Johannes Gruber

Johannes Gruber (born September 12, 1951 in East Berlin, died December 25, 1988 in Los Angeles) was an East German racing driver who raced under a West German licence, best known for his appearances in the Dywa Grand Prix Series.

Little was known about Gruber prior to his appearances in Dywa Grand Prix. It was believed that he was classically educated, potentially in the United Kingdom, as he spoke with a very clear renounced pronunciation accent. His sources of funding were a mystery - although he had allegedly told a reporter that he was involved in political activism in West Berlin.

In 1978, Gruber joined the Austrian DYWA HARD team in the blossoming Dywa Grand Prix Series alongside Peter Krieg. Many people speculated that Krieg and Gruber were brothers, but this was never confirmed. At the Dywa Gran Premio di San Marino, Gruber was involved in a horrific accident which saw the rear of his car detached from the front - causing severe abrasions to Gruber's body and ruling him out for two rounds. He returned but was later injured again at the Dywa Granda Espròva d'Occitània - this time suffering a broken leg.

Later life and death

Gruber continued his shady political activism for the majority of the 1980s.

In 1988, he was killed when he fell from the Fox Plaza building in Los Angeles after attending a Christmas party.