Klaus Ludwig

Klaus Ludwig in 1975.

Klaus Ludwig (born 5 October 1949 in Bonn) is a German race driver.

Biography

Unlike Hans-Joachim Stuck, Rolf Stommelen, Harald Ertl, Hans Heyer and Jochen Mass, he has never raced in single seaters (just doing a few test drives). He is called König Ludwig for his success with touring cars and in sports car racing.

Klaus Ludwig's 1981 Group 5 Zakspeed Ford Capri at the Auto & Technik Museum in Sinsheim, Germany

Ludwig drove the Roush-Zakspeed Ford Mustang Turbo during the 1981 and 1982 Camel GT race seasons.

In the 1970s, Ludwig drove for Ford in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, winning in 1979 with a Kremer-Porsche 935. With this car, based on the then 15 year old Porsche 911 road car design, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall in the wet, an unprecedented and never repeated win against the faster pure sports car racing prototypes.

In 1984 and 1985, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Joest Racing in their #7 Porsche 956. Considering Le Mans and sportcars too dangerous after the deaths of Manfred Winkelhock and Stefan Bellof, he was recruited for the 1987 World Touring Car Championship for Ford only to finish runner-up by a single point to BMW driver Roberto Ravaglia after a post-season disqualification. He then moved to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM), and became champion in 1988 in a Ford Sierra RS500. Ludwig also represented IMSA in the 1986 International Race of Champions, finishing 8th.

He repeated the success at Mercedes-Benz in 1992 and 1994, before moving back to sports cars racing for them in 1997 to become the 1998 FIA GT Champion. He retired when the series did not continue in the 1999 season.

He soon returned in June 1999, to win the 24 Hours Nürburgring on the Nordschleife for the third time driving a Zakspeed Viper.

When the DTM resumed as Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters in 2000, he returned to the series, winning at the age of 50 years at the Sachsenring circuit, only to retire once again.

Ludwig returned as a "hobby pilot" to the Nürburgring Nordschleife when given the opportunity to drive a high power vehicle. The years 2004 and 2005 saw him enter the 24 Hours Nürburgring with Uwe Alzen on the Jürgen Alzen Porsche 996 GT2 Bi-Turbo. With a normally aspirated Porsche 997 GT3 of the Alzen brothers, Ludwig plus Christian Abt managed to beat the old distance record in the 2006 edition of the 24h, yet finished only second, 1 lap behind the winners.

Ludwig has also worked as a TV commentator on DTM races.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Pos	Pts
1976	Willi Kauhsen Racing Team	March 762	Hart	HOC Ret	THR	VAL 13	SAL	PAU 7	HOC 9	ROU	MUG 9	PER	EST	NOG 6	HOC 10		13th	4
1977	Willi Kauhsen Racing Team	Jabouille 2J	Renault	SIL Ret	THR Ret	HOC Ret	NÜR 8	VAL DSQ	PAU 7	MUG	ROU	NOG	PER	MIS	EST		—	0
	KWS Autotechnik	Chevron B40	Ford													DON Ret

Achievements

• Winner 24 Hours of Le Mans: 1979, 1984, 1985
• Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft champion 1979, 1981
• Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft champion 1988, 1992, 1994
• FIA GT World Champion 1998

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by Harald Ertl	Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft Champion 1979	Succeeded by Hans Heyer
Preceded by Hans Heyer	Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft Champion 1981	Succeeded by Bob Wollek
Preceded by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud Didier Pironi	Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1979 with: Bill Whittington Don Whittington	Succeeded by Jean Rondeau Jean-Pierre Jaussaud
Preceded by Vern Schuppan Al Holbert Hurley Haywood	Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1984 with: Henri Pescarolo	Succeeded by Klaus Ludwig Paolo Barilla Louis Krages
Preceded by Klaus Ludwig Henri Pescarolo	Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1985 with: Paolo Barilla Louis Krages	Succeeded by Derek Bell Hans-Joachim Stuck Al Holbert
Preceded by Eric van de Poele	German Touring Car Champion 1988	Succeeded by Roberto Ravaglia
Preceded by Frank Biela	German Touring Car Champion 1992	Succeeded by Nicola Larini
Preceded by Nicola Larini	German Touring Car Champion 1994	Succeeded by Bernd Schneider
Preceded by Bernd Schneider	FIA GT Champion 1998 with: Ricardo Zonta	Succeeded by Olivier Beretta Karl Wendlinger