Rudolf Caracciola
The Rainmaster of the original Silver Arrows.
Rudolf Caracciola (1901–1959) was a German racing driver who won the European Drivers' Championship, the pre-1950 forerunner of the Formula One title, a record three times. He drove for Mercedes-Benz in its first dominant Silver Arrows period, named after the cars' silver colour, and set speed records for the company.
Quick Facts
- Nationality
- Germany, empire German
- Birth name
- Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola
- Born
- 30 January 1901
- Birthplace
- Remagen, Rhine, Prussia, German Empire
- Died
- 28 September 1959
- Place of death
- Kassel, Hesse, West Germany
- Last series
- AIACR European Championship career
- Years active
- 1931–1932, 1935–1939
Lore & Background
The German public nicknamed him Caratsch, and he was called the Regenmeister, or "Rainmaster", for his skill in the wet. He started racing in the early 1920s while an apprentice at the Fafnir car factory in Aachen. With Mercedes-Benz he won the European Hillclimbing Championship in 1930 and 1931, then took a third with Alfa Romeo in 1932. A practice crash at the 1933 Monaco Grand Prix broke his right thigh in several places and kept him out of racing for more than a year.
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