It will soon be 50 years since the Austrian racing driver Jochen Rindt had a fatal accident on September 5, 1970 during practice for the Monza Grand Prix when the car crashed several times into the crash barriers while braking for the Parabolica. Rindt was just 28 years old at the time.
One of the fastest
But despite his young age, Rindt had already won almost everything there was to win in motor racing by that day in September 1970. He had won Le Mans and many Grand Prix races. His lead was so great in September 1970 that he became world champion posthumously. And he was not only fast in a monoposto, but also in a sports car and on anything with four wheels.
Spectacular
Rind had a daring driving style, especially at the start of his career. Growing up as an orphan with his grandparents in Graz, he always gave it his all right from the start. He didn't make too many mistakes, and he himself could only report one significant driving error in his entire Formula 1 career. He was compared to the greats and even Jackie Stewart was impressed by his driving technique.
Not just a racing driver
Jochen Rindt, who according to his wife Nina had a "funny nose" and was certainly a popular photo subject with his striking looks, could do more than just step on the gas. He even considered giving up active racing after the world championship title and turning to racing management, similar to what Ecclestone, who sponsored Rindt, later successfully did. Rindt's racing car shows were also legendary and they proved that Rindt also had business acumen.
But all dreams came to an end on September 5, 1970, by which time Rindt had long been a superstar, the first top F1 driver from Austria, no less. And he knew how to optimize his market value, even if he liked parties less than others.
Not a typical biography
The book, which is now in its third edition, is not a conventional treatise on Rind's life. It does not go chronologically through the 28 years of his life, but rather follows different perspectives and career stages. Nevertheless, the overall result is a comprehensive insight into Rindt's life. The texts are excitingly written by Herbert Völker, but it is the pictures that make this book stand out.
From Ferdi Kräling's darkroom
The German photographer, who was active in motor racing from 1963 to 2005, has collected countless master shots among his approximately 1.5 million motorsport motifs, which show Rindt not only in the racing car, but often also next to it or in private.
Countless portraits allow a glimpse into the soul of an aspiring racing driver and Rindt's surroundings are also captured in many photos, mostly in black and white. Many of these photos are true works of art and need little description to be effective.
Compared to the second edition from 2009, the book has grown by around 24 pages to 176, and a few more photos have been added accordingly.
Not just for cattle fans
This book is far more than a racing driver biography of a single man, it is a portrait of a motorsport era when constructors took enormous risks, used new technologies and racers pushed themselves to the limit to be at the very front. Many paid for the urge to be faster than the competition with their lives, unfortunately Rindt was one of them.
What else could this man have "pulled off"? The book by Kräling/Völker gives a clue ... and at EUR 29.90 is certainly not too expensive.
Bibliographical information
- Title: Jochen Rindt - the first pop star of Formula 1
- Author: Ferdi Kräling / Herbert Völker
- Language: German
- Publisher: Delius Klasing
- Edition: 3rd expanded edition, July 2020
- Format: Hardcover, 21 x 28 cm
- Scope: 176 pages, 150 photos and illustrations
- ISBN: 978-3-667-11866-0
- Price: EUR 29.90
- Buy/order: Online at amazon.de, online at Delius Klasing or in relevant bookstores
