#ThrowbackThursday: Ewald Kluge (GER)

Born in 1909 in Dresden, Germany, Ewald Kluge became a DKW factory rider in 1935. He clinched four German 250cc titles between 1936 and 1939, and two European Championship titles in 1938 and 1939.

He won the 250cc Lightweight TT at the Isle of Man by more than eleven minutes over the second place.

After the war he spent three years in a special camp before being released in 1949. In 1950 Kluge was once again riding for DKW, in both 250cc and 350cc classes. Because of the ban on supercharging, the motorcycle was not so efficient as before the war. In 1952 he took part in the German Grand Prix at Solitude, finishing fifth in the 350cc race and 4th in the 250cc race. He suffered a heavy crash on the Nürburgring in the following year; injuries led him to stop his racing career. He passed away in 1964 from cancer. In the meantime, DKW was renamed MZ, and would be on the base of 2-stroke engine success…

Text: Marc Pétrier Photo: FIM Archive