How Niki Lauda started his career in a Mini Cooper S

[MiNiKiN]

A long but interesting read about "our" Niki:
from 2/2018 AUSTRO CLASSIC / author Christian Sandler

>>The Laudas The Laudas were big names in the upscale business world of the 20th century. Grandpa and father of Andreas Nikolaus Lauda were always present in the business papers as chairmen of supervisory boards and presidents of various banks and industrial companies. Their properties included a villa in Pötzleinsdorf, a house on the Schubertring, estates in Reichenau an der Rax and a domicile in St. Moritz. The best prerequisites, then, for little Niki, the well-bred boy who was given the best manners for his life's journey.

Life in the financial world was pre-programmed for him, but the youngster only had cars on his mind. And so, much to the chagrin of his family, he first began an apprenticeship as a mechanic. "A Lauda gets his fingers dirty ...", the patriarch Dr. Hans von Lauda is said to have remarked mockingly.
Then Niki took the intellectual route after all and took his Matura in evening classes. Allegedly he "fiddled" a bit with the certificate, but a 15,000 Austrian Schilling Matura premium was a great thing. That money was just enough to to buy a second-hand, somewhat lame, VW Beetle.
Peter Draxler, a school friend of Niki, showed him his father's new Cooper S one day and Niki immediately went into raptures. Draxler didn't have a "licence" yet and so Lauda was chosen as the driver for various jaunts. Up and down the mountain road, but at some point around 4 a.m. the amateur racing driver ran out of road. The Mini was pretty battered and Niki had to buy the scrap from the Draxler family; the 38,000 Austrian Schilling came from grandma. Now there was a tired Beetle and a battered Mini in the garage of his parents' villa.

The Beetle was sold, the proceeds went into spare parts for the Mini. The mechanic's apprenticeship he had begun came in handy. At that time, there was Fritz Baumgartner in Austria, a big name in touring car racing. He advertised his dark blue racing Mini without an engine in the Autorevue. So down to Baden. The deal looked something like this: Racing Mini for repaired street Mini plus 20,000 Schilling cash, which the budding racing driver did not have, however. Niki's father paid off the debt at some point under pressure from Baumgartner. The purchase price also included some test laps in Kottingbrunn. At home in Pötzleinsdorfer Strasse, a racing engine was installed with Baumgartner's help. The Laudas were "not amused"; the boy wouldn't aspire to a career as a racing driver, now that he had his A-levels, would he?

In the spring of 1968, the Mini was finished and lonely in the villa garage, without a towing vehicle, without a trailer and without cash. The Mini was mainly suitable for hill climbs - a very suitable discipline to prepare for bigger things. Niki borrowed a BMW V8 and trailer from an uncle and took it on April 15, 1968 to travel to his first car race in Bad Mühllacken, in Upper Austria's Mühlviertel. Fritz Baumgartner was of course in tow to give good advice. It is not known whether girlfriend Ursula Pischinger was also there.

15,000 fans made the pilgrimage to the route on Easter Sunday in glorious weather - with 12,000 admissions, however, the organizer ran out of tickets. Lauda competed in the touring car class up to 1,300 cc and in the first run followed a recommendation from Baumgartner not to go over 8,000rpm and came third. In run 2 he dismissed the recommendation, revved the Mini to 8,500 and thus won this run. He was already extraordinarily disciplined back then. Adding both races together, he finished second behind Herbert Grünsteidl, also on Cooper. In the official racing program, he was listed under A. N. Lauder.

The next performance, two weeks later, was on Dobratsch. On the morning of April 28, 9,000 fans flocked to Villacher Alpenstrasse. The sensation on this driver-friendly track was perfect and Lauda won his first race. In this hotly contested class, where anyone can beat anyone, he won by a narrow margin over Lambert (Lammy) Hofer. Incidentally, the overall winner was Rudi Lins in a Porsche 906. Niki only drove home on the Monday after the race, where his father received him with the open sports section of the “Presse” and prodded the boy properly.

