Georg Braun (motorcyclist)

Motorcycle racing career

His first foray into racing in 1939 was ended by the war. In 1950, as a 32-year-old "newcomer", he won 6 of 8 races with his supercharged DKW. Engines of this kind were not allowed on international level, where Germans could compete again from 1951 onwards. Braun then rode several machines, like Horex and NSU Sportmax, or a 250cc Moto Parilla with which he finished 3rd in the Feldbergrennen at Oberreifenberg in the Taunus mountains.

In the 1953 Grand Prix season, he was jointly ranked, together with five others, in 17th place in the 125cc class, riding a Mondial. His sixth place at the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix had earned him a single point. In the 350cc and 500cc classes, he entered on Horex machines.

The best result of his Grand Prix career was scored in a wet race, the 1954 Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix at Bern's Circuit Bremgarten. Riding a NSU he finished second behind Rupert Hollaus who took the checkered flag after 1 hour, 1min and 56 sec. This earned him 6 points and a sixth rank in the 250cc class of the 1954 season.

The same year, Braun also finished sixth on a 350cc Horex at his home German motorcycle Grand Prix on Stuttgart's Solitudering, which ranked him 17th with 4 points.

Braun crashed and suffered injuries in the 1955 Isle of Man TT. After recovering, he competed again at his home race on the Solitude. Due to lack of success, old age, and the declining motorcycle sales in Germany, he retired to operate an automobile repair shop and filling station in his home town of Hechingen, where he died a few years ago.

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

(Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Literature

• Eugen K. Schwarz: Porträt des Motorrad-Rennfahrers Georg Braun und seine Erfolge auf Horex, DKW und Parilla, MOTORRAD, 1955