Helmut Dähne is a German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

 former motorcycle racer, active not in Grand Prix races

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...

, for which the rather tall Dähne (190 cm) is not well suited, but in endurance racing with production machines, comparable to touring cars and rallying with automobiles. From the 1970s to the 1990s, he was active on the longest circuits of motorcycle racing, the over 20 km long Nürburgring

Nürburgring

The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...

 Nordschleife, and the over 60 km long Snaefell Mountain Course

Snaefell mountain course

Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course is a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively. The racing is held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald...

 of the Isle of Man TT

Isle of Man TT

The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...

.

Dähne, who in 1961 as a teenager began working for BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

 motorcycle department as a mechanic, then since 1976 developed motorcycle tyres for German brand Metzeler

Metzeler

Metzeler is a German motorcycle tire company founded in 1863. Metzeler originally produced a variety of rubber and plastic products, expanding in to aviation in 1890 and automotive and motorcycle tires in 1892. The factory was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt after the war. In the 1950s and...

 and provided service at race tracks to customers, is now a PR manager, a Works BMW motorcycling legend
and known for his trademark red and white leathers.

From 1965 to 1971 he entered off-road contests, starting road racing in 1968 with a hillclimbing

Hillclimbing

Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....

 win at Sudelfeld in the Bavarian Alps. From 1972 to 1986 he started 23 events at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. In 1976, he and partner Hans-Otto Butenuth were the fastest finisher in the Production TT with a 900cc BMW R 90 S. Being one of the few non-British riders who could keep up with the locals, Dähne came second twice, in 1986, and in 1984 by only 2 seconds.

He also entered the German "Seriensport" championship, a series of contests for road legal machinery, were he could test and showcase the products of his employers. In 1973 he won the first of these Rally German Championships in the 1000cc class, 15 in total, the last in 1993. The 1000 km Hockenheimring

Hockenheimring

The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix...

, an Easter Saturday event for a team of two riders doing a long-distance reliability run concluded with a timed raced, was won by Dähne and his partners 18 times in 26 entries, the last success coming in 2001. Dähne also entered more competitive series, like the Endurance world championship series, in which he finished 3rd in 1980, riding a Honda privately tuned by Eckert. In the 8 Hour race at the Nürburgring, then still 22.8 km long, he and partner Alois Tost finished second behind a factory-entered Honda RCB.

The last Grand Prix races on the long and dangerous circuits took place in 1976 at the Isle of Man, and in 1980 at the Nürburgring. The German track was shortened from 22.8 to 20.8 km in 1983, and the modern 4.5 km GP track was opened in 1984, in order to host competitive racing in a safe environment.

For enthusiasts still willing to ride the Green Hell of the Nordschleife, timed contests were offered as the Seriensport Zuverlässigkeitsfahrten (Zuvi, reliability runs), which contained a single lap time trial run from standing start, thus eliminating at least the danger of riders colliding when racing for position. Also, street legal bikes and tyres were required to keep costs and speed down.

Dähne set the first of his record there in August 1988 with a Suzuki GSX-R at 7:55.07. Then, with a 750cc Honda RC30 VFR750R, he subsequently lowered it to 7:53.08 in July 1990, to 7:50.71 in June 1992, and on 23 May 1993, using Metzeler ME Z1 tyres, set yet another record, with 7:49.71. After the 1993 event, an onboard-video was produced in which Dähne did another lap, about 10 secs slower, carrying camera equipment on his back.

On 2 July 1994, Dähne did not take part in the Zuvi (which was won by Herbert Mandelartz with 7:55.78 min) as he instead returned to the Isle of Man TT for his 24th, 25th and 26th TT races. He scored a personal best of 19:45, but then fell and shattered his lower leg, causing a one year break.

In 1994, not only Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...

 was killed, but also riders were fatally wounded on the Nordschleife. No motorcycle contests on the Nordschleife were held after 1994, and with the track homologation for motorcycles not being renewed, no organizer can offer officially sanctioned contests there anymore. Thus, Dähne, holding the track record since 1988, will "forever" be the holder of the official record of 7:49.71 he had set in 1993.

Dähne, while riding for a magazine report, crashed in 1996 at the fast Fuchsröhre section of the Nordschleife. He continued to be a front runner in circuit racing, but finished only 3rd in the championship standings in 1997 and 1998, dropping further down the order later. While he won two more victories in the 1000 km Hockenheim in 2001 and 2002, another crash in 2004 ended the competitive career of the 60-year-old. Helmut Dähne has appeared in several other videos or magazine articles, comparing bikes to other bikes or cars, and still is active in public relation events.

In recent years, riders with modern, more powerful and advanced machinery (often 1000cc or more, compared to Dähne's 750cc) claim to have bettered Dähne's time unofficially, even in public riding sessions when the general public has access to the track and speed limits are in effect. As no full laps can be done, estimated laps times are given, or only the so called Bridge-to-Gantry time, without a 1700 m section of the main straight. Despite being officially banned at the Nürburgring, videos are recorded and published on the net.

External links

• classic-motorrad.de bio with photos
• autobild.de Dähne vs. Walter Röhrl
  Walter Röhrl
  Walter Röhrl is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW.-Career:...
  
  
• Dähne jumping with a RC30 on the IoM
• Dähne in his red-white leathers, doing a wheelie
• http://www.seriensport.com/ - Website of the German Stock Sport series