Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola was a German racing driver. He won the European Drivers' Championship, the pre-1950 equivalent of the modern Formula One World Championship, an unsurpassed three times. He also won the European Hillclimbing Championship three times – twice in sports cars, and once in Grand Prix cars. Caracciola raced for Mercedes-Benz during their original dominating Silver Arrows period, named after the silver colour of the cars, and set speed records for the firm. He was affectionately dubbed Caratsch by the German public, and was known by the title of Regenmeister, or "Rainmaster", for his prowess in wet conditions.
Caracciola in 1928
Caracciola (left) and his riding mechanic Eugen Salzer celebrate after winning the 1926 German Grand Prix
Caracciola (seated) with his first wife Charlotte at AVUS, Berlin in 1931
Caracciola in practice for the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix. He finished third after a delay at a pit stop
AIACR European Championship
The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950. It was established in 1931 and ran until the end of 1939 with a hiatus from 1933–34, and awarded points to drivers based on the results of selected Grand Prix races, the so-called Grandes Épreuves. The championship was discontinued because of the outbreak of World War II in 1939, and no champion was officially declared for the last season.
Hermann Lang demonstrating a Mercedes-Benz W125 at the Nürburgring in 1977. Lang drove a W125 to victory on its 1937 début.
Hermann Lang, despite finishing second on points in 1939 in the Mercedes-Benz W154 (shown here in 1986), was declared champion by the Nazis.