Now it happened in quick succession, on May 5th the Alpl Bergrennen in Peter Rosegger's Waldheimat was on the calendar. Niki Lauda took a full 11 seconds off the runner-up in the 1,300 class, Hans Himmetsberger, on the 6.5 km route. The day's winner was again a Porsche 906, this time driven by Richard Gerin. On May 26th, Lauda returned to Upper Austria as a racing driver. The next summit storm is announced in Engelhartszell. Heavy rain dominated the race Sunday, also a new situation for Niki. Under such conditions, the wheat is usually separated from the chaff. The newcomer struck again and won both races confidently ahead of Lambert Hofer.
Axel Höfer wrote in the Autorevue: "Nicki Lauda turned out to be a great rain driver and achieved another class win." expected, on a car that was tailor-made for Fritz, Nicki is the personified sensation ”. Note: At the beginning of his career in the contemporary print media, "Nicki" was always used instead of "Niki".

Now he felt mature enough to climb a sporty rung higher. In the middle of the season the Mini was sold to Helmut Koinigg, for which he got the Porsche 911 from Peter Peter. This deal, like the previous ones, was of course again a financial hunt. But Lauda believed in Lauda. Gerhard Mitter's 911 series was equipped with a few additional horsepower, and payment came later. Lambert Hofer, also a member of the Wiener Jeunesse dorée, was extremely enthusiastic about Lauda's maturity, driving skills and discipline.

Inspired by this new device, he two weeks later travelled to Engelhartszell in the Danube Valley, the next ascent took place in Kasten-Viechtenstein. Another rain fight is looming, but he was second fastest in the first run. In the second run he wanted to know exactly, slipped off the track and damaged the fuel tank in the process. Impossible to continue, it was the first small damper in his young career. Next appearance on June 23 at the Koralpe mountain race in Carinthia. The winner of the day was Richard Gerin in a Porsche 906. Niki was once again unbending as the best touring car driver, finished fifth overall with a fabulous time and collected important points for the national championship.

The race on August 4th from Bad Mitterndorf to the Tauplitz was the next mountain run against the clock. While the training took place under bad weather conditions, the weather god was gracious for the day of the race and there was excellent mountain weather. This initially great atmosphere was clouded by the death of Kary Seitz. Seitz got off the track with his Porsche RSK and was thrown out of the car. The injuries were so severe that he lost his last fight in the hospital the following night. Lauda drove the 9.8 km long toll road with a time of 5: 59.6 minutes, winning his class and finishing seventh overall.

Niki drove his first race on a closed racetrack between Koralpe and Tauplitz - he retired with engine failure in Langenlebarn.

On August 11th, the summiteers travelled to the Schilcherland in Stainz. All against Jochen Rindt, was the friendly motto. It was Lauda's only duel against Rindt on the racetrack (see Austro Classic 1/2017). The race was won by our national hero at the time with the distinctive and unforgettable facial features in a Brabham Formula 2. Lauda skilfully drifted the 911 through the vineyards and once again won his class. He finished ninth overall and placed between Franz Albert's Ford GT 40 and Dr. Helmut Marko’s Kaimann Mk III.

Because it was always so beautiful in Upper Austria, on August 15th Niki drove for the fourth time to a hill climb in the region above the Enns: “Walding - Gramastetten” was the watchword. The entire domestic elite had started again: Franz Albert, Gerhard Krammer, Sepp Manhalter, Peter Peter, Richard Moser, Klaus Sterzinger; so pure excitement. This race, organized by MSC Rottenegg, was not part of the championship, but rather part of the OSK's “Golden Ribbon”. Peter Peter dominated the mountain not only in training, but also in the race. Best time, both in the first (dry) and in the second (rainy) run. Lauda once again took class victory and achieved sixth place overall with his Porsche, sponsored by “Bali Kaffee”.

Slowly but surely his fan base grew and the red Porsche with the official number plate W 2.879 crept inexorably into the memory. From Niki Lauda's point of view, autumn 1968 belonged to the airfield courses: Zeltweg, Aspern and Innsbruck were the venues. Mostly in the well-known 911, but his debut in Kurt Bergmann's Kaimann also fell in this period.

