Louis Krages

German racing driver (1949–2001)

Louis Krages (born Klaus Louis Kragés, 2 August 1949 – 11 January 2001), more commonly known by his pseudonym John Winter, was a German racing driver and businessman.

Krages used the racing pseudonym "John Winter" to prevent his family, mainly his mother, from learning about his hobby. As John Winter, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1985 with the Porsche 956 of Joest Racing, with Klaus Ludwig and Paolo Barilla. Winter drove a single stint in the early hours of Sunday in support of his teammates for less than an hour, most of it behind the safety car. After the success and the publicity involved, his alter ego was revealed to his family when, the next day, his mother picked up a newspaper, with a picture of Krages on the rostrum. Winter spent many seasons competing in the German Interserie series, usually racing privately entered Porsches, taking the title in 1986. Winter was also a regular entrant at Le Mans, competing 10 times at the race. Apart from his victory, his best finish was third in a Joest Racing Porsche 962 in 1988. He would also win the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1991 for Joest in the same car and also drove in the IMSA GTP until 1993, the year he won at Road America with Manuel Reuter, when the series ended, making the car obsolete. In 1994, Winter, along with the team, defected to DTM, driving an Opel Calibra. In Round 10, Race 1 at AVUS, he was involved in fiery accident, in which his car disintegrated in a fireball. For the following year, driving a privateer Mercedes Benz C Class, he reverted to his real name, which he competed throughout the season and which was also his last. Krages sold off his business and emigrated to Atlanta where he started up a toy business. In 2001, suffering from problems in his business and from depression, he committed suicide in Atlanta, Georgia, by shooting himself, at his home.

Year Team Co Drivers Car Class Laps 1978 Porsche Kremer Racing Dieter Schornstein Philippe Gurdjian Porsche 935 77Gr.5SP182N/C* 1979 Porsche Kremer Racing Axel Plankenhorn Philippe Gurdjian Porsche 935 K3Gr.5SP273 13th 5th 1984 New Man Joest Racing Schornstein Racing Team Volkert Merl Dieter Schornstein Porsche 956C1340 5th 5th 1985 New Man Joest Racing Klaus Ludwig Paolo Barilla Porsche 956BC1374 1st 1st 1986 Joest Racing Klaus Ludwig Paolo Barilla Porsche 956BC1196DNF(Engine) 1988 Blaupunkt Joest Racing Frank Jelinski Stanley Dickens Porsche 962CC1385 3rd 3rd 1989 Joest Racing Frank Jelinski Pierre Henri Raphanel Porsche 962CC1124DNF(Water leak) 1990 Joest Porsche Racing Stanley Dickens Bob Wollek Porsche 962CC1346 8th 8th 1991 Konrad Motorsport Joest Porsche Racing Bernd Schneider Henri Pescarolo Porsche 962CC2197DNF(Overheating) 1993 Joest Porsche Racing Manuel Reuter Frank Jelinski Porsche 962CC2282DNF(Engine)
Note *: Not Classified because did not cover sufficient distance (70% of their winner) at the 12, 18 or 24 hour intervals.