Education
When he finished there, he founded Gebrüder Ulmen, with his brother Andreas.
When he finished there, he founded Gebrüder Ulmen, with his brother Andreas.
His racing career started in 1925 on a 250 cc Velocette. After leaving school, Ulmen served an apprenticeship as a machinist with Motorradwerkstatt Hasenclever. They become the representatives of Opel for Düsseldorf.
lieutenant was in 1925 that Ulmen began his career in motorsport, at the Großen Deutschland-Rundfahrt on a 250cc Velocette motor cycle.
By 1930, Ulmen was a works rider for NSU.
After the war, he turned to car racing, taking a second place in his first major sportscar race, the Karlsruhe-Durlach, abroad a Bayerische Motoren Werke 328. A year later, in 1947 he was awarded the title of best German sports car driver of the year.
He also recorded seven second place that season. 1950 saw the first Großer Preis von Deutschland after World World War II, at the Nürburgring, where he finished fourth in his open-wheel Veritas RS. In this car, he also recorded a surprising third place in the Preis der Ostechweiz-Erlen in Switzerland, beaten only by the Scuderia Ferraris of Luigi Villoresi and Roberto Vallone.
Prior to 1950, there was a ban on German cars and drivers completing in foreign events, after the war.
During the season, he suffered a heavy crash during a practise session on the Sachsenring from which he escaped almost unscathed. He arrived at the final meeting of the 1952 season, the Avusrennen, as leader in the Formula 2 class and 2-litre sport cars. On the AVUS, lost a dramatic slipstream battle with fellow Veritas driver, Fritz Rieß, on the penultimate lap.
As consolidation, Ulmen was awarded the Formula 2 title, despite the fact he could take part in this race.
After that he competed only occasionally in car races. Despite his retirement early 1953, Ulmen was soon, albeit briefly, behind the wheel, sharing a Jaguar Doctorate-Type with Herman Roosdorp to third place in his only 24 hour endurance race, the 1953 24 Heures de Spa Francorchamps.
Career highlights
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
Complete 24 Hours of Spa results.