38 replies to this topic

[HeskethBoy]

Forty years ago today (October 24) since Jo lost his life at Brand Hatch.
Despite coming from relatively humble background, I understand that his funeral drew over 50,000 mourners.

As with many others, we miss him.

Edited by HeskethBoy, 26 October 2011 - 06:47.

[stevewf1]

Forty years ago today (October 24) since Jo lost his life at Brand Hatch.
Despite coming from relatively himble background, I understand that his funeral drew over 50,000 mourners.

As with many others, we miss him.

He was my favorite driver then. I still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news on my car radio here in Indianapolis.

[John-w]

Some of my Jo Siffert models in scale 1/12th






RIP Jo Siffert

[E1pix]

Fabulous models, John-w, and great photos of them.

I saw Jo finish 2nd in the 1971 Road America Can-Am when I was 11, and several weeks later he was gone. Not sure where I was when hearing the news, but I sure recall being really sad.

Edited by E1pix, 24 October 2011 - 07:32.

[Arese]

Some of my Jo Siffert models in scale 1/12th


RIP Jo Siffert

Very, very nice. I appreciate your post.

[charles r]

RIP Jo. Cannot believe it was 40 years ago.

[d j fox]

I was there -a day I shall never forget.
It was a beautiful sunny English autumnal day with a good “end-of-term” feeling to celebrate Jackie Stewarts’ World Championship.
A good entry of F1 and F5000’s had assembled with Jo on pole—he made a bad start. There was a far amount of bumping and bashing but eventually the race was settling down with Gethin’s BRM leading.
Then from behind the trees at Clearways we could see a huge pall of smoke and it went very, very quiet…..
Jo Siffert was one of my very few heroes—he would always be guaranteed to try—a real racer.

[Tim Murray]

As I've posted before, I grew up in the Channel Islands, so didn't manage to get to a Formula 1 race until I was 20. The 1971 Brands Victory Race was my first, and one of my favourite drivers was on pole, in the glorious-looking BRM P160. As David said, he made a poor start, but was fighting back from 5th position. This was what I had wanted to see 'in the flesh' for years; this was going to be a tremendous race; Jo was going to come through and win - and then . . .

RIP Jo - never to be forgotten.

[sterling49]

I saw Jo race often at Brands, and celebrated his 1st Gp win in '68, his fabulous Porsche drives there and then, sadly this awful day.........................40 years already...........unbelievable.

[SKL]

I too saw Seppi at Road America running his STP 917- still have some slides of him in the pits with his Biostrath drivers suit. He too was my favourite at the time and loved his rivalry with Pedro, who had just died in the Interseries race about the time of the RA Can Am.

I was a freshman in med school studying with the TV on in the background when the late national news had a story of his accident- really crushed me. A few years later I was in Switzerland with a spare day, and I decided to take the train to visit his grave. He was a special driver. I've followed racing since the mid 60's and the two most troubling accidents at the time were Jo's and Mark Donohue's. And of course, May 1 1994...

His biography (written by a close friend who's name escapes right now) is worth the read.

[SamoanAttorney]

I too saw Seppi at Road America running his STP 917- still have some slides of him in the pits with his Biostrath drivers suit. He too was my favourite at the time and loved his rivalry with Pedro, who had just died in the Interseries race about the time of the RA Can Am.

I was a freshman in med school studying with the TV on in the background when the late national news had a story of his accident- really crushed me. A few years later I was in Switzerland with a spare day, and I decided to take the train to visit his grave. He was a special driver. I've followed racing since the mid 60's and the two most troubling accidents at the time were Jo's and Mark Donohue's. And of course, May 1 1994...

His biography (written by a close friend who's name escapes right now) is worth the read.

The biography was written by Jacques Deschenaux. It is long out of print but second hand copies are still around.

Last year McKlein published another Jo Siffert book by Ed Heuvink. It is well designed and illustrated and is in English, French and German, well worth buying for anyone who remembers Jo.

[charles r]

Having recently watched the excellent DVD, Live Fast Die Young, it brought back memories of the day, I remember it being a glorious Autumn afternoon with the BRMs looking so competitive and thinking Seppi was going to win that one..

[Tim Murray]

45 years ago today.

RIP Seppi.

[Dick Dastardly]

Having recently watched the excellent DVD, Live Fast Die Young, it brought back memories of the day, I remember it being a glorious Autumn afternoon with the BRMs looking so competitive and thinking Seppi was going to win that one..

I've got that DVD, it's excellent, watched it a few years ago......

[B Squared]

In staying at the Argetsinger's lake cottage(s), I learned that the one I helped reroof and stayed in a couple of times was the cottage that Jo Siffert and Jo Bonnier would stay in during race weekends. Michael said that even in October, they would enjoy the invigorating temperatures of Seneca Lake with swims. When I'm there, it's impossible to not think of both.

