INTERVIEWS OF ROMAN KLEMM                                                                                                                                                                                     

   HRH PRINZ LEOPOLD VON BAYERN:

" I am a different person in motorsport"

Words and Pictures: Roman Klemm

His Royal Highness Prince Leopold of Bayern may not be the most successful German racing driver - but he is one of the most popular. His is well over 80 years old, but he still never misses an opportunity to get into a historic car or the BMW of his e-fuel project... "Poldi", as fans have called him since the 1960s, has driven hillclimbs, Formula Super-Vau, DRM, DTM, ProCar and reached for the podium at Le Mans. He was also an aviator, a parachutist and even tried out bobsleigh. He met the Dalai Lama, is related to the Swedish royal family, and is personally acquainted with the English King Charles and his father Philip. As his "court photographer" and a great supporter of the monarchy, I enjoyed looking back at his life with this blue-blooded aristocrat.

When and where did you first discovered your love for the smell of gasoline?

I was born and raised in Umkirch Castle near Freiburg. My family thought we were safer there during the war than in Munich. My grandfather had several cars and a driver. When I was 5 years old, they took me on their lap and I was at least allowed to steer the cars. In 1955, I bribed the driver with cigarettes that I had "borrowed" from my grandfather and he let me drive around our extensive castle park in the "Brezelkäfer". Although I did not damage the car as promised, the groomed sand paths tempted me to do a lot of drifting. They carried the tracks of my passion therafter... That's when I decided to become a racer.

What did the noble family think of the idea?

They didn't want to hear about it! I could forget about any support. It simply didn't suit our position from their point of view. But I escaped their direct influence. I went to boarding school in England until I was 18, then I was sent to university in the USA. I had a wonderful life there, because they treated me like a "prince". Instead of studying, I was lying on the beach. Until my dad picked me up and sent me to Opel as an intern. There I met a mechanic who helped me prepare the racing cars.

Did you ever think of racing under a pseudonym for that very reason?

Not at all. I admit that my background, popularity and name actually helped me a lot. People want to adorn themselves with you and move in your circle. Just like the girls whose favor I never disdained at the time. Some wanted to play princess, others wanted to get rich. I only "let go” of those who were interested in "Poldi”…

I had real friends in the sports sector. Hans-Joachim Stuck, Harald Grohs and Dieter Quester were and are friends that I have never known outside of motorsport.

I have never misused family money for racing. My father, Prince Konstantin, lost his life in a plane crash in the late 1960s, and my grandfather, Prince Adalbert, died in 1970. Since then, as the firstborn, I have been morally and commercially responsible for the Wittelsbach family fortune. And I certainly won't allow anyone from my family to finance their hobbies. It was no different for me then. I worked my way up through my own diligence. Take BMW, for example, where I am the oldest contracted driver for the brand - I still represent them today and they are very satisfied.

How did you start racing?

My uncle Fritz, who also occasionally raced, helped me financially. With his money, I financed a Mini Cooper S for hillclimbs. I had something to prove - they didn't take me seriously for a long time. The saying was true: "Even "Poldi” can beat you”… I was good at finding sponsors and my name certainly helped. My overalls were often covered with theirpatches down to the last inch.

Was it difficult to get a racing license back then?

That was no problem in principle. But it was worse with permission to race in longer events, or even in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. For that, a driver had to collect points. I was good on the hills, but for a long time I was missing a few points. So I signed up for a racing school at the Ring. And I got the necessary qualification. One of my teachers was even the famous Graf Berghe von Trips. I knew that the Nürburgring was the ultimate, and that's why I wanted to race there internationally. I didn't want to hide in small club races.

What brought you into single-seaters?

My big sponsor was Günter Schmid's ATS company. Together with the shirt manufacturer Kern, he financed his own team in Formula Super-V and asked me if I would go for it. We had a very strong team. My colleague was Keke Rosberg and we achieved some very good results. 

Why did you never move up to Formula 2?

That would have been too time-consuming. I had companies, I represented my family whichwas also growing. Today I count 4 children and 10 grandchildren. Besides, the cars were too dangerous at the time. ATS offered me F2 in a team with Freddy Kottulinski, but after discussing it with my wife I preferred to leave it. If F2 had had today's safety technology then, I would have done it.

Nevertheless, you entered the big international sport.

It was mainly thanks to my best sponsor, Mr. Klaus Cramer from the Warsteiner brewery. He finished Formula 1, where they supported Arrows, and prepared a program for me in the Obermoser team. I drove endurance races for them, Group G5, Group C and Le Mans. He paid for everything - it cost incredible money. I once beat Reinhold Joest in his Porsche 908 with Obermoser's sports car ToJ - I am still proud of that.

