Horst Kwech Bio on Wikipedia

**CanAmBob** · #1 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 09:37 PM

I always thought that Horst Kwech deserved a biography on Wikipedia documenting all of his accomplishments. Here is a start toward a bio that still needs editing including more detail on his races in Australia. He raced for Shelby in 1969 as well as 1968 and his Center Seat Can-Am history is missing but as I said its a start.

Horst Kwech - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**conedriver** · #2 (**permalink**) 11-11-2009, 05:27 AM

Bob,

A nice tribute. I had some work done by Horst on a Giulia Spider autocross car, and got to know him sufficiently to have short conversations at race tracks. My best memory is a Mid-Ohio Trans-Am where he was easily leading the Brock Datsun 510's and would have won had he not pressed on and broke something. His response to my query about slowing down for an easy finish was something like "Well mate, you need to show everyone how fast you are"

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanAmBob

I always thought that Horst Kwech deserved a biography on Wikipedia documenting all of his accomplishments. Here is a start toward a bio that still needs editing including more detail on his races in Australia. He raced for Shelby in 1969 as well as 1968 and his Center Seat Can-Am history is missing but as I said its a start.

Horst Kwech - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**CanAmBob** · #3 (**permalink**) 11-11-2009, 11:27 AM

Here is a photo of Horst Kwech in his RM Spyder. The RM Spyder used a Buchanan Motor Company body. Buchanan must have been the Devin of Australia.

Buchanan Photo History

Horst Kwech RM Spyder Bathurst Easter 1960

**CanAmBob** · #4 (**permalink**) 12-20-2009, 07:18 PM

There is a Horst Kwech thread on the Nostalgia forum of Autosport. RJ McConnell just posted some period photos as well as some Capri photos by Mark Windecker
Here is a great photo of the Ti Super of Kwech in 1965 by McConnell

Horst Kwech - The AUTOSPORT Bulletin Board

**1,6 HF** · #5 (**permalink**) 12-20-2009, 09:25 PM

The Wikipedia article is indeed a great start, Bob. Thanks for writing it up and being persistent enough to get it accepted.

**John Brase** · #6 (**permalink**) 12-24-2009, 04:27 AM

Quoted from your excellent wikipedia article:
"Horst used the same GTA to qualify for the 1966 SCCA ARRC runoffs at Riverside. He went on to win the first ARRC B-Sedan National Championship in a famous race with 25 lead changes, against the Lotus Cortina of Allan Moffat, and was presented with the SCCA President's Cup for his outstanding drive."

That race is responsible for me being an Alfista. Before that I was a Brit car guy. I had just missed qualifying for the runoffs in an HP Sprite but I went to Riverside just to watch. To this day that remains the best race I've ever seen. Three years later, living in Germany and in need of a car, I bought a GTV with the memory of the Kwetch GTA in mind. Since then I have never been without an Alfa in the garage.

I met him once, at Mid Ohio at an SCCA National. We were paddocked next to each other. He had an Alfa powered formula car at that race and as I recall they were trying to develop it into a good race car, without much success. He gave me a lesson that day on reading spark plugs, the concept of which I understood but the art of which I had not yet mastered. Nice guy.

**CanAmBob** · #7 (**permalink**) 12-24-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Brase

Quoted from your excellent wikipedia article:
"Horst used the same GTA to qualify for the 1966 SCCA ARRC runoffs at Riverside. He went on to win the first ARRC B-Sedan National Championship in a famous race with 25 lead changes, against the Lotus Cortina of Allan Moffat, and was presented with the SCCA President's Cup for his outstanding drive."

That race is responsible for me being an Alfista. Before that I was a Brit car guy. I had just missed qualifying for the runoffs in an HP Sprite but I went to Riverside just to watch. To this day that remains the best race I've ever seen. Three years later, living in Germany and in need of a car, I bought a GTV with the memory of the Kwetch GTA in mind. Since then I have never been without an Alfa in the garage.

I met him once, at Mid Ohio at an SCCA National. We were paddocked next to each other. He had an Alfa powered formula car at that race and as I recall they were trying to develop it into a good race car, without much success. He gave me a lesson that day on reading spark plugs, the concept of which I understood but the art of which I had not yet mastered. Nice guy.

**Joe Faherty** · #8 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 05:34 PM

The newly arrived Feb 2010 Hemmings Sport and Exotic magazine has an article about the 1971 Under 2.5 Trans Am with some shots of the orange"Weston's" cars #3 of Kwech, and the #4 of Harry T (Theodoracopoulos) Good story but rather short.
Joe Faherty NWARC AROC BOD

housefull · #9 (**permalink**) 01-14-2010, 08:03 AM

That race is responsible for me being an Alfista. Before that I was a Brit car guy. I had just missed qualifying for the runoffs in an HP Sprite but I went to Riverside just to watch. To this day that remains the best race I've ever seen. Three years later, living in Germany and in need of a car, I bought a GTV with the memory of the Kwetch GTA in mind. Since then I have never been without an Alfa in the garage.