP
- the track is dangerous and demanding

- it was february; an early spring day; still snow on the Alps in the distance
- the Auto Union team arrived with two race cars
- it all occured on 4 February between 3 and 4 PM

- the machanics were having fun with Heydel in the pits
- Hans Stuck and Rudolf Hasse did their laps
- Stuck stopped at the pits and Heydel took over the car
- Heydel was wearing his lightblue cap
- Stuck said that everything is OK with the car
- Stuck gave some adivce and cautioned him against the two dangerous chicanes
- Heydel waved to the machanics and drove off

- he wanted to to 10 laps
- the mechanics were chatting at the pits with the empty grandstand opposit
- he did two courageous laps
- the sound of the engine could be heard through the whole park

- suddenly there was a thump in the distance; a loud and eery noice and then dead silence
- everybody knew that sound
- the mechanics rushed to the available car (one Horch and one Wanderer) and drove towards the accident

- they saw the torn up hay bail of the chicane
- no race car in sight

- some 50m further there were black skids (signs of breaking) on the road
- the car went through a hedge on the left side of the circuit
- it hit againt some roots which hurled the car into the air
- upside down the car hit a 50cm concrete wall next to the track
- they saw the skullcap, scalp and the brain on that wall (!)
- the car ejected the driver and finally came to rest 10m in the forest, 200m from the chicane
- Heydel was badly injured: torn up shoulder and with a "half head"
- the wreck burned, black smoke went through the air
- everybody was numb, some mechanics cried

- there was a lying in repose in a mortuary in Monza
- the body was made up ("the empty head was filled")
- his parent flew from Leipzig to Milan
- Tazio Nuvolari lay down a wreath

[sebbbl]

That should be they way of the car...

[PTRACER]

- suddenly there was a thump in the distance; a loud and eery noice and then dead silence
- everybody knew that sound
- the mechanics rushed to the available car (one Horch and one Wanderer) and drove towards the accident

- they saw the torn up hay bail of the chicane
- no race car in sight

- some 50m further there were black skids (signs of breaking) on the road
- the car went through a hedge on the left side of the circuit
- it hit againt some roots which hurled the car into the air
- upside down the car hit a 50cm concrete wall next to the track
- they saw the skullcap, scalp and the brain on that wall (!)
- the car ejected the driver and finally came to rest 10m in the forest, 200m from the chicane
- Heydel was badly injured: torn up shoulder and with a "half head"
- the wreck burned, black smoke went through the air
- everybody was numb, some mechanics cried

- there was a lying in repose in a mortuary in Monza
- the body was made up ("the empty head was filled")
- his parent flew from Leipzig to Milan
- Tazio Nuvolari lay down a wreath

They really don't spare on the details, do they?

Perhaps Jesper can use the description to update the MM.org entry (sparing the gory details though)