[E1pix]

45 years ago today. RIP Seppi.

Wow, shocking.

RIP, Jo.

[Rob Ryder]

A sad day... RIP Seppi


Seppi's car... did I really look that young?

Edited by Rob Ryder, 25 October 2016 - 07:20.

[D28]

Surprising that 45 years have passed. Also I'm reminded that the passing of Pedro in Jul and Seppi in Oct robbed motorsport of two of the very best, determined, colourful and popular drivers.Their like have been seen but rarely since. Always remembered by enthusiasts everywhere.

Edited by D28, 25 October 2016 - 21:14.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

I've posted the following elsewhere on racing sim sites.  I believe it entirely appropriate for TNF.

...

 

It was a typically crisp, cool autumn morning for Ontario.  The leaves were turning from their soft green summer-time hue to every shade of the rainbow.  Clear skies greeted Nick, Mike, Jimmy and I as we'd gotten up quite early to get to Mosport for the 1969 running of the Grand Prix.  We wanted to get right down to the fence line at the hairpin at Moss'and did so, planting our lawn chairs at a prime spot to see the cars come down the chute from turn four and roll into the hairpin.  We hadn't made it to the practice or qualifying rounds so this would be our first taste of seeing winged F1 cars.  I don't recall if there was any prelim heats for sports or touring cars that day...it was so very long ago...but I'm kind of thinking no, the morning started very early on with a warmup for the F1 cars.  As we four waited patiently along with hundreds more and more ever gathering at this traditional spot, we finally heard a motor spin to life up in the paddock.  That's a good km away but on a morning like this, it was easy to pick up.  It wasn't long before we heard a car acclerating away from the pits.  Sounds like a Cossie.  We can follow its progress...down through T1, up the hill into T2 and down again as it rolls into T3.  Coming off T3, it's apparent that whomever this is, he's clearly on it as we can hear the engine note rise sharply.  Only a moment to wait now and we'll see whom it is.

 

Ah, the car crests the top of T4 and rolls down into the chute.  It's Jo Siffert in the lovely deep blue Rob Walker Lotus 49B.  But wait!  Something is terribly, terribly wrong!  The car's tail is cocked out at seven or eight or maybe even ten degrees to the right and as we can look down into the cockpit from our vantage point, we can clearly see that Jo has full opposite lock applied.  He hasn't even lifted the throttle one bit as we can still hear the DFV howling.  This car is utterly out of control and is travelling at a speed that is easily approaching 400 mph and in a heartbeat, it's now COMING STRAIGHT AT US!!!  As if one mind, the four of us surge forward in our lawn chairs in a panic and grab hold of the fence.  WHAT TO DO?!?!  JUMP LEFT???  JUMP RIGHT???  HIT THE DECK???  The Lotus is clearly going to sail up the hill into the hairpin and at the velocity it's travelling, is going to sail straight on over the berm and plow through us like a sythe through wheat.  Those front canards are going shred us to ribbons!  But it's too late.  He's on top of us!  We're done!  Out of nowhere, the impossible.  We hear Jo smash down through the gears and at what could only be described as beyond the last possible moment, flings the car to the right and tracks the car on opposite lock through the first part of the hairpin.  We're in shock as the Lotus pulls grip out of thin air and Jo slides the car round the tight exit of the Moss' and hammers the throttle to go up the straight.

 

The four of us all turn at each to each other in utter amazement.  Faces are ashen and jaws slack.  There's giggles from each of us...that giggle of releif that you get when you know that you just faced certain death and somehow managed to come through it alive by some fluke, by some act of grace alone.  I think that all of said in a long drawn out tone, 'FFFFF****^^^^KKKKKK!!!'  We settle down back into our chairs, nerves still jangling.  Of all the hundreds of races I've attended since Mosport opened in 1961, this is my fondest memory.

 

Merci, Jo.

 

[D28]

Thanks for posting this. We were sitting close to you at 5, along with several hundred others.I didn't see the warm up, or have forgotten. Looking at Gerald Donaldson book on the Canadian GP, I read that Seppi had a serious accident in practice wiping out the side of his Lotus and losing the wheels, So he could have experienced some handling quirks as the car was rebuilt overnight. Not that it would have slowed him down much, he always got absolutely everything possible out of the car. One of the reasons he was so admired by everyone. That he qualified 8 and retired half distance matters not, to see him in action  was reward enough. Great memories of a great driver.

[Sterzo]

Quite a few copies of the brilliant Jacques Deschenaux biography are currently advertised for under twenty dollars. Ownership should be compulsory; definitely one of the better driver biographies.

 

Like others on this thread, I was there that sad day at Brands Hatch, but more importantly was also at Brands and Silverstone on other occasions to see Seppi work his magic.

