Willy Lehmann

Willy Lehmann was one of the most prolific and successful East German competitors and yet we know very little about him. He started in the latter part of 1950, though records show his car simply as an Eigenbau, but by mid 1951 he was driving a Grün and travelling to the West. Willy finished third in the East German Championship to Daniel Zimmermann and Karl-August Bergmann. He continued in the Grün for 1952 and was comfortably the best of the East Germans, though he struggled against the Coopers that were now appearing regularly in the hands of the West German drivers.

By mid 1953, Willy had acquired a West German Scampolo-BMW to take his second championship. He won again in 1954 but was no match for the Cooper Mk VIII of Theo Helfrich. With Formula 3 effectively ended in West Germany by 1955, Willy's fourth championship was assured, with only occasional appearances by westerners. Kurt Ahrens, Kurt Kuhnke, Philip Meub and Theo Helfrich to spoil things and it was the same story in 1956 and '57, giving Willy his six East German Championships in all. Only in 1958 was he defeated by a Heinz Melkus. He continued for 1959, the last year of Formula 3 in East Germany, though no championship was awarded.

Willy's results:

Sternberg 18th June 1950 , 2nd

Halle Saale Schleife 25th June 1950, 2nd

Leipzig 9th July 1950, 1st

 

Hockenheim (West) 14th May 1951, 6th in heat, 10th in final

Leipzig 20th May 1951, DNF

Nürburgring (West) 3rd June 1951, 13th

Dresden 17th June 1951, 1st

Avus (West) 1st July 1951, DNF in heat 1

Dreieckrennen 8th July 1951, 1st

Stralsund 15th July 1951, 1st

Nürburgring (West) 29th July 1951 German Grand Prix, DNF

Freiburg (West) 5th August 1951, 20th

Rostock 20th April 1952, DNF

Hockenheim (West) 11th May 1952, 5th

Nürburgring (West) 24th May 1952, DNF

Avus (West) 1st June 1952, 3rd

Halle Saale Schleife 8th June 1952, 2nd

Schwerin 22nd June 1952, 1st

Bernburg 10th August 1952, 1st

Leipzig 17th August 1952, 1st

Sachsenring 7th September 1952, 2nd

Halle Saale Schleife 5th October 1952, 3rd

 

Hockenheim (West) 10th May 1953, 5th

Leipzig 17th May 1953, DNF

Nürburgring (West) 31st May 1953, 7th

Rostock  21st June 1953, 3rd

Halle Saale Schleife 5th July 1953, DNF

Dresden 26th July 1953, 3rd

Schwerin 16th August 1953, 1st

Sachsenring 23rd August 1953, 2nd

Braunschweig 30th August 1953, 1st

Schwerin 16th August 1953, 1st

Sachsenring 23rd August 1953, 2nd

Braunschweig 30th August 1953, 1st

Halle Saale Schleife 20th September 1953, 2nd

Bernau Schleife  27th September 1953, 2nd

 

Leipzig 16th May 1954, DNF

Nürburgring (West) 23rd May 1954, 9th

Dresden 13th June 1954, 2nd

Halle Saale Schleife 8th August 1954, 3rd

Sachsenring 15th August 1954, 4th

 

Dessau 15th May 1955, 1st

Dresden 22nd May 1955, 2nd

Leipzig 5th June 1955, 2nd

Sachsenring 14th August 1955, DNF

 

Leipzig 6th May 1956, 4th

Halle Salle Schleife 17th June 1956, 4th

Wismar 5th August 1956, 5th

Dessau 23rd September 1956, 4th

 

Halle Saale Schleife 28th April 1957, 2nd

Leipzig 26th May 1957, 3rd

Magdeburg 21st July 1957, 4th

Sachsenring 18th August 1957, 4th

Bernau 15th September 1957, DNF

 

Leipzig 15th June 1958, 3rd in heat, sixth in final

Wismar 22nd June 1958, 5th

Bautzen 27th July 1958, 4th

Magdeburg 3rd August 1958, 2nd

Sachsenring 17th August 1958, 6th

Dresden Hellerau 21st September1958, 7th

 

Halle Saale Schleife 26th April 1959, DNF

Dresden 5th July 1959, DNF

Magdeburg 19th July 1959, 5th

Bautzen 13th September 1959, 6th

Willy in his Scampolo.

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