Heinrich Wieditz, who helped turn Zündapp into one of the premier enduro and motocross manufacturers in the 1970s, passed away last Wednesday at the age of 96. Enduro-Klassik broke the news.

Born in 1929, Wieditz had extensive knowledge working on motorcycles and aircraft. He began as an apprentice for Junkers, then worked as a test bench mechanic for Kreidler following World War II and for Heinkel. By the end of the 1950s, he became a racing mechanic for Porsche under Hans Mezger.

He was hired by Zündapp as a motorcycle engineer in 1979. While their bikes were already competitive, he turned the factory program into a juggernaut that won 28 German national enduro championships and 27 European titles. In 1975, Zündapp bikes lifted West Germany to the 50th International Six Days Trial and Gilbert de Roover to a runner-up points finish in the Motocross World Championship’s 125cc class.

Hercules-Sachs lured Wieditz to its new factory racing program in 1976, where he overhauled the team’s bikes with the introduction of a new transfer port side window called “Wieditz cylinders”. Wieditz convinced four-time enduro champion Arnulf Teuchert to move over from Suzuki, and he won in his debut.

KTM recruited him in 1978. In 1982, Wieditz was involved in developing the BMW M12 engine that Nelson Piquet drove to the 1983 Formula One World Championship.

Heinrich Wieditz: October 24, 1929 – March 25, 2026

Featured image credit: Leo Keller