Niki Lauda's entry to the top of the 1968 season ended with the mountain prize on October 27 from Königstetten to the Dopplerhütte, conducted as the Kary Seitz memorial race. In fine late autumn weather, a considerable crowd watched the last mountain classification of the year. All the big names in domestic motorsport were represented again. Place 1 and 2 went to the "plastic bombers" from Zuffenhausen, Rudi Lins won on 910 ahead of Peter Peter on 906. Lauda practiced as a double starter for the first time. He reached eighth place with the Porsche 911 and ninth place, three tenths slower, with the Kaimann Mk III from the racing car manufacturer of "Masta" Kurt Bergmann. Immediately ahead of Niki was Stefan Sklenar with the interesting Ferrari 250 LM, with this type of vehicle Rindt won the exciting Le Mans 24 Hours in 1965.

Niki Lauda's premier season brought a total of eight class wins and a second place in ten hill climbs, on one he was eliminated by accident . In 1969 Niki only drove one hill climb for Team Kaimann am Rossfeld, then the mountain race experience was over for him.
These successes laid the foundation for his unstoppable ascent from class to class, up to his three Formula 1 world championships. Lauda, a name that is mentioned in the same breath around the world as Mozart, Klammer and Schwarzenegger. And it all began 50 years ago, on April 15, 1968, in Bad Mühllacken with the hill climb.
Note from the author of these lines: If anyone knows about the whereabouts of the racing mini, please report it. <<

The Mini as it looked in 1967, then still in possesion of F. Baumgartner:

0000371913_F.Baumgartner_932GYE_#41_fuel.jpg

[Polarsilver]

My Son spoke with Niki Lauda only a few weeks before the end .. he described him as very approachable & a pleasant man .. RIP.

[iain1967s]

Nice article, thanks for posting.
Also a link to your previous post with photos of Lauda and mini:
http://mk1-forum.net/viewtopic.php?p=274468#p274468

[Gary Schulz]

What year was his car? Does anyone know what became of it? My Cooper S spent time in Austria so that is why I am asking!

[UHR850]

Another good looking picture from Niki Lauda

Kees.

[Pete]

Nice article! So did the car change from Morris to Austin, looks like the Morris S holes are still visible on the boot. Common thing to do back then I suppose.

[MiNiKiN]

Another good looking picture from Niki Lauda

Kees.

From what we know yet, this is probably not Lauda. He ran the former Baumgartner Austin Cooper S - not a Morris. This photo was (imho falsely) first linked to Lauda in the Jan/92 Autorevue alongside the interview with Lauda about the start of his career (a different much funnier write-up in his own-words I have yet not translated).
Both photos are said to be taken in his first race in Bad Mühllacken - he hardly would have raced two cars...

This is him in Bad Mühllacken- completely different car!

NL_BadMuehllacken_128.jpg

[MiNiKiN]

What year was his car? Does anyone know what became of it? My Cooper S spent time in Austria so that is why I am asking!

Was yours a race car in Austria? If so it would be interesting if I could connect it to old photos I have. Can you PM me details?

This was Niki's dark-blue Mini with red interior:

NL_EntryForm_Engelhartszell_exc.png

EDIT: The chassis number indicates it was initially a Morris Cooper - but as the previous racer Baumgartner was 'sponsored' by "Austin Stahl" I reckon it was re-branded for that purpose. So far my best guess.

[Gary Schulz]

What year was his car? Does anyone know what became of it? My Cooper S spent time in Austria so that is why I am asking!

Was yours a race car in Austria? If so it would be interesting if I could connect it to old photos I have. Can you PM me details?

This was Niki's dark-blue Mini with red interior:
NL_EntryForm_Engelhartszell_exc.png

EDIT: The chassis number indicates it was initially a Morris Cooper - but as the previous racer Baumgartner was 'sponsored' by "Austin Stahl" I reckon it was re-branded for that purpose. So far my best guess.

