After nearly 30 years behind wheel, Ludwig calls it quits

Thursday, Oct. 29, 1998 | 1:34 a.m.

By ANNE M. PETERSON

AP Sports Writer

Klaus Ludwig can't imagine growing old with his body strapped into a race car, his hands glued to the steering wheel.

So, he's called it quits after nearly 30 years of racing.

Ludwig, co-driving with Ricardo Zonta, went out in grand style last weekend with a victory in the FIA GT Championship finale that gave them the series title.

"This is a sport for young men," the 49-year-old Ludwig said. "And I am no longer young."

The FIA GT Championship series is in only its second year, but Ludwig is a veteran of sports car racing. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and is a five-time German champion.

"It would be good for motor sports if I stayed," said Ludwig, known for his quick wit and readiness to offer an opinion.

While other drivers have shown it's possible to compete against the younger crowd - NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt comes to mind - Ludwig said he has noticed that coordination and reaction times start to slow.

"I've always said I don't want to sit in a car when I'm 50," he said. "I'm turning 50 next year, so it's time."

Indeed, a career in sports car racing is grueling even for the younger guys. Drivers in the 10-race FIA GT series travel throughout Europe, Japan and the United States, as well as to races such as Le Mans not on the series schedule.

Allan McNish will attest to the almost nonstop nature of the life. The 31-year-old winner this year in the GT1 class at Le Mans says he's been to Japan 14 times and hasn't seen much of the country or its culture.

"In reality, it never stops. We go from tests straight to races, and it does become tiring," the Scotsman said. "I've actually tried in the past couple of years to look at where I've gone and do some sightseeing."

Ludwig walked away from it all last weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway in California.

He and Zonta drove the No. 2 Mercedes CLK LM to victory in the featured race of the Visa Sports Car Championship, edging fellow Mercedes drivers Bernd Schneider and Mark Webber by 10.891 seconds.

Before the 139-lap race, Ludwig said he expected to shed a few tears. But when Zonta crossed the finish line, the pit-lane celebration erupted around a smiling Ludwig.

"To finish my career this way feels more than fantastic," he said.

In 1986, Ludwig set the record for the fastest lap on the original 1.9-mile Laguna Seca track, driving a Team Zakspeed USA Ford Mustang Probe in qualifying for the Monterey Triple Crown race, which he won. The course was lengthened a year later.

In honor of the accomplishment, Ludwig was presented with a piece of the original track by general manager John Stornetta.

But despite a long and storied career, Ludwig's name isn't widely known - especially in the United States, where NASCAR's stockers tend to rule. And sports car drivers don't usually achieve the celebrity of NASCAR's Jeff Gordon or CART's Alex Zanardi, in part because the stars tend to be the cars and the technology - not the individuals behind the wheel.

Ludwig is quick to point out that his style of racing is no less demanding than the others. He must be in peak mental and physical condition to compete in the high-performance sports cars.

That's one of the reasons he's retiring.

"I think motorsports is the most underestimated sport in the world," he said. "That's because everyone thinks they can drive a car.

"But it's bloody difficult."