Competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a rower and was a keen and varied sportsman, as he also swam, boxed, sailed and ski-ied. Indeed, he was once the ski-ing teacher for the Queen of Greece. An engineer, he was very good at sportscars and Formula 2 after taking up the sport once World War Two was finished. He later became a member of the ADAC Sporting Commission. After racing, he also scuba dived and climbed mountains! Krakau raced in Italy in 1950, but Germany hadn't been readmitted into the international arena at that time so his entry had to be kept somewhat muted to allow him to race and avoid diplomatic issues. Krakau retired at the end of 1952 after selling his BMW Special to Hans Klenk. Willi then went on to pursue yet more different sports, this time trying alpine mountain climbing!

Biography last updated 6 Aug 2017