Despite obstacles: This is how Schröder established himself in the National Hotrods
Hans-Peter Schröder had a rocky road, yet he made a name for himself in the National Hotrods and the Autospeedway scene
Hans-Peter Schröder from Aachen didn’t always have it easy in his Autospeedway career: the National Hotrods driver had to fight his way through and overcame many challenges on his own. Nevertheless, he has made a name for himself in the scene and is ready to attack at the top again in the future.
“Even if people were against my plans, I went my way,” says Schröder in an interview with ‘Leadlap.net’. The Aachen native started in rally racing at the beginning of his career and even had the chance to move up the ladder there. However, the necessary budget and lack of support at the time put a spoke in his wheel.
In 1989, a poster drew his attention to Autospeedway racing: he drove to JaBa Circuit Posterholt in the Netherlands to watch the races. He was immediately infected and kept coming back to the small oval as a visitor. “I immediately became interested in National Hotrods because the other classes didn’t appeal to my taste,” he explains.
Beginnings in rallying
In 1991, Schröder built his own car, but as in rallying, the Autospeedway veteran recounts, there was a lack of help. Like a lone wolf, he nevertheless carried out the project on his own. He lacked the know-how on the oval and his rally experience was of little use to him. As a car body builder, however, he always had the opportunity to “build the cars himself.” The first car back then was an Audi 80.
“I got my butt kicked in the early years,” recalls Schröder, but he didn’t let it get him down and kept going. “There were no tips from the competition, except from Rolf Arens, but he also got quieter as I got faster.” The first successes followed: “I scored top-5 results and was runner-up in Venray.” Since then, Schröder has experienced a lot: a violent crash, but also many great moments like a fourth place in the SuperCup.
Schröder makes comeback
Then there was a long break: the old Venray circuit closed down, but Schröder had already disappeared from the hotrods scene before that, but his thirst for motorsport came back. The #3 car is back on the track today and Schröder says: “The cars have become faster, but not much has changed. Maybe I’ll manage to get back to the front of the field soon.”
Schröder still does a lot on his own, as he has done so often in his career. That’s why he’s looking for trustworthy helpers to support him on his adventure in the hotrods class. “I’d also like to land sponsors,” he says. “The appeal for me is to win, and that would be a great accomplishment in a car I built myself. My favorite place to race is Posterholt because of the close contact with the spectators.”
