Helmut Wenz Archives

Helmut Wenz was born in Essen in 1938 and started as apprentice at Siemens right after finishing school.

Since then was employed in the communication business.

Ever since photography was his passion. The first compact camera H. Wenz used was a Kodak Retina IB in 1955.

While watching the legendary Mercedes "Silberpfeile" at the 18th int. ADAC Eifelrennen at the Nuerburgring in 1955 he got somehow “infected“ with the motorsport virus … which wouldn´t let him go for the rest of his life.

In the early 60s H. Wenz entered the Motorsport Club Blau-Gelb Essen, where he met Dieter Fröhlich, who entered DKW F11, Alfa-Romeo and Porsche in the 60s and early 70s. From this time he was the responsible timekeeper for D. Fröhlich.

While travelling from race to race around Europe he got to know the subsequent team manager of Ford Motorsport, Michael Krahnefuß, who called Wenz into his Team in 1972.

From 1975 to 1977 he finally went to BMW as timekeeper for the BMW Junior Team.

While being at the most important race tracks all over the world, of course his camera always was with him…a fact which safed us a rare insight of motorsport in the 60s and 70s.