[Doug Nye]

That was indeed a terribly sad day at Brands.  I remember the grey-faced BRM mechanics in their red overalls clearing out their pits, small knots of people in the pit lane talking quietly.  I was amongst a small group of journos and photographers standing by the control tower at the paddock end of the pit lane. The autumn sunlight was low but harsh, throwing pin-sharp shadows.  We were talking casually by then, of things other than the racing, the accident, the smoke we had seen, the seemingly probable outcome... Somebody came out with some remark, I can't recall what, and suddenly I found myself laughing out loud. I caught the eye of a passing BRM mechanic, his glance just dripped with disgust and detestation.  

 

He was absolutely in the right. It silenced me immediately. I can only say it was a nervous reflex laugh - entirely unintended - but the memory of his glance has embarrassed the hell out of me ever since.  I cannot remember the face - just the eyes - so I have never been able to apologise... But I was a Siffert fan too.

 

DCN

[E1pix]

^ This is Golden ^

Thanks for the humanities.

[PCC]

There's a short piece on Siffert on Motor Sport's site. I was very surprised to read the claim that, at the time of his death:

 

"He was 35, and due to race alongside Mark Donohue at Penske in the monster 917/30 the following year. George Follmer filled the void and won a dominant title with twice as many points as his nearest rival.

 

It would have been Jo’s."

 

I had never heard this before, or any indication that Penske had ever intended to run a two-car Can-Am team. The fact that the piece misunderstands Follmer's role at Penske in '72 – and got the model of the car wrong – didn't inspire my confidence.

 

Is there anything to this?

Edited by PCC, 28 January 2017 - 22:44.

[D28]

There's a short piece on Siffert on Motor Sport's site. I was very surprised to read the claim that, at the time of his death:

 

"He was 35, and due to race alongside Mark Donohue at Penske in the monster 917/30 the following year. George Follmer filled the void and won a dominant title with twice as many points as his nearest rival.

 

It would have been Jo’s."

 

I had never heard this before, or any indication that Penske had ever intended to run a two-car Can-Am team. The fact that the piece misunderstands Follmer's role at Penske in '72 – and got the model of the car wrong – didn't inspire my confidence.

 

Is there anything to this?

I have read Unfair Advantage several times where they cover the 917/30 Porsche connection thoroughly. Siffert is mentioned only as a benchmark, as in his previous outings for Porsche with the non-turbo Can-Am car. Other articles on the subject are numerous and I have never read of these plans before. Unless Donohue was in the dark and that seems unlikely.

Edited by D28, 28 January 2017 - 23:48.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

I wondered recently if Jo would have been in the 917/10 driver's seat for 1972 and possibly paired with Mark.  Seemed entirely appropriate and logical to me.

[TecnoRacing]

I wondered recently if Jo would have been in the 917/10 driver's seat for 1972 and possibly paired with Mark.  Seemed entirely appropriate and logical to me.

 

 

This doesn't sounds like something Mark would have accepted easily.

[D28]

This doesn't sounds like something Mark would have accepted easily.

No he wouldn't have. The Penske-Donohue partnership was an incredibly close knit affair, Donohue worked compulsively, full time on engineering and developing all the cars, as well as driving them. Generally the team raced 1 car, but when 2 were required Penske hired a 2nd man,like Peter Revson, or Folmer after Donohue was injured and sidelined from the Can-Am for a while. The 2nd driver was always that, a backup to Donohue. Jo Siffert wasn't a backup to anyone and I cannot see him accepting such a role, especially after all his years with Porsche. There was no need for a super 2 car team, such was the domination of the 917/30 with Donohue driving; as long as it held together he would win. And it was Donohue who spent hours in Germany and US developing the 917/30 before it was ready for the Can-Am. Perhaps there was some talks between Porsche and Penske for some future involvement for Siffert, but I don't think Donohue was aware ot it.

[group7]

Found this, en Francais, December 1962, interview with Georges Filipinetti and drivers. Jo would have been 25 and a bit.

saw him race only twice, the memorable 6 hours at the 'Glen in '70 in the 917. where he and Pedro were door to door in the first corner ! and the Canadian GP at Mosport same year.

 

http://www.rts.ch/ar...ilipinetti.html

Edited by group7, 29 January 2017 - 21:49.

[MCS]

No he wouldn't have. The Penske-Donohue partnership was an incredibly close knit affair, Donohue worked compulsively, full time on engineering and developing all the cars, as well as driving them. Generally the team raced 1 car, but when 2 were required Penske hired a 2nd man,like Peter Revson, or Folmer after Donohue was injured and sidelined from the Can-Am for a while. The 2nd driver was always that, a backup to Donohue. Jo Siffert wasn't a backup to anyone and I cannot see him accepting such a role, especially after all his years with Porsche. There was no need for a super 2 car team, such was the domination of the 917/30 with Donohue driving; as long as it held together he would win. And it was Donohue who spent hours in Germany and US developing the 917/30 before it was ready for the Can-Am. Perhaps there was some talks between Porsche and Penske for some future involvement for Siffert, but I don't think Donohue was aware ot it.

