Notes:
Belgian rider Erik Haps who raced under the nom de course of "Noir" was the 1934 European vice-champion class 500 cm³. He raced under a pseudonym because he was a banker and his profession did not allow him to race under his own name.

His career began when he was 18 and became immediately a successfull racing rider. In three years he equalled the performances of the top Belgian competitors of the time Robert Gregoire and Pol Demeuter, so that the FN firm offered him a works machine for the 1933 season. Unfortunately many minor incidents while he was in the lead prevented him to win any international race in 1933 and 1934, but he finished several times in the top positions.

One of "Noir"'s greatest results came in the Grand-Prix d'Europe, held at Assen on 23 June 1934, which he finished in second place to fellow countryman Demeuter. The previous year's European Grand Prix had been held at Saxtorp, in Sweden, and was won by local ace Gunnar Kalén, with Demeuter in second. The lives of these three riders would soon cross again - but in the least expected and desired manner.

Erik Haps then entered the Grand Prix of Germany, held on Sunday, 01 July 1934 at the 8.730-kilometer Hohenstein-Ernstthal road course which would be named Sachsenring from 1937 onwards. The event was marred by a number of accidents that resulted in the deaths of four men and several others seriously injured.

In a practice session on Thursday, 28 June 1934, just before the official start of the proceedings, a little-known German rider named Erich Hirth, left the road at speed and crashed against a tree, being killed in the accident.

Came race day and it would turn out to be one of racing's darkest moments. During the contest for motorcycles with engines between 250 and 350 cm³, Josef Klein, one of the top riders of Germany of all time, lost control of his DKW bike and had an accident similar to the Thursday's one. He suffered serious head injuries that required a long convalescence, the accident put an end to his career, but didn't kill him.

The race for bikes between 350 and 500 cm³ would be an even worse affair. First the Swedish Husqvarna factory rider Gunnar Kalén lost his life when he crashed into a pole. Shortly later "Noir" lost control of his works FN 500 almost in the same place as Kálen, and crashed into a fence. He was killed upon impact.

When the fate of "Noir" became clear, FNs team manager Henri Van Hout rushed to the pits with the purpose to stop Pol Demeuter - the other FN factory rider - and withdraw him from the race. Demeuter was in the lead and had just pitted to refuel, Van Hout saw him in the distance and waved his hands signalling to abandon the race, but Demeuter misundersood the signals and took again the track. Van Hout meant to stop his rider the next lap, but he sadly was unable to do so, as in the last turn Demeuter skidded on an oil patch and crashed with fatal consequences. The last two European Champions, Kalén and Demeuter died in the same race at the Hohenstein-Ernstthal track.

Erik Haps was buried in the Ixelles cemetery, near Bruxelles, Belgium.

The deaths of "Noir" and Demeuter came after Robert Grégoire's at Spa on 02 July 1933. In less than one year Belgium lost three of its top riders.

• Book "Der Kraftfahrsport im Neuen Deutschland - Herausgegben von der Oberfte Nationale Sportbehörde für Die Deutsche Kraftfahrt", by Adolf Meurer, Verkehrsverlag Deutschand GmbH, Berlin, Germany, 1935, pages 156 to 158 [B1].
• Book "Automobil und Motorrad Weltalmanach 1935" by Stefan von Déván, Déván Verlag, Budapest, Hungary, 1935 [B1].
• Book "Les Grandes Heures de Francorchamps", by Raymond Arets and Eric Faure, Editions Gamma, Tournai, Belgium, 1983, ISBN 2-7130-0562-0 [circuit: Chemnitz].
• Book "Adel in het Zadel", part 2 [L1].
• Website Racing Memory by Vincent Glon, page http://racingmemo.free.fr/M%20HISTOIRE/M-HIST%201934.htm .
• Website Atlas F1, bulletin boards, "The Nostalgia Forum", thread "Speed's Ultimate Price: The Toll", page 3, posting by Don Capps, message http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=9705&view=findpost&p=191721 .
• Website Racing Circuits, by Daniel King, page http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/racingcircuits/Germany/Sachsenring1961.html .
• Website The GEL Motorsport Information Pages, by Darren Galpin, page http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/tracks/sachsenr.html .
• Website The GEL Motorsport Information Pages, by Darren Galpin, page http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/tracks/sachs2.jpg .
• Website The GEL Motorsport Information Pages, by Darren Galpin, page http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/tracks/hohenste.jpg .
• Website Jules Tacheny, chapter "1934 - Année de sacre, Année de cendres", page http://jules-tacheny.be/text.php?file=chap14.html .
• E-mail by Hans-Hugo Boecker, dated 28 January 2004, citing [B1].
• E-mail by Hans-Hugo Boecker, dated 15 July 2005.
• E-mail by Vincent Glon, dated 29 September 2005.
• E-mail by Herman Looman dated 03 March 2007, citing [L1].
• E-mail by Tomas Karlsson, dated 07 September 2011, citing Martin Strömberg's biography, part three.
• E-mail by Hans-Hugo Boecker, dated 12 September 2011.