Who is John Winter?

Anyone familiar with the history of Le Mans will find the name John Winter in the list of overall winners after the year 1985. Alongside him are other well-known names such as Klaus Ludwig and Paolo Barilla. The latter is certainly less well-known than the pasta he produces.

But who is this John Winter? John Winter is German and his real name is Louis Krages. He is the son of a family of entrepreneurs who make their money trading timber in Bremen. Krages suspects that his mother might disinherit him if she finds out that he's taken up racing as a hobby. However, when he's sitting in the winning car at Le Mans in 1985, he can no longer hide it due to the numerous newspaper reports.

From that day on, Krages no longer used the pseudonym. He competed in further races at Le Mans, Sebring, and the DTM under his real name before being forced to give up his hobby due to financial difficulties.

After spending most of his fortune, he left Germany for the United States. He was found shot to death in his Atlanta home in 2001. Police believe it was a possible suicide.

You can find the winning car from 1985 in our shop.