Herbert Linge

11/6/1928 - 5/1/2024

Record updated 24-Jan-24

Herbert Linge is a former German racing and rally driver. He at Le Mans 15 times and, during his 20 years of racing, took 90 class victories and six international records. In 1957 he took a class win at the Mille Miglia, a class win in the Sebring 12 hour race in 1958 and the GT class victory at the Targa Florio in 1963. In 1972 he founded the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund's DMSB-Staffel, the first mobile track marshalling crew.

Herbert Linge

Herbert Linge was born in Weissach. A works driver and production manager at Porsche AG, Stuttgart, Linge achieved many successes during his 20 years of racing. His impressive list of successes includes 90 class victories and six international records. He contested the Le Mans 24 hour race 15 times, won the Liège-Rome-Liège race in 1954 and in 1957 claimed class victory at the Mille Miglia. In 1958 Linge secured a class win at the Sebring 12 hour race, with a triumph at the Tour de Corse two years later.

In 1954 he had a lucky escape. Co-driving with Hans Herrmann in the Mille Miglia, the gates of a railroad crossing were lowered in the last moment before the fast train to Rome passed. Driving a very low Porsche 550 Spyder, Herrmann decided it was too late to brake and knocked on the back of the Linge's helmet to make him duck. They barely passed below the gates before the train passed much to the surprise of the spectators.

He then proceeded to notch up another success in 1963, claiming the GT class victory at the Targa Florio.

Aside from his motorsport activities, Linge worked for many years in the international customer service department for Porsche. At 42, he finished his career as a race driver and switched to the newly-founded Porsche Development Centre Weissach, where he remained until ending his professional career as a production manager.

Linge still continued to travel to race tracks around the world after retiring. In 1972 he founded the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund's DMSB-Staffel for the Oberste Nationale Sportbehörde. The ONS-Staffel, is considered the first mobile track marshalling crew, equipped with fast cars like the Porsche 914 or Porsche 911, carrying fire extinguishers and doctors in order to arrive quickly at a crash site. He headed the squad until 1990.

His last post was that of Porsche Carrera Cup manager until 1993.

He is still involved with motor sport and his name regularly graces entry lists of historic rallies - always in connection with legendary Porsche models like the 550 Spyder or the 356 and 904.
 



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