Helmut Krackowizer

Prof. Dr. Dkfm. Helmut Krackowizer, in England also known as "Mister Rudge" (April 29, 1922 in Frankenmarkt, Upper Austria, Austria – October 22, 2001 in Salzburg) was a former motorcycle racer and motor journalist with an international reputation especially for vintage motorcycles.

On the morning of 22 October 2001, he died after suffering his 3rd heart attack on Monday 15 October, in his 80th year.

His life had been shaped especially by motorcycles but also by automobiles. Born in Austria in 1922, he started to make motorcycle drawings while he was a schoolboy, long before he was able to ride his first motorcycle a 250 cc NSU (at the age of 16). This machine was soon replaced by a 500 cc Norton “International”.

During summer vacation he worked as mechanics and went to races wherever he had had the possibility. E. g. in 1932 to one of the first races on the Gaisberg near Salzburg. Also during The Second World War he took all possibilities to ride a motorcycle, to buy one (Rudge 250 cc two valve) - his first racing motorcycle after the Second World War or to rescue one. He had seen the end of that war as fighter controller of the air Signal Corps in a night interception troop - of course on a motorcycle - at Norway.

In autumn 1946 he rode his first motorcycle race with his Rudge 250 cm³, in pouring rain during the first post war race in Salzburg-Nonntal, Austria. He became third.

Then in spring 1947 the first dirt track race in Salzburg, organized by the just founded SAMTC (Salzburg automobile motorcycle and touring club), lured 20.000 spectators on the trotting race course in Salzburg-Aigen. Encouraged by this success the first motorcycle race finally took place on the motorway near Salzburg on 6 July 1947. 1958 this race became the "Grand Prix of Austria" for motorcycles, which moved later on the motorway Anif-Grödig, also near Salzburg and in the end on the Salzburgring, where the race had been upgraded in 1970 to a worldchampion race.

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Wikipedia