The car I am working on now is in this thread:http://mk1-forum.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=24308

You helped me translate a inside door sticker from some sort of parts replacement depot in Austria which shows the car was clearly already in existence in 1965 so unfortunately not my car since this one appears to be from 1966... My car was raced and was in Austria and Switzerland as well as multiple locations in the USA but it is difficult to trace the history before the mid seventies.

[MiNiKiN]

Gary, yes I noticed yours is a too early car to be his. I am currently a bit hell-bent on finding out what happened to his car later on.
I know he sold it to Otto Stuppacher (rather unseccessful and not so talented racer), who then sold it to Helmut Koinigg (who sadly died in his 2nd F1 race in Watkins Glen some years later). I have no information what happened to the Mini later on.

Here is a video of Niki's first race (from minute 2:44) at Hillclimb Bad Mühllacken 1968

https://youtu.be/9gbJDwJUf_A?t=155

[r.tec]

If someone is interested in European Hillclimbing in general I'd recommend:

http://www.euromontagna.com/

Niki Lauda also appears there. And of course yours truly...

[MiNiKiN]

In following link to my FlickR album I have collated pictures of Niki's Cooper s from 1967 to 1969. There are short notes about driver and race with most pictures.
Anyway, it went through 4 owners in that period (that's how far I got yet with tracking its history).
1st owner: 1967 Fritz Baumgartner - Austrian Touring car top banana - racing for "Austin Stahl" dealership
2nd owner: Niki Lauda - only used for 4 races, then sold it to go up a notch with a Porsche 911
3rd owner: Otto Stuppacher - rather infamous wannabe racer - you read his F1 story up in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Stuppacher
4th owner: Helmut Koinigg - see story below and Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmuth_Koinigg

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVbZnnV

I endeavour to find out more about what happened to it thereafter....

BTW: talented racer Helmut Koinigg who raced the Mini through 69 made unfortunate fame when he died in his second F1 race in '74. He skid into the deadly barriers in Watkins Glen

[MiNiKiN]

Seems I never really updated this topic:
Lets start with another photo, which shows Niki's Mini along with the BMW 502 "Barock-Engel" of a friend of the Laudas, who was - unlike Niki's father- sympathetic with Niki's racing ambitions). The beamer served as a towing car for the trailer (mind you: Niki sold his daily, so race car was his only means of transport)

Mini_Lauda_m_BMW502_LR.jpg

Here we see Niki racing at the Dobratsch Hillclimb in Carinthia in 1968:

Niki_Lauda_StainzerBergrennen-1968_128_F.Lanner_LR.jpg

Photo by F. Lanner


Next, where did Niki's Cooper go after Helmuth Koinigg's ownership:

well sadly, as decent sources told me, it was bought by Fritz Baumgartners fellow racer named Johann E. Schnabl. He allegedly was always puzzled why this particular car had been so fast. (It must have been the car, not the drivers' skills )
So one day his chance arose, he bought the car (previously damaged by Koinigg in Salzburg at the Gaisberg Hillclimb in 69) and cut it up to find out End of the story so far.

I am still trying to have a personal chat with Johann, to get more details.

[richardACS]

Great Read....

[BAD942B]

good story

[MiNiKiN]

.....
Next, where did Niki's Cooper go after Helmuth Koinigg's ownership:

well sadly, as decent sources told me, it was bought by Fritz Baumgartners fellow racer named Johann E. Schnabl. He allegedly was always puzzled why this particular car had been so fast. (It must have been the car, not the drivers' skills )
So one day his chance arose, he bought the car (previously damaged by Koinigg in Salzburg at the Gaisberg Hillclimb in 69) and cut it up to find out End of the story so far.

I am still trying to have a personal chat with Johann, to get more details.

The story might not have ended as my previous research implied...

I had a chat with Willi Neuner yesterday, then race mechanic of Fritz Baumgartner (owner and talented racer of 932GYE before Lauda) who is befriended with Hans Schnabl and he has not heard of the "dissection story" .. I keep on keeping on ...

[Alex]

Another good looking picture from Niki Lauda

Kees.

