Just saw an interview with Hans on ESPN, and I am thinking here is a driver that has seen a lot. He is here in USA at Charlotte (Lowes) Motor Speedway racing a BMW in the ALMS. He carries the name of one of the greats, and has seemed to have fun when he races something a lot of drivers do'nt. Hans drove in F1 but is so tall, that hurt his chances for rides. Maybe not the greatest but when you think of the years that he has driven, I feel we should put him in the survivor class.
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"Speed cost money, how fast do you want to go?"
Hans Stuck Jr.
Started by
buddyt
, Mar 31 2000 09:21
12 replies to this topic
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#2
PDA
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Posted 31 March 2000 - 21:44
Hans Stuck may not have been the greatest GP driver, but he was well worth his place on the grid. He was magic in the wet. Good point about his height. It is probable that he lost his place in the prtotype team becasue he was so much taller than the other drivers. His talent is, IMO, rather wasted in a BMW 320. What we want is a really wet race at Portland or Road Atlanta, then he might just embaress some illustrious names!
#3
Ray Bell
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Posted 31 March 2000 - 22:02
There was a very tall Porsche driver in the 908 days, so tall they made a special roof with a bubble in it... can't think of his name, though...
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Life and love are mixed with pain...
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Life and love are mixed with pain...
#4
Art
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Posted 01 April 2000 - 00:13
I don't know if Dan Gurney ever drove a Porsche but he had a few mods on closed cars.
Art
Art
#5
Ray Bell
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Posted 01 April 2000 - 04:45
Dan Gurney made an art of driving Porsches, but I don't think there were any after 1962. He's not the tall driver, I think it was a German. I'd know his name if I saw a list.
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Life and love are mixed with pain...
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Life and love are mixed with pain...
#6
Keir
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Posted 01 April 2000 - 06:14
Hans, and the rain at the Glen.
Pure poetry in motion.
Whether it be March, Brabham-Alfa or Trans Am Audi. He was, and is, great fun to watch.
Just like his pal Victorio Brambilla.
At the Glen they would both come around after the first lap with tire marks on the sides of their cars, or the requisite body parts gone adrift!!!
Great memories!!!
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"I Was Born Ready"
Pure poetry in motion.
Whether it be March, Brabham-Alfa or Trans Am Audi. He was, and is, great fun to watch.
Just like his pal Victorio Brambilla.
At the Glen they would both come around after the first lap with tire marks on the sides of their cars, or the requisite body parts gone adrift!!!
Great memories!!!
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"I Was Born Ready"
#7
Barry Lake
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Posted 01 April 2000 - 08:56
I have had some good fortune in my time - but not always.
Some time in the mid-1980s I was in Germany on business and, as I did as often as possible, I called by the Nurburgring to have a few laps.
When I arrived, among the cars being tested was a BMW M1 that was running in the series they had at that time (preceeding F1 races from memory). It was being tested for its owner by Hans Stuck Jnr.
I went into the historic old hotel (since demolished) and had lunch. Shortly afterwards, I saw Stuck walking towards me. I said 'hello' and introduced myself.
He said, 'It's a shame you weren't here earlier; the testing I was doing it didn't matter if I had a passenger. You could have come along with me for a few laps!'
Alas, he had finished and the car was packed away.
A New Zealand friend of mine, Murray Taylor, who worked for Motoring News in England, was more fortunate.
He had a ride around the Ring with Stuck at the time he held the touring car lap record in a BMW. He said it was the most fantastic experience he'd ever had. Does anyone remember the photo on the cover of Motor Sport magazine of Stuck, airborne over a jump, in the black BMW with the BMW coloured stripes?
It was in that car, at that time. In the late 1970s, wasn't it?
Some time in the mid-1980s I was in Germany on business and, as I did as often as possible, I called by the Nurburgring to have a few laps.
When I arrived, among the cars being tested was a BMW M1 that was running in the series they had at that time (preceeding F1 races from memory). It was being tested for its owner by Hans Stuck Jnr.
I went into the historic old hotel (since demolished) and had lunch. Shortly afterwards, I saw Stuck walking towards me. I said 'hello' and introduced myself.
He said, 'It's a shame you weren't here earlier; the testing I was doing it didn't matter if I had a passenger. You could have come along with me for a few laps!'
Alas, he had finished and the car was packed away.
A New Zealand friend of mine, Murray Taylor, who worked for Motoring News in England, was more fortunate.
He had a ride around the Ring with Stuck at the time he held the touring car lap record in a BMW. He said it was the most fantastic experience he'd ever had. Does anyone remember the photo on the cover of Motor Sport magazine of Stuck, airborne over a jump, in the black BMW with the BMW coloured stripes?
It was in that car, at that time. In the late 1970s, wasn't it?
