

 |
 Born in 1909, Langs career started like many other drivers, on motorcycles.
While the majority of the other drivers exchanged two wheels for four, Lang exchanged 3
wheels for four, having competed in sidecar competitions. He would later comment that this
gave him an advantage, as the cornering characteristics were similar to cars. The economic
difficulties that gripped Europe during the early thirties saw Lang unemployed. He fell
back on the trade that got him started that of a mechanic. Daimler-Benz for their
Experimental Department hired him just as work on the Silver Arrows had begun. After
testing the cars at Monza, Jakob Krauss, the Foreman asked Lang if he was the same man
that had driven sidecars. Answering in the affirmative Lang did not think much more of
this conversation. Krauss would later become his advocate within the team, later having
Lang transferred to the test department where he would drive countless miles testing
production cars.
Lang initially was assigned
as one of Luigi Fagiolis racing mechanics. While bedding in the brakes of the
Italians racecar Lang had a chance to drive the car at close to racing speeds. He
liked how it felt. Later back at the factory he was called into Neubauers office and
was told that Krauss had recommended that Lang be given a trial as a racecar driver. It
was through this simple act of kindness by Krauss that a new career was launched. He did
well at the trials and later became a reserve driver in addition to his mechanics duties.
In 1935 he competed in several races and was able to learn gradually. Both Caracciola and
von Brauchitsch looked askance at the mechanic trying to be a racecar driver and
unfortunately this was to color their future relationship with their future teammate.
Caracciola especially would feel challenged by this upstart, though his reputation as one
of the greatest drivers of all time was secure it is never easy for an older athlete to
pass the torch to a younger generation. Arguments between the two drivers would continue
the rest of their time together and only the intervention of Neubauer would allow for any
teamwork. Lang would later say of Caracciola: "Whatever may have come between
Caratsch and me, theres one thing that I must admit quite frankly he was
always my ideal, the greatest driver of them all. There was a tremendous elegance in his
driving that no one else equaled. I never stopped studying and admiring him."
Caracciola and von Brauchitsch
were drivers from the old school who did not involve themselves in the mechanical workings
of their cars. Lang being a mechanic was very much in tune with his cars and thought
nothing of grabbing a wrench in later years when he became successful. For this the
mechanics adored him and would think nothing of presenting "their" driver with
something extra when they prepared his car. 1936 was a lost year for Mercedes but Lang was
still able to demonstrate his potential, which made him, sought after by both German
teams. He new Prof. Porsche and was asked by him to join Auto Union. Lang stated that
since it was Mercedes that gave him his first chance he felt a loyalty to the team, which
was rewarded with a new contract.
The team for 1937 would be made up of Caracciola and
von Brauchitsch as the senior drivers and Lang joined by Englishman Dick Seaman as the
junior drivers. The team would stay divided by this division and it was Neubauer that kept
the team from tearing itself apart. The season started at Tripoli, which Lang won by 10
seconds over Rosemeyer for his first victory. At Avus the team prepared some streamlined
cars with full bodywork. During practice they tried the cars with wheel covers. Lang was
driving one of the cars at close to 400 km/h when the front of the car began to lift and
all that he could see was the sky! not a good thing. Slowly, he reduced speed while
keeping the front wheels straight. For what seemed like ages he was driving the car on
only the two rear wheels before the fronts finally touched down as if landing a plane.
Returning to the pits white-faced he convinced the team to remove the wheel covers for the
race. When the race was run it was the reluctant aviator Lang that crossed the
finish line first. At Brno in Czechoslovakia Lang had his only bad crash of his career
when he slid on gravel thrown onto the course by other drivers and flipped his car. Lang
was thrown clear and was lucky to escape with only cuts; two spectators were less lucky
and died when the car continued out of control to where they had been standing. Any
accident involving spectators would bring legal difficulties that were only resolved after
the war.
The 1938 season began at Pau
with the famous win by Dreyfus in his Delahayes. This was the first season for 3-liter
cars and Auto Union was not ready in time for the race. Tripoli was next and still no Auto
Union; the death of their star Rosemeyer deeply effected the team. Land won his second
race at Tripoli in succession. Reims was up next and Auto Union was there but without
Rosemeyer or Stuck and both cars crashed on the first lap! At the Coppa Acerbo Lang
suffered an incident that almost had tragic consequences. A rod broke on his car, which in
turn severed his fuel line. The spilled fuel caught fire and Lang was just able to jump
free of the moving car as his overalls caught fire. After rolling in the grass his close
or what was left of them had been extinguished. Just then Rene Dreyfus, who was suffering
from transmission problems, drove by and the two of them returned to the pits. The
Mercedes team upon seeing their missing driver leapt with joy.
Lang was fully competitive with the other drivers
except when it came to rain. Caracciola was the accepted regenmeister but Lang was
still not comfortable in those conditions. It took extra practice under the tutelage of
Neubauer in order for Lang to gain more confidence. 1939 Belonged to Lang and as the final
race approached he was in the lead for the European Championship. The last race was the
Swiss GP, which he won after a duel with Farina in an Alfa and Caracciola. Lang also won
the German Hillclimb Championship that same year. Lang was at the peak of his career
winning five of the eight races entered but the war interrupted his career and by the time
it was over he had lost what should have been his best years. His last major victory came
at the Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1952 while driving a new Mercedes 300 SL.
|
|
|