From what we know yet, this is probably not Lauda. He ran the former Baumgartner Austin Cooper S - not a Morris. This photo was (imho falsely) first linked to Lauda in the Jan/92 Autorevue alongside the interview with Lauda about the start of his career (a different much funnier write-up in his own-words I have yet not translated).
Both photos are said to be taken in his first race in Bad Mühllacken - he hardly would have raced two cars...

This is him in Bad Mühllacken- completely different car!
NL_BadMuehllacken_128.jpg

Lauda included the posted photograph of the #158 Mini in his autobiography "To Hell and Back" which was first published in 1985 (German) and 1986 (English.
I've checked my hardback & paperback first editions and they both have it.
Would he have made that mistake ?

[MiNiKiN]

Another good looking picture from Niki Lauda

Kees.

From what we know yet, this is probably not Lauda. He ran the former Baumgartner Austin Cooper S - not a Morris. This photo was (imho falsely) first linked to Lauda in the Jan/92 Autorevue alongside the interview with Lauda about the start of his career (a different much funnier write-up in his own-words I have yet not translated).
Both photos are said to be taken in his first race in Bad Mühllacken - he hardly would have raced two cars...

This is him in Bad Mühllacken- completely different car!
NL_BadMuehllacken_128.jpg

Lauda included the posted photograph of the #158 Mini in his autobiography "To Hell and Back" which was first published in 1985 (German) and 1986 (English.
I've checked my hardback & paperback first editions and they both have it.
Would he have made that mistake ?

Yes, he either did not bother, remember or he did not check properly. I do know the Lauda Mini really well by now, and hence can make the bold statement that the "No. 158" car that crusades through books and internet as "Lauda's Mini" clearly is NOT his race Cooper.

[MiNiKiN]

A quick research in my photo library just showed that said #158 car could be Dr. P. Polly's - here is a picture of him at the 1965 Höhenstrassen race
Spot the similarities
This is car is NOT Lauda's!

JE1_Dr.P.Polly_W512.144_#158.jpg

[MiNiKiN]

The end of this thread:
I am now friends with Johann Schnabl - a very likeable person of 81 years. Johann (or short Hans) kindly told me everything he remembers about the Lauda Mini and his personal life and career in business as a BMC dealership, motorsport and after his motorsport era, which he ended in 1975.

Fact is, that the Baumgartner/Lauda alleged Austin Cooper S was in fact the 850 Mini previously in ownership of Fritz Baumgartner's mother. This was converted by means of Cooper S engine and brakes, etc.**

When Hans took possesion of the car from Helmut Koinigg in 1974*, he was already racing a Broadspeed BDH Escort, but for ages had been keen to know why Fritz Baumgartner was always 1-3/10th faster. Which Hans attributed to something in this car being special. Well, it showed the car was nothing special, it was - according to Hans' words - his own fault, by lifting the foot of the throttle just a tad earlier than Fritz.

Well once he had cut up the car the remains of the bodyshell went to the scrapyard, the stuff that could be fitted to customer cars re-used and only some very special parts went into a box marked "Top Secret" and put into the attic of the company premises in the Absbergergasse 4 in Vienna. Where they stayed and got forgotten about.
Fast forward to 2005 - Hans had now just sold the company building to a befriended developer, who shortly afterwards ringed him asking what to do with the 2 boxes (the 2nd was filled with leftovers of his own race Mini) in the attic.
Back came the memories and this was the birth of an idea - Hans wanted to fit the remaining race parts into an early 70s shell he had and build a race car again.
Just shy of 20 years later, that particular was finished this spring, shown at a classic car show and last weekend I had the honour to join Hans in its maiden run at the Bad Mühllacken revival hillclimb ( yes, the one where Niki Lauda's career started in 1968).

And if you want to know what of Lauda's Mini is in Hans' car: it is just the camshaft, the only traceable leftover

N.B.:
*this was just a few months or even weeks before Helmut'S death in Watkins Glen
** The Baumgartner/Lauda car was never officially registered as a Cooper S