15 replies to this topic

[Nanni Dietrich]

German drivers after 1990 are perhaps one of the best group in the world: the Schumi brothers, Frentzen, Heidfeld and Bernd Schneider, Jorg and Dirk Muller, Diefenbacher, Sascha Maassen, Frank Biela, Glock, etc. etc.
In the the 80s there were only two real champions from Germany (Jochen Mass and Hans Joachim Stuck) and some few good drivers: Hans Heyer, Christian Danner, Klaus Ludwig, Manuel Reuter, Stefan Bellof , Manfred Winkelhock
In the 70s Rolf Stommelen was perhaps the best German driver, with some other "endurance driver" (Reinhold Jost, Willi Kauhsen, Helmut Kelleners, Hubert Hahne, Dieter Glemser, Kurt Ahrens Jr.)
In the 60s just the drivers of the Porsche-Armada: Hans Herrmann, Gerhard Mitter, Gerd Koch, Herbert Linge, Jochen Neerpasch, Edgar Barth... some of them already an old driver from the 50s...

Where do you think we can consider Manfred Mohr in this German drivers list? He really wasn't a successful driver, or a real champion, but I remember he drove very good races in the 60s and 70s around Europe.
I remember Mohr racing in Italy, in a very good white Tecno F. 3 in 1968 and 69, or at the wheel of BMW, Escort-Zakspeed, VW Scirocco or Alfa Romeo in the European Touring cars Championship (frequently with his good friend Martino Finotto).
Perhaps his best year was 1974: 5th in the final classification of ETCC, three times 2nd over all (Vallelunga and Salzburgring with Finotto in a BMW 3.0 CSL, Jarama with Toine Hezemans in a Ford Escort-Zakspeed), 8th over all at the 1000 Km of Spa (World Sportcars Championship) in the same Finotto's 3.0 CSL and 6th over all at the 1000 Km of Zeltweg (WSC) driving a sportcar Lola T294, again with co-driver Finotto.

I think he was a very good driver, I don't know anything about him, after his racing career.
What do you think about? Can someone of you post any picture?

[philippe7]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet, but it has always been my understanding that Manfred Mohr is actually Italian , despite his germanic name ( maybe he is from Süd Tyrol ? )

[ReWind]

http://www.dunlop.de...ohr_manfred.pdf

[David McKinney]

You wouldn't be getting confused with Siegfried Stohr, would you Philippe?

[Mischa Bijenhof]

According to Ulrich Schwabs 1974 Grand Prix yearbook, Manfred Mohr was supposed to drive the BT46/6 during the German Grand Prix, but eventually did't show up. Which makes him a Londono-Bridge/de Bagration case, right?

[edit] of course, Londono-Bridge actually got to drive the car

[Frank de Jong]

Mischa, you mean a BT42. Since Finotto had one, and Mohr partnered him frequently in touring cars it would make sense. Mohr was an impressive touring car driver, but never had a full season in the right car. Too early in a Capri, too late in a BMW CSL, that sort of thing.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by philippe7
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet, but it has always been my understanding that Manfred Mohr is actually Italian , despite his germanic name ( maybe he is from Süd Tyrol ? )

So was the extremely Teutonic-sounding Siegfried Stohr...

[Mischa Bijenhof]

Originally posted by Frank de Jong
Mischa, you mean a BT42. Since Finotto had one, and Mohr partnered him frequently in touring cars it would make sense. Mohr was an impressive touring car driver, but never had a full season in the right car. Too early in a Capri, too late in a BMW CSL, that sort of thing.

Exactly, it was a typo. But he was on the entrylist, right?

[Frank de Jong]

It sounds very familiar to me, despite finding no evidence in my personal F1 files (yes, there was a time I devoted my energy to Formula 1...). But the Mohr/Finotto link is very strong.
A pity that his 1968 accident had so much influence on his career.

[philippe7]

Originally posted by David McKinney
You wouldn't be getting confused with Siegfried Stohr, would you Philippe?

I'm afraid I am , yes, indeed......my apologies !

