Hans Baltisberger

Record type: Motorsport Biographies

Biography: Junior – N.S.U.
Lightweight – N.S.U.

Age 33, Hans Baltisberger was originally a printer and cinema poster artist, but he is now a professional racing motor cyclist. He comes from Belzinger, near Reutlingen, Germany.

His first efforts at racing were at Reutlingen in 1947 on a very elderly 350 c.c. Puch, and of his riding style he himself says “it resembled an overfed sow”. Later his father, who is a doctor, helped him to buy a Norton with which he crashed on his first outing, on the day before an important race. Friends turned in and the machine was rebuilt during the night with the result that Hans scored his first ever win on the following day.

During 1950 and 1951 he rode very successfully with a 350 c.c. A.J.S. and a 500 c.c. Norton and then in 1953 he was spotted by the B.M.W. talent scouts and signed up for the team. For 1954 he switched to the N.S.U. team and rode in the Isle of Man in both lightweight and 125 c.c. classes finishing sixth in the 250 c.c. race and fourth in the 125 c.c.

An absentee from the T.T. last year, he comes back this time as a private owner. His Lightweight mount is a standard 'Sportmax,' but for the Junior race he has a 305 c.c. N.S.U. with which he has already had several Continental wins this season.
(TT Special, 4 June 1956, p.8.)

Nationality: German

Competed in

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