The fastest fire brigade in the world

The drivers of these red rescue vehicles competed with the world's motorsport greats on the racetracks. And yet nobody knew their names and they were not in the limelight. But they saved lives. Many still remember Niki Lauda's dramatic racing accident on 1 August 1976 at the Nürburgring. Seconds after his racing car went up in flames, a red Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 with a built-in halon extinguishing system appeared and its driver fought the flames as a fireman. His co-driver, a racing doctor, then tended to Lauda, who had been pulled from the burning wreckage by other racing drivers.

A special exhibition at the Feuerwehrmuseum Bayern (Firefighting Museum Bavaria) in Waldkraiburg is dedicated to the O.N.S. rescue squadron. On 8 April 1973, the rescue squadron was presented to the press by the Supreme National Sports Commission. It provided fire protection at many German race tracks, from Formula 1 events to hill climbs. Their R-vehicles followed the racing field on the starting lap, heavily laden with 90-kilogram extinguishing systems in steel cylinders, hydraulic rescue shears, spreaders and medical bags.

Exactly 50 years later to the day, the special exhibition begins on 8 April 2023. Four vehicles will be on display until 9 July 2023. The 190 hp, 205 km/h Porsche 914/6 GT, which weighed almost two tonnes when loaded, was the world's first safety car. It marked the birth of mobile track safety in motorsport. Today, this Porsche belongs to former sponsor Recaro, which has made it available for the special exhibition.

Last edited on 31.01.2024