24 replies to this topic

[Lutz]

Hello,
I read in a newsgroup that former F1 driver Otto Stuppacher was found dead in his Vienna appartment. I cannot find any other sources for this. Can anyone confirm that this news is true?

If you don´t know Stuppacher you can read about him on F1 rejects:
http://www.crosswind...jects/main.html

Kind regards,
Lutz

[Kuwashima]

Oh no...

If this is true, that is really sad news. What newsgroup did this information appear on? Can you give us the details please as to what was written there?

What a sad day...

[Rainer Nyberg]

Austrian sources are suggesting 13AUG as the day of death.
Not 100% confirmed yet though.

[Lutz]

Hi again,
I found the message in the German usenet group: de.rec.sport.motorsport.formel1
the message reads:
"Otto Stuppacher was found dead in his Vienna home. He was only 54." - no source, no further comment.
That is why I am trying to find a confirmation.
Rainer, where did you get the information?

[Rainer Nyberg]

It came via JP Cunha at FORIX who had been in contact with an austrian journalist.

[Lutz]

Tack så mycket, Rainer. I guess your source is even more reliable than mine, so it is most probably true.
RIP Otto

[Rainer Nyberg]

I got this mailed from Dirk Hartung :

Enttäuscht auf dem Heimweg, verpasste Otto den Grand Prix
[ 2001-08-19,Wien,SPORT ]

13 Österreicher fuhren bisher Formel 1, zwölf davon Grand Prix - der 13. ist kurz vor diesem Ungarn-Grand- Prix gestorben: Otto Stuppacher (54) wurde tot in seiner Wohnung aufgefunden.

Otto war früher ein solider Langstrecken- und Sportwagenpilot gewesen, mit der brennenden Sehnsucht Formel 1. 1976 kaufte er den legendären Sechsrad-Tyrrell P 34, konnte sich aber in Kanada nicht qualifizieren. "Austria is beautiful", war aufs Auto gemalt - Fremdenverkehrswerbung, neben Mamas Immobilienbusiness, als Sponsor. In Monza 1976 verpassten zwei Piloten die Qualifikation: Lauda-Lebensretter Merzario und Stuppacher.

Dann wurden zwei Favoriten, James Hunt und John Watson, wegen illegalem Sprit disqualifiziert - also rückten Stuppacher und Merzario auf, theoretisch. Denn Otto war, bitter enttäuscht, schon im Auto heim nach Wien gefahren... versäumte so seinen einzigen Grand Prix. Schade für ihn. Die Sportkommissäre versetzten deshalb Hunt/Watson in die letzte Startreihe zurück. H. P. Ex-Formel-I-Pilot Stuppacher in Wien gestorben

© 2001-08-19 by "NEUE KRONEN ZEITUNG"


Not fluent in german either but I spotted at least one error!
No, he NEVER did buy any P34!

[Lutz]

I´ll give it a try:

"Disapointed on his way home, Otto missed the Grand Prix"

"13 Austrians drove in Formula1, 12 of these in a Grand Prix. The 13th died shortly before this years Hungarian Prand Prix: Otto Stuppacher (54) was found dead in his Appartment.
Otto used to be a solid long distance and sportscar driver, with a burning desire to drive in Formula1. In 1976 he bought the legendary six-wheel Tyrell P34 , but he couldn`t qualify in Canada. "Austria is beautiful" was painted on the car-tourism advertising next to moms realestate business as sponsors. In Monza 1976 two drivers failed to qualify: Lauda-lifesaver Merzario and Stuppacher. Then two favorites, James Hunt and John Watson were disqualified because of illegal fuel - so Stuppacher and Merzario moved up, in theory, because Otto, utterly disapointed had already left for Vienna in his car ... and missed his only Grand Prix. Too bad for him. So the stewards put back Hunt and Watson to the last row of the grid."

as Rainer Nyberg said: it was NOT a P34, it was a Tyrell 007, see http://www.crosswind...-f1-mosport.jpg
The Monza story is also on F1rejects, a little more accurate.

[fines]

And there were a few other Austrians who drove F1, but no GP: Gerd Biechteler and Klaus Walz from memory, I'm sure there were others. Crap article!

[Kuwashima]

Fines, really? I have not heard of them. Please tell us more, if you can?

Forix doesen't mention them, yet does list Otto. Of the 13 there, Otto is the only not to start a race. Are you talking pre-1950?

[Allen Brown]

Fines

Biechteler drove March 761/4 and later March 781/1 in Aurora in 1978 and 1979. The 761's previous owner was Karl Oppitzhauser, another Austrian who never got into F1. Oppitzhauser couldn't even qualify for a G8 race.

I'm not sure Walz drove F1 - I remember it as a 762 or 782 March. He may have been entered once or twice in Biechteler's older F1 March but I think they only had one engine so he never ran it.

Allen

[fines]

I could be wrong about Walz, this coming from (increasingly fading) memory only. What about the sixties? Don't have the time to check just yet. It's not my only complaint about the article, though...

[Allen Brown]

Just got home and checked my database. No Walz in any 3-litre F1 car at any time. And he's not in the F1 Register's index going back to 1954.

But you're right - the article is rubbish.

Allen

[Rainer Nyberg]

Only four wheels on his wagon...

