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The ‘Fintail’ at the Nürburgring: Mercedes-Benz Classic driver

Klaus Ludwig
born: 5 October 1949

Nicknamed ‘King Ludwig’ by his fans, the German racing driver and three-time DTM champion Klaus Ludwig was born in Bonn in 1949. He began his racing career in the early 1970s, taking part in slalom racing, orienteering and touring car racing. His first major successes included the German Racing Championship (DRM), which he won in 1979 and 1981, and victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, 1984 and 1985. In 1985 Ludwig moved to the DTM where he initially competed for Ford, winning his first title in 1988. In 1989, he joined the AMG-Mercedes team and went on to achieve a total of 19 race victories in the following years up to 1994 (1992 and 1994, runner-up in 1991). Ludwig raced for Opel Team Rosbert in the DRM in 1995 and 1996, after which he rejoined AMG-Mercedes and, together with Ricardo Zonta, went on to win the driver’s and team trophies in the 1998 International FIA GT Championship. Although he officially ended his motorsport career after this, Ludwig raced again in the new German Touring Car Masters in 2000 where he finished the season - and his racing career - in third place overall in a Mercedes-Benz CLK.


Source: Daimler AG

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