A passionate rally driver for many years, Michael Weichert joined the Deutscher Motorsport Verbandes (DMV) Sportabteilung in 1997, working in the organizing committee of the DMV Kart Championship. In 2009 he married his former rally co-driver Annelie Damschen, and by the end of 2011 the couple devoted themselves to the organization of three new German kart racing series: the Rhein Main Kart Cup, the Baden-Württemberg Kart Cup and the German Vega Trophy. The series were launched by Weichert and enjoyed great popularity in the country.
Michael Weichert lost his lifein consequence of an accident at the start of the pre-final of the KZ2 class, during the opening round of the 2014 Automobil-Club Verkehr (ACV) Rhein Main Kart Cup held at Liedolsheim karting circuit, on Sunday, 30 March 2014. Around 190 karting drivers were taking part in the Liedolsheim meeting.
Weichert was acting as track official at the edge of the track, when a collision occurred on the starting line. One of the karts was struck and brutally thrown off the track, violently hitting him. Michael Weichert was quickly reached by the emergency crews and taken by ambulance to Karlsruhe hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries in the early evening of the same day.
Michael Weichert died just seven days before his 50th birthday. He was survived by his wife Annelie and his parents Sieglinde and Eberhard Weichert.
This was reported to be the second fatality at the Liedolsheim 1.060-kilometer karting circuit, since it was inaugurated in 1984. Located in Dettenheim, a town near Karlsruhe in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the track was the place of death of Thomas Knopper on 09 August 2009, during a German Karting Championship race.
R.I.P
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