#8
CVAndrw
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Posted 02 April 2000 - 15:56
I could’ve sworn I just posted something about Herr Stuck and the hair raising performance I witnessed at Laguna Seca on some board someplace, so rather than repeat myself I’ll recount two brief tales that I’ve always thought illustrated first, talent at driving in the rain (Stuck’s, and in general) and second, “The Unfair Advantage”, which I may have dragged out of the dim fog of my memory but are nonetheless true:
German GP 1976: Ronnie Peterson, Vittorio Brambilla and Stuck were all driving works Marches; at one point during final qualifying rain was coming down in such torrents that about a quarter of the entry didn’t even bother to go out. Anyway, Ronnie, the Gorilla and Hanschen were thoroughly in their element and ended up first, second and sixth for the session (with Stommelen, Regga and Pryce in between), prompting Rob Walker to remark (although he may have been quoting another wag who Wished To Remain Anonymous): “The drivers finished in reverse order of their IQs”!
Back to Laguna and his exploits in the IMSA BMW 3.5 CSL: his driving partner that year was Sam Posey, who reported his desperate travails trying to somehow match the unearthly speed and astonishing technique of Stuck (he wasn’t called “Sideways” Stuck for nothing) in a charmingly self-deprecating Road & Track story, to which this anecdote appeared as a subsequent footnote:
Sam and Hans are suiting up for some race or other, and, as Hans is adjusting his Nomex underwear, Sam happens to glance southward and (I’m quoting from memory here) “finally sees what makes him so fast…Posey now knows all drivers are NOT created equal”.
I’ve always wondered…
[This message has been edited by CVAndrw (edited 04-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by CVAndrw (edited 04-02-2000).]
German GP 1976: Ronnie Peterson, Vittorio Brambilla and Stuck were all driving works Marches; at one point during final qualifying rain was coming down in such torrents that about a quarter of the entry didn’t even bother to go out. Anyway, Ronnie, the Gorilla and Hanschen were thoroughly in their element and ended up first, second and sixth for the session (with Stommelen, Regga and Pryce in between), prompting Rob Walker to remark (although he may have been quoting another wag who Wished To Remain Anonymous): “The drivers finished in reverse order of their IQs”!
Back to Laguna and his exploits in the IMSA BMW 3.5 CSL: his driving partner that year was Sam Posey, who reported his desperate travails trying to somehow match the unearthly speed and astonishing technique of Stuck (he wasn’t called “Sideways” Stuck for nothing) in a charmingly self-deprecating Road & Track story, to which this anecdote appeared as a subsequent footnote:
Sam and Hans are suiting up for some race or other, and, as Hans is adjusting his Nomex underwear, Sam happens to glance southward and (I’m quoting from memory here) “finally sees what makes him so fast…Posey now knows all drivers are NOT created equal”.
I’ve always wondered…
[This message has been edited by CVAndrw (edited 04-02-2000).]
[This message has been edited by CVAndrw (edited 04-02-2000).]
#9
Dave Ware
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Posted 03 April 2000 - 21:18
>>There was a very tall Porsche driver in the 908 days, so tall they made a special roof with a bubble in it... can't think of his name, though...
I checked out Anthony Pritchard's "Sports Car Championship", which provides a very detailed account of the '68 - '71 years.
At the '68 Targa Umberto Maglioi was brought in to partner Vic Elford. Mag had won the Targa in '53 and '56 (or '57) and he was added to the factory team because of his experience w/ the Targa. According to Pritchard, Mag was so tall that they actually cut a hole in the roof of the 907.
They did win the race.
But, Ray, you mention a German driver. I'll check the book again and see if it mentions a tell German for whom they added a bubble.
Vittorio Brambilla. Sometimes I do the stupidest things. There was a Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport in the late seventies where Mario threw away his lead by blowing his engine and dropping oil on turn nine. Keegan went off, somebody else went off, and then the Monza Gorilla hit that oil and went from fourth to being stuffed between Keegan's Ensign and the guardrail. Got out, threw down his helmet, etc.
The stupid thing I did was in the garage after the race. Brambilla's mechanics were offering the busted up nose from Brambilla's Surtees for $35.00. I thought I was making a wise and mature decision by not spending $35 on something so friviolous. Damnit, damnit, damnit!!!!!!!
Every now and then I look above my mantle and imagine how good that nose would have looked up there...(damnit, damnit...)
Dave
I checked out Anthony Pritchard's "Sports Car Championship", which provides a very detailed account of the '68 - '71 years.
At the '68 Targa Umberto Maglioi was brought in to partner Vic Elford. Mag had won the Targa in '53 and '56 (or '57) and he was added to the factory team because of his experience w/ the Targa. According to Pritchard, Mag was so tall that they actually cut a hole in the roof of the 907.
They did win the race.
But, Ray, you mention a German driver. I'll check the book again and see if it mentions a tell German for whom they added a bubble.
Vittorio Brambilla. Sometimes I do the stupidest things. There was a Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport in the late seventies where Mario threw away his lead by blowing his engine and dropping oil on turn nine. Keegan went off, somebody else went off, and then the Monza Gorilla hit that oil and went from fourth to being stuffed between Keegan's Ensign and the guardrail. Got out, threw down his helmet, etc.
The stupid thing I did was in the garage after the race. Brambilla's mechanics were offering the busted up nose from Brambilla's Surtees for $35.00. I thought I was making a wise and mature decision by not spending $35 on something so friviolous. Damnit, damnit, damnit!!!!!!!
