Martinek Guzzi Racing Köln                                                               

             

100 years Moto Guzzi  -  1921 to 2021  -  We were allowed to write a very small part of history

The Moto Guzzi company has built thousands of motorcycles with the LeMans name over the years.
However, the only true Moto Guzzi LeMans was not built by the Guzzi factory in Mandello, but by a German private team from Cologne.

Only those who competed in LeMans, and arrived in LeMans after 24h, can call themselves LeMans !

At the beginning of the 80's Hans Martinek from Cologne and Ralf Köhler from Rünthe with his mechanics Klaus Neilmann (Schorsch) and Toni Kurpas from Unna
had founded an endurance and BoT team, which over the years became the most internationally successful Moto Guzzi racing team of all time.
This team has competed several times in the 24h races in LeMans and Spa/Francorchamps, has finished the toughest races in the world several times
and has also even managed to score world championship points. Ok, it was once the 18th and once the 22nd place.
But with a Moto Guzzi this is like a victory considering the starting field of around 60 motorcycles, almost all of which were Japanese four-cylinders.
Therefore, the Martinek Guzzi is the only true LeMans of all time.

Martinek-Guzzi at the 24h race LeMans 1984 - World Endurance Championship

        

        


Martinek-Guzzi at the 24h race Spa-Francorchamps  1985  -  World Endurance Championship

              


Martinek-Guzzi  Battle of Twins Nürburgring 1989  -  German Championship

The Martinek-Guzzi scored world championship points several times at 24h races at Spa/Fracochamp and LeMans.
At the 8h at the Nürburgring she was several times fastest twin cylinder.
In 1985 she became Battle of Twin vice European champion.
In 1988 she became Battle of Twin German Champion with Stefan Schulz.

The internationally and nationally most successful Guzzi of all time !


Stefan Schulz built a steering knuckle Guzzi with a Martinek engine.
It is the only knuckle Guzzi in the world





It was a great honour to accompany Hans Martinek †, Ralf Köhler, Klaus Neilmann and Stefan Schulz
on this incredible journey as mechanics and with our electronics.



To be continued, because the next generation of fearless Guzzi banders is already on the starting grid....




... and the power will be with you !