[Nanni Dietrich]

Originally posted by ReWind
http://www.dunlop.de...ohr_manfred.pdf

Can some German friend try to translate this text?

Thanks!


Siegried Stohr is from Rimini, Philippe: Emilia-Romagna region, the same region of Imola, Misano, Maranello, Modena... not Sud-Tyrol.


Manfred Mohr drove also a very interesting AMS, an Italian prototype with Tecno flat-engine, if I recall.

[ReWind]

Originally posted by Nanni Dietrich
Can some German friend try to translate this text?

Fearless

Manfred Mohr was to have a glorious single-seater career when in 1968 a “big shunt” at Brands Hatch destroyed all his dreams. On the first lap his Brabham Formula 3 car touched with another car, got airborne and violently crashed into an earth bank. With open fractures, a torn thigh and signs of paralyses the best German Formula 3 racer of that time was recovered.

During the enforced time-out the man from the Black Forest realized the crash hadn’t only ruined his health but also his career as a professional single-seater driver. The sign-ready works contract with Tecno to partner Clay Regazzoni was as obsolete as other ambitious plans.

Up till then Mohr had contested up to 25 F3 races per season. Fearlessly he had fought for victory with stars like Piers Courage, Ronnie Peterson, the Brambilla brothers or Derek Bell. At Monza he stood on pole and at Enna in Sicily he beat the complete world elite.

A crash of that calibre makes even a wild dog like Mohr contemplate: doubts, fears for the future and pain set the tone for the many months of convalescence.

He gained new confidence when in 1969 an offer came from Cologne. As works driver he was embedded as supporting act to Dieter Glemser’s title aspirations in Jochen Neerpasch’s Escort offensive with the 1,6-litre Twin Cam. Although his right leg still was half paralysed he duly got his helping job done*. The only thing that mattered to him was being back in business – even only in touring cars.

He did get back to his old love Formula 3 and won the ADAC cup (pre-runner of the German F3 championship) twice in a row but the big career was over for him.

After restless years in several touring car teams he finally called it a day in 1980 and confined himself to running his enterprise “Mohr Racing Parts” distributing racing clothes, helmets and accessories. Just two years ago** the 63-year-old was confronted with two blows of fate: At first his second wive Olena suffered a stroke then he had to undergo surgery for his discs.

“My son definitely will not become a racing driver”, Mohr states, “because today I know better than ever that health is the most important thing in life.”

* “Der Mohr, der seine Schuldigkeit tut” points to winged words by Friedrich Schiller (“Verschwörung des Fiesco”) : “Der Mohr hat seine Schuldigkeit getan...”

** The article (by Rainer Braun) was published in the autumn of 2001.

[Tim Murray]

I know we've shown that he was definitely German, not Italian. There's still some Italian connection lurking in the back of my age-enfeebled memory - did he not live in Italy and race on an Italian licence during his F3 days?

[fines]

Originally posted by Tim Murray
I know we've shown that he was definitely German, not Italian. There's still some Italian connection lurking in the back of my age-enfeebled memory - did he not live in Italy and race on an Italian licence during his F3 days?

Yes, I believe he did. He certainly was a lost talent, very good in Formula 3, though perhaps he spent too many years in the Formula (rather like Jonathan Williams).

[Henk Vasmel]

I have checked my Formula 1 database and have found one entry for Manfred Mohr:
4 August 1974: German/European GP at the Nürburgring. Start number (29), Brabham BT42-6, entered by Scuderia Finotto, Did Not Arrive.

Regards,

Henk Vasmel

[Nanni Dietrich]

Originally posted by Tim Murray
I know we've shown that he was definitely German, not Italian. There's still some Italian connection lurking in the back of my age-enfeebled memory - did he not live in Italy and race on an Italian licence during his F3 days?

I'm not sure he lived in Italy in the late 60s, Tim. But certainly he divided the same van (and the same hotel or, perhaps tent ;) ) with Giancarlo Gagliardi to transport their F. 3 (a Tecno for Mohr and a Brabham for Gagliardi) around European circuits in those years.