[dmj]

It is worth to mention that an English magazine, probably Top Gear, recently published a list of worst F1 drivers ever. Otto was honorable first!
Incidentally, I get my first motorin journalist job a few years ago through same idea: a list of 20 worst drivers of last 20 years that I sent to a magazine. My favorite for worst driver ever is Ricardo Zunino...

dmj

[Richard Jenkins]

Has there been any reason given behind Otto's sad death in the month or so since his passing?

[Mig007]

* Stuppacher, Otto (A):
b. 03/03/1947 (Vienna) – d. 13/08/2001 (Vienna)


NOTE – Started racing Porsches at local hillclimbs – during his whole career he raced in Austrian sportscar and hillclimb races with Porsche, being one of the local specialists;
1969 – WSC (Own entry Porsche 906):
1000Km Monza 33rd 12th (& K.Rieder)
(Bosch Racing Team Porsche 910):
1000Km Zeltweg 16th 21st (& N.Lauda);
At the Zeltweg inaugural race, a sportscar event, Otto finished 3rd with his Porsche 906;
1970 – ESC (Bosch Racing Team Porsche 910), 4 races;
1971 – Austrian Mountain Championship (own entry Porsche 908 Spyder), Champion;
Interseries (own entry Porsche 908 Spyder), 1 race;
WSC (Bosch Racing Team Porsche 908):
1000Km Monza 21st DNS, engine (& K. Rieder)
1972 – WSC (Bosch Racing Team Porsche 908):
1000Km Brands Hatch 17th 7th (& K.Rieder)
1000Km Monza 11th DNS, engine (& H. Marko)
24h Le Mans 21st ret/11/accident (& W. Roser)
(Bosch Racing Team Abarth 2000):
1000Km Zeltweg 13th ret//fuel pump (& K. Rieder);
ESC (Bosch Racing Team Abarth 2000), 1 race;
European Hillclimb Championship (own entry Porsche 908 Spyder), 1 race;
1973-1975 – Occasional local entries;
1975 – WSC (Roger Heavens Racing Lola T294-Ford):
1000Km Zeltweg 18th NC (& H.LeGuellec)
1976 – F1 (ÖASC Racing Team Tyrrell 007-Cosworth):
Austria DNP, entry refused
Italy DNQ (he could have raced if he hadn’t left the country immediately after practice, was there were 3 DSQ behind him!)
Canada DNQ
USA-E DNQ

[uechtel]

Italy DNQ (he could have raced if he hadn’t left the country immediately after practice, was there were 3 DSQ behind him!)

So that makes him a "DNS", not a "DNQ". At least he was "more" qualified than Hunt, Mass and Watson...

[Mig007]

So that makes him a "DNS", not a "DNQ". At least he was "more" qualified than Hunt, Mass and Watson...

It's complicated, because the other ones would start at the back, so it wasn't neither a full DNQ nor a pure DNS

[uechtel]

It's complicated, because the other ones would start at the back, so it wasn't neither a full DNQ nor a pure DNS

No, they wouldn´t. If Stuppacher would have appeared for the race then Watson would have been out. The rules were, that 26 drivers were allowed to start, in order of the practise times. If somebody retreats from his place on the grid then the next one will move one place up. So Hunt, Mass and Watson lost their times, but were still among the best 26 who were READY for the start.

The definition of a DNQ is, that you are not allowed to start, a DNS means, that you are allowed but do not start because of reasons within your own responsibility. Therefore I can not see a reason why it shouldn´t be a "full DNS".

[Mig007]

Statistically, it's difficult to put, but I'll change to DNS and add a comment. You are interested in Databases?

[ensign14]

The definition of a DNQ is, that you are not allowed to start, a DNS means, that you are allowed but do not start because of reasons within your own responsibility. Therefore I can not see a reason why it shouldn´t be a "full DNS".

Because he was outside the 110% of pole time that was a determinant back then. I know Hunt/Mass/Watson were as well, but had they been denied the chance to race, it would have risked the championship status of the Italian GP on appeal.

[uechtel]

Good point, I have not known about that so far. But it seems this must have not been too 'determinant' then, as Kessel was allowed to start in Austria (with no potential championship aspriants behind him) and 122% of pole time as well als Pescarolo in Watkins Glen with 121%.

Anyway, the point is, you are either not allowed to start (DNQ) or allowed to start (DNS).

You are interested in Databases?

Sorry, not too much. I am more interested in the (sporting) regulations.

[Mig007]

I mainly have this DB project and write articles, I think you remember that one about Csaba Kesjar.

[ensign14]

Good point, I have not known about that so far. But it seems this must have not been too 'determinant' then, as Kessel was allowed to start in Austria (with no potential championship aspriants behind him) and 122% of pole time as well als Pescarolo in Watkins Glen with 121%.

There was always an element of discretion; one of the last times it was applied (maybe THE last time?) when there were fewer entries than starting places was South Africa 1983 when the Osellas were allowed onto the grid despite being outside. Kessel and Pescarolo had a track record of being able to qualify (and Austria was as close as a home race as Kessel could have), whereas Stuppacher must have been dangerous, if at the near-cornerless Monza he still couldn't get within a geographical aeon of the next drivers.