Their performances in the FIM Sidecar World Championship and the IDM Sidecar Championship were legendary. The Austrians Klaus Klaffenböck and his passenger Christian Parzer were a well-established team for over 20 years. Parzer experienced what was likely the happiest day of his life on the second weekend of September 2001. It was the day he won the world championship title. Now Christian Parzer is dead. He passed away on July 8, 2024, after a long and serious illness. The newspapers have reported the news widely. Today we remember this fascinating man. With his passing, motorcycle racing has lost one of the great, genuine characters who made history.
Klaus “Klaffi” Klaffenböck and his passenger Christian Parzer—they were the “Sunny Boys” in the paddock. One was blond with long, curly hair. The other sported the ultimate mustache. They caused quite a stir, thanks in no small part to their main sponsor, ÖKM. The three large letters on the bright red fairing of the sidecar stood for Österreichisches Kontakt Magazin, a magazine with more or less pornographic content. And when porn queen Dolly Buster held the umbrella on the starting grid, the show was perfect.
The two main protagonists on the track gave it their all, culminating in their victory in the 2001 Sidecar World Championship. Before that, they experienced some nerve-wracking moments that were completely unplanned. Klaffi and Parzer had already won four races, and the Austrians didn’t even need to win the two races in Assen to clinch the title early, but after a last-minute engine swap, they almost arrived too late at the starting grid. Their hands were shaking: they made it by the skin of their teeth. Now they “only” had to finish right behind Steve Webster/Paul Woodhead. When Webster dropped out because Woodhead broke his thumb on the track, the Austrians were confirmed as world champions. It was a monumental achievement and a milestone in Austrian racing history. It was the first world championship title in Germany’s neighboring country since Rupert Hollaus won the 125cc World Championship on an NSU in 1954.
Klaffi, who had long since become a close and loyal friend to Christian Parzer, says: “Christian and I were a successful team for 20 years. Our journey together began two decades ago, and it took us all around the world. We experienced countless adventures and shared many successes, including what was arguably the greatest milestone of our careers: winning the Sidecar World Championship in 2001. Christian’s passion and his unparalleled camaraderie made him not only an outstanding passenger but also a unique person. He will leave a lasting void in the racing world and in the hearts of all those who knew him.”
Christian Parzer’s life was all about motorsports—motorsports, motorsports, and more motorsports. Klaffi always admired this about him: “Christian had a courage I’d never seen in anyone before—and haven’t seen since. You rarely find people like that. And if you had him as a friend, he was a friend for life.” I (the author) can only confirm that. Christian was so wonderfully easygoing—if you got along with him, and vice versa. If someone doesn’t want to talk during an interview, it can otherwise be very exhausting under certain circumstances.
Parzer really knew how to let loose off the track as well. The parties following his victories are legendary. They remain etched in our memories and are an integral part of his life story, even beyond his athletic achievements. On both fronts, his pain tolerance was extremely high. It is a comfort to know that, despite his untimely death, Christian lived a life that would have been enough for three people—with all its highs and lows.
The past few years have been marked by several tragic events. Parzer survived a very serious motorcycle accident. He suffered a stroke and, just this spring, a heart attack. He was as tough as a cat—said to have nine lives. Each time, he fought his way back. What remained were physical impairments.
He made his last big appearance last September with Klaffi at the Oldtimer Grand Prix in Schwanenstadt. During the victory lap in the sidecar, both were cheered on. Christian’s sister Petra was there and recalls: “I hadn’t seen my brother cry in 60 years, but there he was, crying like a little boy.” No one could have known that he didn’t have long to live. Christian Parzer passed away on July 8, 2024. He was 61 years old.
He will always have a place in our memories, and as long as we talk about him, those memories will live on. How much he loved motorsports, how happy he was, what a great friend he was. Farewell, Christian. We wish your sister Petra strength and all the best for the future.
