Life's work: Robert Hahn looks behind the glitz and glamor
THOSE WERE TIMES AGO The passionate Frauenfeld mechanic Robert Hahn presented his 320-page book "Schlaflos im Renntransporter" (Sleepless in a racing van) with exclusive pictures at the autobau Erlebniswelt in Romanshorn.
In 1968, during the heyday of international motorsport, Robert Hahn was able to realize his childhood dream. The then 24-year-old, who grew up in a family of beverage merchants in Frauenfeld, became a racing mechanic. This was followed by intensive years on European and American racetracks until 1974. Precarious working conditions, enormous time pressure and seemingly endless transport journeys were his constant companions.
Anecdotes and pilots
Under the promising title "Schlaflos im Renntransporter", Robert Hahn has recorded his experiences as a racing mechanic in a richly illustrated book. He presented the work together with one of his co-authors, Christoph Ditzler.
Hahn told of his time with Swedish racing driver Joakim Bonnier, for whom he looked after the Formula 1 racing car and a five-liter sports car, of encounters with racing legends such as Jo Siffert, Jo Vonlanthen, John Surtees and Jack Brabham, but also of working with top mechanics. Everything is accompanied by refreshing and previously unknown anecdotes from the encounters.
Ode to the racing mechanic
The book makes accessible a world that usually remains hidden behind the glamor of racing. From his perspective as a racing mechanic, Hahn primarily opens up a new perspective. This is emphasized by the "Ode to the racing mechanic" contributed by former motorsport journalist and SP National Councillor Andreas Gross. For Robert Hahn, who later also drove racing cars himself and ran an Alfa Romeo dealership in Frauenfeld for many years, it was more than just a period of his life that he was able to summarize between two book covers.
Book data: Publisher McKlein Publishing, 30 x 20 cm, 320 pages, around 360 illustrations, 1st edition 2023, 79.90 francs, ISBN 9783947156542. Orders can be placed at HERE are made.