You've driven hillclimbs, formula, DTM and endurance events. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

You'll be surprised, it's the fact that I became the North American champion in ice racing! And that's how it was: There were US soldiers in Garmisch and we sometimes raced on the ice there. They told me that they had their own championship for this type of racing. I entered it in a Porsche 914 and they welcomed me like a king. All their newspapers wrote about the arrival of the great-grandson of the fairy-tale King Ludwig and the mayor of Anchorage himself came to welcome me at the airport. They stood down there waiting for His Highness to step out - in vain. Because I was down there among them for a long time and I had to point out to them that the prince was me, the long-haired Hippie...

We then raced for 4 weeks on ice surfaces with spiked tires and I sensationally beat all the specialists. I drove in a fur coat, thick gloves, and Eskimo boots...

But Le Mans was a different caliber, wasn't it?

I did particularly well there in 1984 in the Porsche 956 Group C of Walter Brun's team. We were so far ahead in the race that the factory offered us all the help we could get. I shared the car with Walti and the American Bob Akin, who only drove during the day because he couldn't see at night. That 2-minute straight at a speed of just under 400 km/h was mentally exhausting. I had never driven faster in my life. You simply couldn't start thinking about a possible tire defect or your family. We were way ahead. When Brun went off the track, we were holding 2nd place... We were hoping to get on the podium. At the time, I was very disappointed with 4th place - today I realize how well we did then.

The Porsche 956 was a sensational ground-effect car. Keke Rosberg discouraged me from jumping into it. The faster you went, the more grip it developed. You had to force yourself to go through the corners faster than your mind told you to. And it worked! When you slowed down, the ground-effect disappeared and you flew out. We had special training because of the centrifugal forces. At that time, full trained, I was a size 43, now I am a size 39… In 1984 I drove for 8 hours at Le Mans, during which I drank 12 liters and lost 5 kilos. After each 1.5-hour stint they massaged us. Walter Brun was phenomenal, a friend and a reliable team leader. He always had a bottle of beer before his stint - saying it calmed him down.

Which of the drivers you met do you consider particularly special?

I would first name Stefan Bellof. The boy was truly a talent of the century ("ein Jahrhundertstalent”). I also got on very well with Denny Hulme. I knew other greats well, such as Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Jochen Mass, but Stefan was a little more gifted than them.

What can you tell us about the dangers of motorsport?

I have always been lucky. I thank God that he always sent me at least two Guardian Angels along the way. Before, we simply learned about dangers in doing that crazy things… Rolf Stommelen, who was also a great friend, always warned me with the saying "Don't drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly”. Unfortunately, he himself drove faster… I have lost many friends and it worries me a lot. I recently visited an old lady to congratulate her on her 102nd birthday. I asked her if she was happy to live to such an age and she replied that she didn't even know if it was luck - all her acquaintances have long since passed away and she feels alone. I think I understand her exactly…

And your worst accident?

I had two. One in Kyalami, where I was alternating with Manfred Winkelhock. In a fast section, my rear suspension broke. We hit a wall at around 160 km/h. I felt sorry for the car, it was a BMW prototype. But I also heard a strange crack in my spine. They had to cut me out and in the hospital they found out that the impact had compressed my spine by 2 cm. I didn't tell my wife about it until much later. I had my trousers shortened at a tailor in Starnberg so that she wouldn't recognize anything.

The second one happened in the rain in the mid-90s with a BMW M3 at the Nürburgring. I went off the track in the Schwedenkreuz section and I don't remember much more... Only that I had overtaken Jo Winkelhock before that. When I woke up, my car was on its roof. But the Guardian Angel worked - I only broke four fingers.

What do you think of today's top sports scene?

What comes to my mind is the absence of real personalities. Racers are like children these days. Where did guys like Regazzoni, Senna and Lauda go...? I'm skeptical about the number of fathers who force their children into sports. Only Keke actually succeeded. He was very lucky with Nico. I didn't force my children into karting.

As far as championships are concerned, the DTM is the best example of how it works. In the 80s, the DTM was sensational, but only at the beginning, when it was mainly made up of private teams. I drove for Isert-BMW. A great family-run team. Tickets were affordable even though superstars also drove there. Today you pay around 600 Euros for an F1 weekend - I think that's crazy. Then when the factories came along, the privateers in the DTM died out because their sponsors told them that they simply weren't visible. I know of examples where a driver intentionally provoked a small accident just so that he could be briefly shown on television.

Lately you have been a permanent part of historical events.

I especially like the Mille Miglia. Italian food, Italian dolce vita, 3 million spectators and driving through historical cities and streets where cars don't normally drive. Sensational. Wherever possible, I present our BMW 3.0 CSL from 1971 powered by synthetic E-fuel. We want to demonstrate that there are alternatives to electricity. What is currently being said about it is simply green dreaming. There will never be an infrastructure for all those planned cars. Not to mention enough "clean" electricity... I am very involved in that project now.

Would you - in retrospect - do anything differently about motorsport?

No, I would do everything exactly the same. I have maintained the discipline of a semi-professional and I still live quite ascetic. Almost without alcohol and I try to do sports every day. In motorsport, I could always be a completely different person than on official occasions when I represent my family.