Edgar Dören Has Passed Away
Edgar
Dören was one of these seemingly indestructible veteran racers
who always seems to have been around, and always turned up for the
first race every year; it is hard to imagine he will not be there
anymore.
Hardly a "star",
he was nevertheless one of Germany's longest-serving and most respected
racing drivers, held in high regard particularly by the knowledgeable
race fans around the Nordschleife. A wave of the gloved hand served
to acknowledge those who cheered him on during the race, and as
a quick 'thank you' to slower competitors who gave him room to pass.
Gestures like these sum up why he was so popular with spectators
and fellow racers alike: his fairness on the track, his accessibility
for ‘nosy punters’ in the paddock, and his dedication
to motor racing.
In over three
decades as a driver, he was never severely injured. It came as a
huge shock - it always does, of course - when it first became known
that he had fallen seriously ill. Now the tragic news is that Edgar
Dören has succumbed to his illness. Our heartfelt sympathy
goes out to his family and friends in their time of grief.
The racing community
has lost someone who in the heat of fierce competition never forgot
that out in the spectator stands, in the other cars on the track,
underneath umbrellas and behind balaclavas, in folding chairs and
six point harnesses, all around him there were people, and he was
one of them. He raced them hard, and often beat them; he spoke his
mind, but he treated them all as human beings. For this, he had
their respect and affection.
Such people
cannot ever quite be replaced.
Johannes Gauglica
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