Herbert Linge proclaimed honorary citizen of WeissachAccolade for former Porsche race driver
Stuttgart. Herbert Linge, former works driver and production manager at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, was presented with honorary citizenship in his home community of Weissach on Friday. The 78-year-old was a Porsche man right from the start. He began is career path back in 1943, as one of the first apprentices at Porsche, training as a mechanic in the Zuffenhausen factory. Until his retirement in 1987, he maintained close ties to the sports car manufacturer. His extraordinary career at Porsche was honoured yesterday in the Strudelbachhalle Weissach by the mayoress Ursula Kreutel.
Herbert Linge achieved many successes during his 20 years of racing. His impressive list of successes includes 90 class victories and six international records. He contested the Le Mans 24 hour race 15 times, won the Liège-Rome-Liège race in 1954 and in 1957 claimed class victory at the Mille Miglia. In 1958 Linge secured a class win at the Sebring 12 hour race, with a triumph at the Tour de Corse two years later. The Porsche works driver then proceeded to notch up another success in 1963, claiming the GT class victory at the Targa Florio. Aside from his motorsport activities, Linge worked for many years in the international customer service department for Porsche. At 42, he finished his career as a race driver and switched to the newly-founded
Porsche Development Centre Weissach, where he remained until ending his professional career as a production manager.
Even in retirement, Linge still continued to travel to race tracks around the world. In 1972 the Weissach man founded the track safety team of the sport’s governing body (ONS) and headed the squad until 1990. As his last post, he took on the role of Porsche Carrera Cup manager until 1993. Even today, racing fever still has Herbert Linge in its grip. His name regularly graces entry lists of historic rallies - always in connection with legendary Porsche models like the 550 Spyder or the 356 and 904.
Herbert Linge also follows Porsche’s latest motorsport engagement with great interest and is particularly delighted about the latest successes of the Weissach-developed sports prototype, the RS Spyder, in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
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Note: Photos are available for accredited journalists on the Porsche database under the website: http://presse.porsche.de/.
30.10.2006