 

..."And it was Donohue who spent hours in Germany and US developing the 917/30 before it was ready for the Can-Am..."

 

In Germany?  Where and when - I am curious (as, I am sure, are others)...

 

 

(Edited to remove the grey background, only managed - eventually - via MS Word)

Edited by MCS, 29 January 2017 - 12:46.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

I'm almost certainly displaying a profound ignorance when I ask just who ran the 1971 CanAm Porsche effort where Jo ran the normally-aspirated car and would they have been tipped to run the turbo car the following year?  Might Penske have never even figured in the mix leaving Jo the odds-on favourite as driver?

[D28]

..."And it was Donohue who spent hours in Germany and US developing the 917/30 before it was ready for the Can-Am..."

 

In Germany?  Where and when - I am curious (as, I am sure, are others)...

 

 

(Edited to remove the grey background, only managed - eventually - via MS Word)

My source is Chapter 25 of The Unfair Advantage, Van Valkenburgh and Donohue also excerpted years ago in Sports Car International.

Donohue visited the Porsche factory in 1971 and met the main Engineer on the Can-Am project Flegl and the Porsche brass.He was taken back that they expected him to test the car after a luncheon and set a quick time. This Donohue managed with some difficulty. He stayed in Germany about 3 weeks and reworked the car extensively. Flegl was unaccustomed to a driver offering engineering input, gradually he was won over to this approach. The car underwent further development at Penske's shops and further tests in Germany.

The car did require extensive development before it was ready to dominate the Can-Am.

This information is readily available on the net, here is one such link:

https://www.gordonki...t_is_no464.html

[D28]

I'm almost certainly displaying a profound ignorance when I ask just who ran the 1971 CanAm Porsche effort where Jo ran the normally-aspirated car and would they have been tipped to run the turbo car the following year?  Might Penske have never even figured in the mix leaving Jo the odds-on favourite as drive

According to entry lists the car was entered by Jo himself, sometimes as STP-Jo Siffert.

[Doug Nye]

Mark test drove the prototype turbo mule extensively at Porsche's in-house Weissach test track, and also - I believe - at Hockenheim.  A British press party including yrs trly on a visit to Weissach happened upon  the Penske people trying their new Turbo car, and we were shown the engine on the dyno.  I vividly recall the extremely lugubrious dyno operator announcing flatly "ein sound horz-pahr" as the load needle steadied on the dial.  I wrote about the new project for 'Autoweek' in the US and Roger P evidently went ape.  He had been planning a big surprise press launch, I was told, and I had completely inadvertently - and in effect with encouragement from Porsche - just shot his fox...

 

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 15 February 2017 - 23:17.

[Seppi_0_917PA]

Siffert was signed with Alfa Romeo for 1972*, would this have had any impact on the Penske/Siffert CanAm scenario?



*TNF thread Jo Siffert and 1972, According to Roebuck Also Google Book snippet from the Ed McDonough Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 book: "Tragedy again struck the team in October when, less than a month after he signed to drive for Alfa Romeo in 1972, Jo Siffert lost his life in a BRM at Brand Hatch."

[Dave Ware]

Sometime in the past I have read that Richie Ginther managed Siffert's Can-Am Porsche effort.  Although it certainly might not have been every year, and since there are race entries that list Siffert as the entrant then I'd expect that Ginther wasn't involved with that particular outing.  Or maybe he was, perhaps just not as an entrant.  I will wonder about this and look through some of my books. I would bet something akin to lunch money that he was involved in '69 at least.  

 

I have also read that Penske had a spare 917/30 that spent the '73 season as a spare.  And that prior to signing for Rinzler, George Follmer had hoped to get his hands on it. 

 

I have always admired Jo Siffert, I think mainly for coming from a poor economic background to challenge, and beat, the world's best drivers in F1 and sportcars.  I've had his book since the mid-seventies and re-read it every several years. 

[SKL]

Glad to see the J. Deschenaux book was available on Amazon.  I bought that book WAY back but recently looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it- must have "loaned" it to a friend and never got it back.

 

He continues to be one of my favourites-  was lucky enough to see him race personally at Road America in the STP 917 shortly before the tragedy...

 

(note my avatar)

Edited by SKL, 13 February 2017 - 17:59.

[David Beard]

With Rob Walker, Silverstone 1971.

 

[SKL]

Great photos on your site David...   brings back many memories...