Anton “Toni” Ulmen (25 January 1906 – 4 November 1976) was a German motorcycle and racing driver from Düsseldorf, Germany.
His racing career started in 1925 on a 250 cc Velocette. In 1927 he won the opening race of the Nürburgring on a 350 cc Velocette. In 1929 he won the 350 cc class on the Eilenriede, a non-permanent race course near Hannover. From 1949 to 1952, he was four times German sports car and Formula 2 champion. Info from Wiki
Toni Ulmen – 1952 Formula One Season By Jeremy McMullen
World War II destroyed many lives. Like all wars, it also destroyed a number of careers. So much potential is lost as the result of war. Due to World War II, the racing world lost the opportunity to foster the full potential of the German racer Anton ‘Toni’ Ulmen.
Born in Dusseldorf in 1906, Ulmen racing career took off during the later 40’s. In 1948 Ernst Loof established Veritas. Veritas was able to make the first racing cars in Germany after the end of World War II. The pairing of Ulmen and Veritas became a potent combination.
In the immediate years after World War II the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) announced German participants, either drivers or manufacturers, were not allowed to take part in any international racing events. Speculation concerning the ruling abound, especially since there were a number of notable exceptions and oversights which made the ruling appear arbitrary. Sentiments and positions toward Germany varied greatly. Undaunted by this fact, Ulmen would participate in a number of grand prix and sports car events throughout out Germany during the late 1940s and going into the early 1950s.
Paired with his Veritas, Toni Ulmen would end up becoming the German F2 champion in 1949. He would also go on to earn a good number of victories and podium finishes throughout the late 1940s in sports car racing. In early 1950, Ulmen traveled to Erlen, Switzerland to take part in the 2nd Grand Prix of Ostschweiz-Erlen.
The race was 40 laps around the triangular 1.74 mile Circuit Erlen. Ulmen would face off against Scuderia Ferrari’s 166s driven by Luigi Villoresi and Roberto Vallone. Never was Ulmen intimidated by the Italian racing team. Although he would be beaten by the two Ferraris, he would end up finishing 3rd, mere seconds behind.
Later on, in August of 1950, Ulmen squared off against Scuderia Ferrari again. This time Alberto Ascari was at the wheel. The race was the 13th Grand Prix of Germany and it was held on the 14 mile long Nordschleife.
The Formula 2 non-championship race was still a test. It was 16 laps and totaled over 226 miles in race distance. Ascari was able to take the pole and would go on to win the race. Once again Ulmen showed great strength behind the wheel of the Veritas RS as he would finish the race 4th.
In 1951, Toni would earn three victories throughout the season at sports car races at Hockenheim and Grenzlandring, but also in a hillclimb held in Schauinsland. Truly, Ulmen and Veritas was a successful combination.
Ulmen’s Veritas-Meteor RS, with its 2.0-liter 6-cylinder engine, conformed to the FIA’s regulations for the Formula One World Championship in 1952. The regulations set forth for the 1952 season stated the cars running the Formula One World Championship would have to conform to Formula 2 specifications, which included a maximum size of 2.0-liters for the engines.
Due to already taking part in a number of Formula 2 races in Germany, Ulmen decided to expand his 1952 season to include a couple of Formula One World Championship events. However, Toni’s season didn’t start with a Formula One event. Instead, Ulmen’s season would warm-up with a trip across the English Channel.
On the 10th of May, Ulmen prepared to take part in the 4th BRDC International Trophy race at Silverstone in England.
The race was broken up into two 15 lap heat races, followed by a 35 lap final. Toni found himself in the first heat race. Amongst those in the heat with him were Mike Hawthorn, Ken Wharton and Jean Behra.
In practice before the heat race, Ulmen was able to lap the 2.92 mile road course in two minutes and ten seconds. This time was ten seconds slower than Hawthorn’s pole time, and meant Ulmen would start 14th on the grid.
During the heat race, Toni couldn’t match Hawthorn’s pace. Hawthorn would win the heat followed by Behra and Peter Collins. Ulmen had ended up being lapped but managed to finish without incident in 11th.
Gallery F1/F2
