Former BMW executive Karl-Heinz Kalbfell has been killed following a motorcycle accident at the Brands Hatch racing circuit in England.
He was practising for the British Motorcycle Racing Club’s Lansdowne Classic Series, and according to a release from Brands Hatch, fell after losing control of his machine and was struck by another rider. Kalbfell was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, according to the release.
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BMW said in a statement that the company “mourns an amazing person and a passionate racer. For many years he was a formative figure and a driving force behind BMW Motorsport and BMW M.”
Kalbfell, 63, worked for BMW from 1977 until 2004 during which time he was chief executive officer at Rolls-Royce, president of the M performance division and head of BMW Motorsport. He joined Fiat Group in 2005, where he served as Alfa Romeo chief operating officer and Maserati CEO.
He formed his own consultancy in 2006 and worked with a number of companies including Lotus, supplier Magna Europe and Russian contract manufacturer GAZ.
Kalbfell has a large collection of British classic bikes, and raced them regularly.
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