Biography 1967. The Vietnam War was raging, Dr. Christiaan Barnard successfully performed the first heart transplant in South Africa, the revolutionary Che Guevara was shot in Bolivia, New Zealander Denis Hulme became Formula 1 World Champion, the age of colour television began in Germany, VAT was introduced and Eintracht Braunschweig became the champions of German football. It was at this time in July 1967 that Marcus Walz was born in Heidelberg. Even as a child he was fascinated by anything with wheels and spent every spare minute at the nearby Hockenheimring race track. He trained as a mechanical engineer and at the age of 14 he used his savings to buy a Zündapp CS 25, which he completely rebuilt. Soon afterwards he became known around the town of Heidelberg and the surrounding area. Kreidler Flory and co. became his world from that point onwards... Before he bought his first car at 17 he had already owned more than 20 mopeds that he had rebuilt and sold on. At the age of 19 he discovered his passion for everything that came from America, especially cars. At the time he owned a 1969 Camaro and a 1971 Corvette Cabrio, which he completely took apart and rebuilt piece by piece, reselling them afterwards with a heavy heart (but for a great profit). It all began when he was 20, when he bought his first Harley. The 1987 Softail was mercilessly rebuilt. He then sold the Harley to a good friend for an unbelievable sum of DM 50,000. Marcus used most of the money to buy good tools and with the rest he bought a totally rundown Pan/Shovel in Starrahmen. In the mid-1980s he discovered another passion: motocross. He was so successful in this sport that he even received a contract from Kawasaki in 1989 and 1990 and competed in races for the German Championship, among others. In 1990 he was involved in a serious accident during an insignificant race. He lost almost all his teeth, broke his jaw in a number of places and suffered severe wounds to his face and neck. He competed in a few more races in 1991 before deciding to knock this sport on the head once and for all. Tired of Motocross, in 1991 he set to work in a converted stable loaned to him by his girlfriend's parents and began to take apart the "fit for scrap" Pan/Shovel , which he today admits he purchased for far too much money. He was unable to use anything other than the engine, transmission and frame, turning this into a total re-construction project. However, the final result far exceeded Marcus' own expectations as well as those of the significant press. The front cover of BIKERS LIVE was the justified reward. From then onwards things progressed really quickly. Mates, friends and acquaintances came to the stable set in a Heidelberg suburb, which had by this time become well-known by Harley drivers, and let Marcus rebuild their Harleys. Looking back at this time, Marcus describes it as being the "birth" of Walz Hardcore Cycles. At the end of 1992, Marcus registered his small workshop as a business and officially set up Walz Hardcore Cycles in January 1993. He had of course outgrown the stable in a very short period of time and so in the summer of 1994 he moved to a new 600-square metre building on the industrial estate in Hockenheim, close to the well-known Hockenheimring Grand Prix race track, where the company is still located today.

In 1998, Marcus invented and developed the Drag Style frame that has since become known around the world, and he created a completely new type of custom bike, whose launch made a huge impact. The Walz name become known worldwide literally overnight. Experts in the USA and Japan in particular were excited and invited Marcus and his bikes along to various shows and events. However, one day in September 1999 became the darkest day in Marcus' life, when his mother died unexpectedly just a few days after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. At this point, Marcus decided to put his company on hold for almost a year. He even thought about selling his company. Half way through the year 2000, however, Michael Winkler became an equal partner in the company and took over the role of managing the company. From then onwards, Marcus focused exclusively on marketing, organising exhibitions and trade fairs and of course on the new promotion bikes and the development of new products. Marcus is also responsible for opening and licensing many WHC shops throughout Europe, including WHC Barcelona/Spain, WHC Hungary, WHC Holland and WHC Switzerland. Marcus has never truly been able to turn his back on racing and in 2003 he returned once more to Motocross, although his comeback ended just a few months later. He and his BMW BoxerCup took part in a number of BoxerCup training sessions in 2004. In 2005 he purchased a Ducati 999R on which he regularly took part in race training sessions and national races. Marcus even tried his luck on four wheels in his Porsche 911 RS at Porsche Club sporting events. Even today, Marcus spends almost every spare minute at the race track. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, Marcus was the only bike builder not residing in America to be invited to the highly prestigious and lucrative "Artistry in Iron" show in Las Vegas, which is held every year as part of the Las Vegas BikeFest. In April/May 2006, he was the only bike builder not residing in America to step in front of the camera for the Discovery Channel’s cult TV show "Biker Build-Off", going on to be the first non-American to win the show. The first European "Biker Build-Off" took place in Germany in December 2007. Marcus emerged as the winner making him the first double BBO Champion to win a BBO in both the USA and in Europe. In 2008, he launched his new label "WalzWerk". The project was a total success from day one. Joined by a huge media presence, Marcus presented his newly published book "Marcus Walz - Hardcore for Life" in spring 2009. Shortly before the book was published, Marcus' dog Tonka died at the age of 15, and so Marcus dedicated the book to his dog. In January 2010, Walz Hardcore Cycles celebrated its 17th anniversary and today Marcus Walz is one of the most famous bike builders in the world.