21 replies to this topic

[Nanni Dietrich]

Sorry, I have just posted this question in the topic "Speed ultimate price".
It's important for me to know what happened to Mr. Dieter Spoerry. He was one of the best sportscars drivers in the 60s and at the beginning of the 70s. I remember his best result as 2nd overall at Le Mans 24 Hours 1968, with his best friend Rico Steinemann in a good Porsche 907 number 66 for the "Squadra Tartaruga".
Steinemann and Spoerry, they were only two gentlemen-drivers from Switzerland (Steinemann was a journalist) but they were so hard as professional-drivers.
I don't know if Spoerry had chance to run in an official Team (perhaps in Porsche AG System at Le Mans 1969, but I'm not sure), I think he was worth.

Mr Steinemann died two years ago, about Dieter Spoerry I haven't any news from 1972 or 1973 I think, when he had a bad accident. What happened after this accident?

Someone can help me?

Thanks!

[Jeremy Jackson]

Naani,

I've a record in my database of the dat of his death being August 26th 1972, but may have been Septemebr. I trust someone wil fill in the unfortunate details, I seem to recall a plane crash...

[Ed Heuvink]

Dieter Spoerry raced for the Scuderia Filipinetti from 1965 through 1967. His most important achievement was winning the GT class at Le Mans in 67. Together with Rico Steineman, who died in 2003 (!), driving a 275 GTB. Since he was not fully commited to driving, he only ran a select number of races. But he had a fine record at Le Mans, finishing there in 65, 67 and 68. Because of a brake problem, he and Steinemann just missed the overall victory that year. Spoerry ran until 1971 some selected races. Unfortunately, he died that year in an airplane accident. When towing a glider he crashed into a mountain. For more details on him, please have a look at my book on the Scuderia Filipinetti, editions Chronosports sa, 2002

Ed Heuvink

[Nanni Dietrich]

I saw him at the Circuito del Mugello in 1968, 3rd overall in a fabulous 911 R (entered by Porsche System, colour red if I remember well), driven with great Ben Pon.
And 2nd in that race was his goodfella Rico Steinemann, in a 910 (co-equipier Mr. Seppi Siffert!;) ) .

He drove the same 911 R at the Targa 1969 with Pauli Toivonen.


Thanks, Ed and Jeremy!

[Holger Merten]

Won't let him die! But on the other hand it's really easy to search names in switzerland via Internet. I did search contacts about some other swiss drivers for TNF member Udo Kinkel a few weeks ago and found 10 drivers contacts and adresses in less than four hours. But I wasn't successful for Spoerry today. Sorry, perhaps no news are bad news.

[Jeremy Jackson]

Holger,

After I posted my initial response, I searched a bit to try and confirm Spoerry's date of passing.

I found this forum, whcih listed Swiss drivers at LM, and gives Spoerry as passing away Sept. 1972.

But nothing else apart from that, so can't confirm the dates. However, I have no record of him driving at all after the Barcelona 1000kms in October 1971, plus a DNS at the Paris 1000kms a couple of weeks later.

[Udo K.]

To my records, Spörry died in a plane crash on August 28th 1972.

[Holger Merten]

@Jeremy, thanks for searching.

@Udo, thanks for your response, I wondered if Spoerry should be written Spörry.

[Udo K.]

Yes, Holger, I think "Spörry" is the correct writing.

[Nadine Kenel]

First, right he died on august 26th 1972, saturday opening of the Olympic Games (Munich) in a plane crash as described (with the glider)
Dieter Spoerry is spelled this way (thus correct too)

I'm late in this discussion, but I wanted to have things right - He was my oncle living next door - Nice you remember him!

[ReWind]

Welcome, Nadine!
Would you mind to tell us when (exact date if possible) and where your uncle was born?
Where did the plane crash happen?

[Nadine Kenel]

Dieter Spoerry was born on March 14, 1937 probably in Zurich (need to check this out) as the youngest of 4 and the only boy.
The plane crashed on an alpine pasture above Malans and the entry of the Prättigau valley. Actually, as I was told, if it had happened over the Rhine valley, Dieter would have had the time to bring the plane up again (the glider did not click off the cable at the right time and thus the back of Dieter's plane was in a "downhill" position when the glider finally let go and Dieter's plane crashed because he had not enough height and thus time upthere to bring the plane up again). For the story, he started flying, because he wanted to make his helicopter licence, for this he needed many flighthours and that's why he was taking up the glider that day. My father told me that Dieter was considering to stop the car races at that time (don't know to what extent this was true) and flying was thus another challenge/hobby.
Cheers

[Nadine Kenel]

PS Prättigau and Malans are close to the boarder of Lichtenstein/Austria

Nadine Kenel

[Nadine Kenel]

I can confirm that Zurich is his birthplace
Cheers

[bigears]

Is he the same driver that escaped from a massive accident after colliding with Jack Brabham's Matra at Le Mans in 1970?

[ReWind]

Merci beaucoup, Nadine!
Much appreciated.

[Nadine Kenel]

yes , if I am right this was in 1970 (euh, just re-read and re-discussed about my uncle for many, many years) About the after accident then, there is a picture on the web, Dieter after the accident, thinking of his "luck" it is called Dieter Spoerry without shoes and the "Time keepers"
My mother confirms, (sister of Dieter) he talked a lot about switching (from racing to something else) at that time.

Cheers to all of you
Nadine

[Ralliart]

It is sad for me to read these posts. It's as if Mr. Spoerry died today, for me, as I had no idea that he was killed, so long ago. Michael Keyer's book on the making of the movie Le Mans devotes some page to the incident between Brabham and Spoerry and took a photo of Spoerry shortly afterwards. I think there's a great story - about the Swiss connection, drivers (successfully) involved in an activity that was banned in their home country, Porsche, etc. A story that the late Dieter Spoerry played an integral part. Again, my (very late) sympathies to the Spoerry family.

[Bjorn Kjer]

A book with biography and some pics is refferd to under "A place to say something about books"(TNF) post1612

[CJE]

This photo sequence of Dieter from Tony Adamowicz's website has always amazed me. Scroll to bottom of page:

http://www.a2zracer.com/page30.html

Poor Dieter appears to be contemplating the meaning of life after that little shunt.

[Nadine Kenel]

Hello you guys,

talked with Dieter's son Peter, he has as many questions as you do too, different one's, but he is needing it too, so if you don't mind, i give him the thread?!!!

Cheers

[Bjorn Kjer]

The book "Die Aussenseiter" (in German) a great book on swiss drivers , has a biography on Dieter Sporry (among the more than 50 biographys). If anyone are interested I will translate ! Mail me if !