Derived from the 250 cc NSU Serienmax, the NSU Geländemax was developed in 1955 especially for off-road competitions. After winning the World Championships from 1953 to 1955 and the factory’s withdrawal from Grand Prix motorbike racing, well-known riders came forward and NSU lent them their Geländemax, e.g. Otto Haas, Werner Haas’s brother, Manfred Frey and the team riders Werner Sautter/Karl Heinz Piwon. There were also factory drivers such as Josef Ullmer, Erwin Fischer and Robert Dollmann.
In 1955, Sautter/Piwon won nine out of ten major off-road races and became German off-road champions in the team class up to 250 cc. In 1956 and 1957, Sautter/Piwon repeated this achievement and thus became German champions three times in a row. Success in the solo class failed to materialise, however, as Otto Haas only came second in 1955. In 1956, Werner Haas, who had retired from Grand Prix motorcycling together with his brother off-road sport as a hobby, was clearly in the lead after
three rounds in the 250 cc solo class. In the fourth run, he deviated from the prescribed route due to a wrong signpost and was disqualified. Haas was so incensed that he finally declared his retirement from motorsport. However, Günther Wagenschieber was able to win the German off-road championship in the 125 cc class in the same year with an NSU Gelände Superfox.
A young man from the Black Forest, Erwin Schmider from Wolfach, made the experts sit up and take notice with his NSU Geländemax, which had been bored up to 288 cc. The vice-championship in 1957 was the prelude to ten championship titles in the solo class up to 350 cc between 1958 and 1967. Likewise, Josef Kelle from Weinsberg seemed to have a fixation on winning, and with various co-drivers he was also German champion ten times in a row in the 250 cc team class. They were thus the best ambassadors for the quality of the products from the house of NSU.
The NSU Geländemax dominated the off-road championships in Germany for thirteen years, although the technical development of the motorbike was already completed in 1957.