Achievements
10 Grand Prix victories
40 additional top-3 finishes
2001 Sidecar World Champion with Klaus Klaffenböck
2003 Sidecar World Championship runner-up with Klaus Klaffenböck
1992 World Championship third place with Klaus Klaffenböck
1993 World Championship third place with Klaus Klaffenböck
1997 World Championship third place with Klaus Klaffenböck
2000 World Championship third place with Jörg Steinhausen
2002 World Championship third place with Klaus Klaffenböck
FIM/IDM Sidecar: In memory of world champion Christian Parzer Kreuz †
Their performances in the FIM Sidecar World Championship and the IDM Sidecar Championship were legendary. The Austrians Klaus Klaffenböck and his co-driver Christian Parzer were a well-established team for over 20 years. Parzer likely had the best day of his life on the second weekend of September 2001, when he won the World Championship title. Now Christian Parzer is dead. He passed away on July 8, 2024, after a long and serious illness. The news has spread far and wide. We remember this fascinating man today. In him, motorcycle racing has lost one of the great, genuine characters who made history.
Klaus “Klaffi” Klaffenböck and his co-driver Christian Parzer—they were the life of the paddock. One was a blonde with long curly hair. The other sported the ultimate mustache. They caused quite a stir, not least thanks to their main sponsor, ÖKM. The three large letters on the bright red side panels of the sidecar stood for Österreichisches Kontakt Magazin, a magazine featuring more or less pornographic content. And when porn queen Dolly Buster held the umbrella on the starting grid, the show was complete.
The two main protagonists on the track gave it their all, culminating in their victory in the 2001 sidecar world championship. Before that, they experienced some nerve-wracking, unexpected moments. Klaffi and Parzer had already won four races, and the Austrians didn’t even need to win the two races in Assen to clinch the title early, but after a last-minute engine swap, they almost arrived at the starting grid too late. Their hands were shaking. Now they only had to finish directly behind Steve Webster and Paul Woodhead. When Webster retired because Woodhead broke his thumb, the Austrians were crowned world champions. It was a monumental achievement and a milestone in Austrian racing history. It was the first world championship title in Germany’s neighboring country since Rupert Hollaus had won the 800cc world championship on an NSU in 1954.
Klaffi, for whom Christian Parzer had long since become a close and loyal friend, says: “Christian and I were a successful team for 20 years. Our journey together began two decades ago and took us around the world. We had countless adventures and shared many successes, including arguably the biggest milestone of our careers when we won the Sidecar World Championship in 2001. Christian’s passion and unrivaled camaraderie made him not only an outstanding co-driver, but also a unique person. He will leave a lasting legacy in the racing world and in the hearts of all those who knew him.”
Christian Parzer’s life was motorsport, motorsport, and motorsport again. Klaffi always admired him: “Christian had a courage that I had never seen in anyone before—and still haven’t seen in anyone since. You rarely find people like that. And if you had him as a friend, then he was a friend for life.” I (the author) can only confirm that. Christian was so wonderfully uncomplicated when you could talk to him and vice versa. If someone doesn’t want to talk during an interview, it can be very exhausting.
Parzer really let loose off the racetrack. The parties following his victories are legendary, remain etched in memory, and are also part of the sporting legacy. His pain tolerance was extremely high on both levels. It is a comfort to know that, despite his untimely death, Christian lived a life that would have been enough for three people—with all the highs, but also the lows.The last few years were marked by several tragic moments. Parzer survived a very serious motorcycle accident. He suffered a stroke and, just this spring, a heart attack. He was as tough as a cat, which is said to have nine lives. Each time, he fought his way back. What remained were physical impairments.
His last major appearance was last September with Klaffi at the Oldtimer Grand Prix in Schwanenstadt.
Both were cheered on during the lap of honor as part of the team. Christian’s sister Petra was there and recalls: “I haven’t seen my brother cry in 60 years, but he cried like a little boy there.”No one could have known that he wouldn’t live much longer. Christian Parzer died on July 8, 2024. He was 61 years old. He has a place in our memories forever, and as long as we talk about him, those memories will be kept alive. How he loved motorsports, how he enjoyed it, what a great guy he was. Take care, Christian. We wish your sister Petra lots of strength and all the best for the future.