Bernd Rosemeyer Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Bernd Rosemeyer

Rosemeyer (left), with Elly Beinhorn and Ferdinand Porsche

Born

14 October 1909
Lingen, Hanover, German Empire

Died

28 January 1938 (aged 28)
Mörfelden-Walldorf, Hesse, German Reich

Championship titles

AIACR European Drivers' Championship (1936)
Major victories
Vanderbilt Cup (1937)

European Championship career

Years active

1935–1937

Teams

Auto Union

Starts

Championships

1 (1936)

Wins

Podiums

Poles

Fastest laps

Champ Car career

1 race run over 1 year

Best finish

3rd (1937)

First race

1937 Vanderbilt Cup (Westbury)

First win

1937 Vanderbilt Cup (Westbury)

Wins	Podiums	Poles
1	1	0

Bernd Rosemeyer (born October 14, 1909 – died January 28, 1938) was a famous German racing driver. He was also known for setting speed records. Many people think he was one of the best racing drivers of his time.

Racing Career Highlights
Final Speed Record Attempt
Memorials and Legacy
Notable Race Victories
Images for kids
See also

Racing Career Highlights

Bernd Rosemeyer at the Nürburgring in 1937

Bernd Rosemeyer grew up around cars and motorcycles. His father owned a garage where Bernd helped out. He started his racing journey on motorcycles. Surprisingly, he joined the Auto Union car racing team with very little experience in race cars. This actually helped him! He wasn't used to how older race cars handled.

The Auto Union cars were special. They were designed by Ferdinand Porsche and had their engines in the middle. These cars were called "Silver Arrows" and were super fast. But they were also very hard to drive. Only a few drivers, like Bernd, could truly master them. Bernd was also a great mechanic. This meant he could give good ideas to the engineers to make the cars even better.

In only his second ever big race, at the tough Nürburgring track, Bernd almost won. He was leading but made a small mistake near the end. However, he later won three races in a row at the Nürburgring. One of these wins was famously in very thick fog! In 1935, he won his first Grand Prix race in Czechoslovakia.

Budapest, Hungary 1936: Rudolf Carraciola in front of Bernd Rosemeyer

In 1935, Bernd met Elly Beinhorn, a famous pilot. They became a celebrity couple. Because they were so famous, the government at the time used their image for their own purposes, showing them as ideal German heroes.

Bernd had many amazing wins in 1936 and 1937. He won the Vanderbilt Cup in the U.S. and became the European driving champion in 1936. In 1937, he won four of Auto Union's five victories against the strong Mercedes team. His great driving made him one of the top drivers of the 1930s.

His marriage to Elly Beinhorn also meant he learned to fly a private plane. Once, he even landed his plane near the Nürburgring track and drove it to the pits!

Bernd and Elly had a son, Bernd Jr., in November 1937. This was just ten weeks before Bernd's death.

Bernd Rosemeyer believed 13 was his lucky number. He got married on July 13, 1936. Just 13 days later, he won the German Grand Prix. His last win at the Nürburgring was on June 13, 1937. His final race victory was at his 13th start of the 1937 season.

Final Speed Record Attempt

Bernd Rosemeyer with the Vanderbilt Cup (1937)

Bernd Rosemeyer died during an attempt to set a new land speed record. This happened on a highway between Frankfurt and Darmstadt on January 28, 1938.

He was competing against another famous driver, Rudolf Caracciola. Bernd went out in his special Auto Union car, which was designed to go very fast. He set a new record of 432 kilometers per hour (268 mph). Even though there were reports that the wind was getting stronger, Bernd wanted to try for an even higher record.

On his third and final try, his car suddenly lost control. It might have been a strong gust of wind or a problem with how the car handled the air. The car skidded, went off the highway, and crashed into a bridge. Bernd was thrown from the car and died at the side of the road.

Memorials and Legacy

There is a special memorial for Bernd Rosemeyer south of Frankfurt. It is located at a rest stop on the A5 motorway. A path leads into the forest where the memorial stands.

Audi, a car company, honored Bernd on the 100th anniversary of his birth. They placed a wreath at his memorial. Audi also built a special concept car called the Audi Rosemeyer. This car was inspired by the old "Silver Arrows" race cars that Bernd drove.

There is also a bronze memorial for Bernd at the entrance to the Donington Park Museum in England.

Bernd Rosemeyer is buried in a cemetery in Berlin.

In his hometown of Lingen, the street where he grew up was renamed "Bernd-Rosemeyer-Straße" in his honor in 1938. There is also a motorsport club named after him in the city.