Was in New York with his Opel family firm, but now retired and enjoying a peaceful life in Thailand. Rikky was the son of Fritz von Opel, who drove, and raced, rocket propelled cars as well as sailplanes and the great-grandson of Adam Opel, founder of the Opel car firm. Rikky's ancestry is German on his father's side and Colombian and Spanish on his mother's side. Rikky also has business interests in Panama. Although von Opel was seen somewhat unfairly as a playboy and pay driver, he was actually a very adept racer and won the Lombard North British Formula 3 Championship in 1972.

Biography last updated 24 Jan 2015