Rudolf "Rudi" Caracciola is born in Remagen in 1901 in the hotel of property of his parents, of Italian origins. The passion for the cars and for the races is great and Caracciola succeeds to become a driver very young.
He's assumed at the local Daimler-Benz store as clerk and then obtains the permission to participate, during the weekends, at the car competitions that are disputated near Dresda, where he works.
The debut in an important contest is in 1923, when he's 22, at the circuit of the AVUS. Rudi convinces the leaders of Mercedes to give him an official car and obtains a Mercedes M218 2000 8 cylinders supercharged with 150 HP. The rookie completes a beautiful contest and wins!
In order to enter definitively between the great names of motoring he had to wait until 1926 when completes the enterprise that consecrates him "ace" at International level and becomes famous. He participates at the first edition of the GP of Germany, at the circuit of the AVUS, with a not-official Mercedes. After the first laps it becomes to rain heavily: Adolf Rosenberger, also he with Mercedes, loses the control of the car in a curve and lead in the neighbor box of the timekeepers, killing the three occupants. But the dramatic race continues and the accidents are very numerous because the rain makes the circuit very dangerous. Only a driver continues faster and faster: Caracciola! The German young driver wins the Grand Prix and from that day he comes nicknamed "regenmeister", the master of the rain. A name that deserves why also in the successive years demonstrates to be invincible with the rain. He becomes also a specialist of the german race: he wins five times the GP (1928-31-32-37-39).

Rudolf Caracciola during the race in climb at the Klausen in 1927 with the Mercedes type 680 model S: he will win the contest.

"Carazoler" "conquests" the confidence of Mercedes and become the favourite driver of the new sport director of the team Alfred Neubauer who gives to him the new model S ("sport"): with this car (that will become legendary also with the "evolutions" SS, SSK and SSKL) he wins the first race disputed on the new track of the Nurburgring on 19th June 1927. With the model S and the successive SS, SSK and SSKL he obtains an important series of successes in local races, in International competitions and in race in climb, dominating perfectly the heavy german car (1650 kg). It's important to remember the prestigious successes of 1929 at the Tourist Trophy of Belfast where strikes the English specialists and the clamorous affirmation of 1931 at the Mille Miglia, the first not Italian driver to win the race, at the average speed record of 101 km/h (63 mph). In 1930 and 1931 Caracciola conquests also the title of European champion of the mountain.
At the end of the 1931 season he passes at the Alfa Romeo because the Mercedes-Benz withdraws from the race because of the serious economic crisis in wich is the Germany. Rudi promises that he will return to the house of Stuttgart when Mercedes will decide to return racing. For the '32 Caracciola runs with the Alfa Romeo P3 but finds Nuvolari in the same team that dominates the season. Rudi wants his machine painted of white and become soon very fast: in the GP of Monaco pursue closely Nuvolari but he does not succeed to win. Tazio at the arrival comments: "It's not possible to relax for a moment that he arrives!". During the season the mantuan wins to repetition but the direction of the Alfa wants also a victory of the german for commercial reason (to demonstrates that the P3 can win also without Nuvolari) and at the GP of France the team exposed to Tazio a red flag: it means to slow down. Nuvolari does not respect the flag and wins. At the end of the race he justifies himself and lie: "I have seen the flag from the box but I had the green glasses and the flag seemed green instead that red and I have accelerated. But also Caracciola could accelerate for passing me...". At the successive GP of Germany he comes delayed to the box from the mechanics and therefore Caracciola wins in front of his public. Nuvolari is furious but Rudolf did not need favors: he closes triumphly the season wiining at Monza, in front of the Italian public, confirming himself as one of the best drivers of his era.
In 1933 Caracciola found a team with Chiron in order to continue to race using the private Alfa Romeo: in fact the italian house withdrawn at the end of '32. But for him the season finishes soon: during the tests session of the GP of Montecarlo has a frightening incident at the curve of the tobacconist. He survives but his leg endures the consequences and Rudi from that day will be lame. Often he remembers the episode of Montecarlo with incredible irony: "I had gone to the tobacconist...". The season for him is ended and in 1934 he returns to race.

Caracciola with the formidable Mercedes W125 at full speed during the 1937 GP of Switzerland

He wins the fear of not returning to be fast like before but all the times when he races in Monaco he "...I saw always that wall comes to me and call me at every lap". He returns with the Mercedes who, thanks to the financings of the nazi regimen, re-enters in the International competitions.
The engeneers of Mercedes study the Alfa Romeo of Caracciola (the one of the incident) and after repaired and tested the car they mature the experience for being able to realize a more modern and better car and the W25 is born.
Caracciola meets comprehensibly some difficulties: physically he is not at the best and psychologically he must exceed also the tragedy of the incident occoured to his wife Charlotte, dead during a ski contest. But the champion is able to recover and at the end of the season returns to win at Monza (with Fagioli) and arrives second at the GP of Spain.
1935 is his great year: he dominates the season and obtains the definitive dedication conquering the title of european champion (as soons as instituted). He wins the GP of Tripoli, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Spain and prevails at the Eifelrennen (at the Nurburgring). The successive year the Auto Union and Bernd Rosemeyer dominates the scene but Caracciola however is able to win two races (Monaco and Tunisi). To remember the beautiful duel with Rosemeyer at the GP of Switzerland: the sport rivalry between the two is similar to the one existing between Mercedes and Auto Union. The two houses fights also to conquest the speed supremacy with numerous record-session. For Mercedes is Caracciola to have the exclusive right to lead the record-car with wich from 1934 achieve numerous records.
In 1937 the house of Stuttgart introduces the new W125 and with this "monster" Caracciola does not have problems to re-conquer the european title gaining the GP of Germany, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Italy. W125 is the most powerful GP car realized before the war and its performances will be exceeded only 30 years after: its 8 cylinders of 5660cc gave off 646 HP at 5800 rpm.
In 1938 the rules for the GP changed and Caracciola drives a new car, once again very competitive. With the new W154 he obtains his third and last title of european champion, winning the Acerbo cup at Pescara and the GP of Switzerland and obtaining other very good placings. The dead of Rosemeyer in January ends tragically the challenge for the speed records between the two german houses. Caracciola is the last holder of the supremacy, with 423,3 km/h (263 mph).
In 1939 the european title escapes to him: is always a Mercedes to win it but with Hermann Lang. Rudi however disputes a good season winning at the Nurburgring the GP of Germany: the last important victory fot the german champion. Moreover, in February, he establishes others two world speed record.
During the war he withdraws himself with the second wife Alice in his house of Lugano, in Switzerland.
In 1947 Neubauer and Rudi still runs with the old cars and he contributes to the development of the new cars, even if he does not participates more to the most important competitions. He withdraws himself in 1952 and after that his health gets worse and in 1959, when he's 58, dies in his home in Switzerland because of a disease to the liver. The driver and the symbol of Mercedes in the period between the two wars disappear, the driver who with his irony was able to exceed very difficult moments. Approximately twenty years from the incident of Montecarlo he exited newly of road and broken the left leg: still on the stretcher, he said to his wife "I have been fortunate. The good leg has been broken. Therefore I will not be lame more!".