Matters of moment, December 2006

Obituary
Erwin Kremer 1937-2006

Racing driver, constructor and entrant Erwin Kremer died in October after a stroke He was 69. Co-founded with brother Manfred, Kremer Porsche Racing was a colossus of international sports car racing, with wins in Europe and USA.

Kremer was the first driver to compete at international level in a Porsche 911, going on to win the Spa 24 Hrs in 1968, and take sixth place overall at Le Mans in 1970. He built his first racer in 1976, but it was with the 935-based K3 that Kremer struck gold, winning Le Mans overall in 1979 plus the German National Championship. In the ’80s the team built a Porsche 917 facsimile, before entering a 936-based Group C car (the CK5) in Group C. Reverting to Porsche 962s, the squad won the ’85 Monza 1000Km and three Interserie titles. After winning the ’95 Daytona 24 Hrs, and the Monza 1000 Km two years later, the team split. More recently Erwin entered some of his Gp C cars in historics.

Obituary
Raymond Baxter 1922-2000

Raymond Baxter was one of the best-known motorsport commentators. A distinguished pilot in WWII, he joined the BBC in 1949, commentating on racing, rallying and more in the 1950s and 1960s. He competed in the Monte Carlo Rally 12 times, and on Alpine, Tulip and RAC Rallies. His wider fame came as host of the Tomorrow’s World show. He also commentated on many landmark events, including the funeral of Winston Churchill. He was made an OBE in 2003