Every now and then I look above my mantle and imagine how good that nose would have looked up there...(damnit, damnit...)
Dave
#10
Ray Bell
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Posted 04 April 2000 - 03:21
My memory says he was German, but he may have been Scandinavian. I'm fairly sure this car ran the Nurburg 1000ks with a green stripe across the nose... you know how it is when you've got a picture in your mind! If anyone can list the names, I'll pick it.
Vic Elford would have been the tall one in that Targa pairing, surely?
Maybe we'll have to con Eric McLoughlin into putting that 'Grosser Preiss von Deutschland' story on the board. The way Jenks had every party in the GP field anylised, it was marvellous. A hint, Eric, you could scan it and use OCR...
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Life and love are mixed with pain...
Vic Elford would have been the tall one in that Targa pairing, surely?
Maybe we'll have to con Eric McLoughlin into putting that 'Grosser Preiss von Deutschland' story on the board. The way Jenks had every party in the GP field anylised, it was marvellous. A hint, Eric, you could scan it and use OCR...
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Life and love are mixed with pain...
#11
Huw Jenjin
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Posted 05 April 2000 - 20:44
tall guys like Mike Parkes in Ferraris and (i think)Paul Hawkins often had "bubbles" for their helmets, but that German driver. hmmmmmmmmm mitter,muller,herrmann,berger,barth or stommelen. What is interesting is all the green stripes and little coluor codes they used to put on sports cars at the time, was it for particular cars or paricular drivers.
I seem to remember Petersons Ferrari had his helmet colour in a stripe. Nice little trivia thread.........
I seem to remember Petersons Ferrari had his helmet colour in a stripe. Nice little trivia thread.........
#12
Ray Bell
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Posted 05 April 2000 - 21:18
Hawkins wasn't so tall. And it was none of those listed...
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Life and love are mixed with pain...
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Life and love are mixed with pain...
#13
Dave Ware
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Posted 11 April 2000 - 02:56
Here are the German drivers Pritchard lists as having driven Porsche 907s or 908s in 1968:
Daytona: (907s) Herrmann - green nose. Neerpasch - yellow nose (the cars, for those who just tuned in.) Stommelen/Mitter - red nose.
There was a private 907 for Rico Steinemann and Dieter Spoerry.
Sebring: (907s) Herrmann, Mitter, Stommelen, Neerpasch.
Brands: (907s) Herrmann, Mitter, Neerpasch.
Monza: In 908s - Herrmann and Mitter; in 907s - Stommelen and Neerpasch.
Targa: (907s) Herrmann/Neerpasch, blue nose. Stommelen, green nose. Mitter, orange nose.
Nurburgring: 908 - Mitter. 907s - Herrmann/Stommelen, Neerpasch. Pritchard doesn't mention nose color.
Spa: 908 - Herrmann/Stommelen, Neerpasch. 907 - Mitter.
Watkins Glen: Herrmann in a 908.
Zeltweg: In 908s, Herrmann, Ahrens, Neerpasch.
Le Mans: In 908s, Mitter, Neerpach, Stommelen. In private 907s, Steinmann, Spoerry, and Herbert Linge.
The only mention of a tall driver for whom the roof had to be adapted was Magiloi at the Targa. Maybe one of these Germans was tall and Prichart just didn't mention him? Or it was in '69 or '67? I don't have any info on '67 but Prichart's book does cover '69.
And certainly my notes from Le Mans are incomplete 'cause Herrmann finished second to Ickx in a 908. Missed something there; I'll have to check the book again.
Dave
Daytona: (907s) Herrmann - green nose. Neerpasch - yellow nose (the cars, for those who just tuned in.) Stommelen/Mitter - red nose.
There was a private 907 for Rico Steinemann and Dieter Spoerry.
Sebring: (907s) Herrmann, Mitter, Stommelen, Neerpasch.
Brands: (907s) Herrmann, Mitter, Neerpasch.
Monza: In 908s - Herrmann and Mitter; in 907s - Stommelen and Neerpasch.
Targa: (907s) Herrmann/Neerpasch, blue nose. Stommelen, green nose. Mitter, orange nose.
Nurburgring: 908 - Mitter. 907s - Herrmann/Stommelen, Neerpasch. Pritchard doesn't mention nose color.
Spa: 908 - Herrmann/Stommelen, Neerpasch. 907 - Mitter.
Watkins Glen: Herrmann in a 908.
Zeltweg: In 908s, Herrmann, Ahrens, Neerpasch.
Le Mans: In 908s, Mitter, Neerpach, Stommelen. In private 907s, Steinmann, Spoerry, and Herbert Linge.
The only mention of a tall driver for whom the roof had to be adapted was Magiloi at the Targa. Maybe one of these Germans was tall and Prichart just didn't mention him? Or it was in '69 or '67? I don't have any info on '67 but Prichart's book does cover '69.
And certainly my notes from Le Mans are incomplete 'cause Herrmann finished second to Ickx in a 908. Missed something there; I'll have to check the book again.
Dave
