Sunday 15th April 1973

Ernst Klodwig died aged 69. Klodwig was a front-runner in the East German Championship with his self-built rear engined special. The government allowed him to take part in two German Grand Prix appearances in the West, 1952 and 1953, and that’s when Klodwig entered F1 stats as the first driver ever to race a rear engined car in the World Championship when he entered his own design, the Heckmotor-Eigenbau which was actually a 30’s Auto Union inspired Formula 2 car featuring a BMW 328 engine.