On 19 January we said goodbye to Hans Herrmann at the Waldfriedhof cemetery in Maichingen, attended by many distinguished guests. Even Wolfgang Porsche did not miss the opportunity to say goodbye in person. Afterwards, I felt compelled to put my 30 years with him down on paper.
It was the 25th anniversary of Porsche’s first overall victory at Le Mans – and I wrote the press release about this important success for Porsche, including quotes from the two drivers, Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood. To do this, I visited Hans Herrmann at his home. This was followed in 1996 by a photo shoot with Herbert Linge for my book ‘Mythos Porsche’, in which we recreated the famous scene with the 550 Spyder for the first time, with the two of them racing through a closed railway barrier.
My most intense time with the exceptional racing driver came immediately afterwards. Herrmann asked me to finish his biography, which he wanted to present to his numerous guests at the Mercedes Museum on 23 February 1998, whom he had invited to celebrate his 70th birthday. From then on, my research allowed me to delve deep into his life – and travel with him, for example to Bassano del Grappa in October 1997 for the 35th anniversary of the club of former Formula 1 drivers, the ‘Club International des Anciens Pilotes de Grand Prix F1″ – and in December 1997 to Karl Kling on Lake Constance. The legendary photo in front of the garages of the Porsche Villa on Feuerbacher Weg was also taken on 22 October 1997 for this biography. The encounter with Professor Ferry Porsche and that Porsche 917, which, with its Salzburg livery and start number 23, was visually reminiscent of the Le Mans winning car.
These special occasions and the biography created a relationship of trust between us, and he was the first person I confided in about my plans to revive the Solitude race track. From 23 to 25 March 2001, with his support, I occupied an entire hall measuring over 600 square metres at the first Retro Classics trade faire in Stuttgart to commemorate the Solitude legend. In July 2001, together with seven other racing legends, we founded Solitude Revival e.V. at the former start and finish house. Herrmann set only one condition. I had to set up a limited company as the organiser in order to protect the association and its founding members from potential liability issues. This is how today’s Solitude GmbH came into being in 2002, and the gauntlet could begin. For the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Solitude Race, three municipalities with 44 public authorities had to be coordinated. It was a seemingly hopeless endeavour. But Hans Herrmann always stood by my side and accompanied me to the most important meetings with government agencies and police authorities to lend his name and influence. Ultimately, it worked. From 25 to 27 July 2003, the memorial event was held, with the racing legends in attendance representing 47 world championship titles. I will never forget his commitment to the cause, to the support association and, ultimately, to me. For this and for his life’s work as a whole, we honoured him on 19 August 2023 at Solitude Castle in the presence of his racing comrades – and placed a laurel carnz on his head for the first time since his overall victory at Le Mans in 1970.
A very special gentleman embarked on his final journey on 9 January 2026. Thank you for the time we spent together. Yours Tobias Aichele
Photos: Alex Dietrich, Porsche AG, Solitude GmbH
