It is with great sadness that we report the unexpected passing of former Austrian National Trials Champion and International trials rider, Walther Luft, aged 81 years.

Walther will be best known not just for his success as a rider, but also as a skilled craftsman and engineer, making most of the bikes he rode himself or heavily modified production models to his exact specifications, this included Aprilia and Bultaco.

His first Scottish Six Days Trial was in 1970, riding his self made 169cc Puch with support by the Graz factory. He won the Edinburgh Trophy for the best performance by an overseas competitor.

Walther tasted victory at the Three Dias di Santigosa (Santigosa Three Day Trial) in Spain in 1973 and was also best performance on the final day of the Scottish Six Day Trial in 1974, these were among his greatest international achievements and cherished accordingly.

He was National Trials Champion of Austria 1969 – 1974 in his class the then highest-ranking series in Austria the OSTG Trial Cup, Austrian Shell Trial Cup and OSK Cup. In 1981 he won the state championship title.

As well as riding Puch for many years, he also helped develop a trials machine for the Austrian KTM factory along with German champion, Felix Krahnstover, He campaigned KTM in 250 and 325cc specification.

John Moffat of Trials Guru added a personal tribute: “I first met Walther Luft in 1970 when he, along with Peter Bous and Herr. Hans Maiditz from the Puch factory, stayed at my family home in Bathgate, courtesy of my parents. He used our house as a base before and after the event and used our garage to prepare his factory Puch. I was amazed at the innovative features he created on his trials machine. Over the years he returned to ride the SSDT and always made a point of stopping off at our house with bottles of Austrian wine on route to catch a ferry when he headed homeward. Just last August (2025), while on holiday, I visited the European Trials Museum at Ohlsdorf and presented Walther and Joe Wallmann with their special Trials Guru ‘Trial Legend’ light grey caps. Both these enthusiasts were very pleased to accept them.”

Our sincere condolences are conveyed to the trials community in Walther Luft’s native Austria, where his name lives on in their own awards, by the Austrian Trial Sport Federation (ÖTSV), the ‘Trial Walther‘.

WALTHER LUFT 1944 – 2026

Link: Feature on Walther Luft on Trials Guru.

(Main photo: Eric Kitchen)

“Very sad to hear of Walther’s passing. He was a great help to me when I rode for the Puch factory. Happy memories testing all sorts of bikes at Graz. A great loss.” – Scott Ellis

“Most people follow others. Walter didn’t. He didn’t need to and didn’t want to. He followed his own ethos and created his own bike. He built a Puch like no other. It was the lightest trials bike in the world. It was an engineering marvel, a piece of art built by a genius, who believed in the work of his own hands. He was a generation ahead of his time. It was only in the mid to late eighties that the manufacturers started to make their bikes lighter! Walter was always very friendly, but at the same time he was a private man. I had a lot of respect for him. Like Walter, I had learnt to know how hard it was to represent a small country, driven by a passion, heading for the unknown. What a journey. Walter, thank you so much sharing part of that journey with me.” – Yrjö Vesterinen

“Very sad news. Walter was a great rider, person and product developer. I was fortunate to ride with him at several world championships including the Austria round where he was a legend and loved by the locals. R.I.P. Champion.” – Bernie Schreiber

SLIDESHOW – Life of Walther Luft