When over 200 people come to a car museum on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon in winter and pay a hefty sum to do so, there must be something special. And there was: the first "Day of Legends", organized by the magazine "Automobilsport" in the magnificent German National Car Museum - Loh Collection in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach.
The day was dedicated to Stefan Bellof, the talented young German driver who died 40 years ago in a racing accident at Francorchamps. It became clear on this day that his memory lives on. Team colleagues and other companions talked about their experiences and adventures with Bellof.
A guest at the Loh Collection
After the previous issue of the quarterly magazine "Automobilsport", which is available in a German and an English edition, was largely dedicated to Stefan Bellof, it was a natural choice to select the late German racing driver as the topic for the first "Day of Legends", which the magazine organized in collaboration with the National Automuseum - The Loh Collection.
The location was perfect: not only did the museum offer enough space to welcome the participants in an appropriate atmosphere, but several of the cars in which Stefan Bellof raced are part of the museum's collection. This is no coincidence, as Giessen, the city where Bellof was born and lived, is only around 50 kilometers away from the museum.
The Porsche 956 at the center
Probably the most important vehicle was the Porsche 956 with chassis number 009, in which Bellof won the drivers' title in the 1984 World Sports Car Championship. With a total of seven victories in world championship races, it is the most successful Porsche sports car at the highest level.
In 1988, former works driver Vern Schuppan bought the car and owned it until after the turn of the millennium. The car then belonged to the impressive Group C collection of Briton Henri Pearman for many years. The car then became part of the collection of the German National Automuseum.
Vehicles from Bellof's career
Also on display was the Tyrrell 014 from Bellof's first Formula 1 season in 1984 ...
... as well as the PRS RH02, the 1980 Formula Ford 1600 in which Bellof was successful in his first season in motorsport, while also winning the German Kart Championship title in the same year.
A special piece was the Maurer Formula 2 that Bellof drove in 1982. The car is owned by father and son Trautwein, who own a large number of original Maurer cars and have also acquired almost the entire historic collection of the Schnitzer team. The Trautweins spontaneously made Bellof's Maurer Formula 2 car available and brought it with them from the Black Forest so that visitors to the "Day of Legends" could admire the car. A display case was also set up with an original helmet, trophies and numerous photos.
In conversation with racing drivers
After a tour of the museum, which is closed to regular visitors until March 1, a round of interviews about Stefan Bellof was on the agenda.
The moderator was Eckhard Schimpf, former racing driver and journalist and the man who distributed Jägermeister's sponsorship money in motorsport for many years and now looks after Jägermeister's legacy under the Stagpower banner. The speakers included Georg "Goa" Bellof, Stefan's older brother by one and a half years, the drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck, Thierry Boutsen and Harald Grohs, some of whom drove with Stefan Bellof as team-mates, but also competed against him. There was also Norbert Singer, the brilliant engineer from Porsche Motorsport and the brains behind the Group C cars 956 and 962, as well as Peter Reinisch, who as team boss of Brun Motorsport succeeded in signing Bellof for Group C races in Walter Brun's team in 1985.
Bellof remains unforgotten
The drivers' admiration for Bellof's talent was clear in the interviews. "On his first appearance with the Porsche, he was immediately 11 seconds faster. I thought: 'I can pack it in', but he took a lot of time to give me tips on how to drive faster," says Hans-Joachim Stuck. Thierry Boutsen was a competitor of Bellof's in Formula 2, "but when we drove sports cars together, I got to know and appreciate him as a person. A friendship has developed, especially in the last few months," said the Belgian. Harald Grohs praised Bellof's cheerful character. "As a driver he was serious, always wanted to achieve the maximum, but outside the car he always had fun, was carefree."
Technician Norbert Singer also praised Bellof's qualities, but did not leave out another aspect: "There were fuel regulations in Group C at the time, but Stefan, who usually started in the races, didn't care much about that. He always wanted to be at the front and therefore used more fuel, which the driver behind then had to make up for. But he was definitely fast!" This was also noticeable elsewhere, as brother Georg Bellof reported: "He had already reached an agreement with Ferrari for Formula 1 in 1986, but unfortunately it never happened." Peter Reinisch, who worked closely with Bellof as team boss, left no doubt: "Stefan was absolutely the best person I worked with." The fateful accident on September 1, 1985 on the Spa-Francorchamps race track was also discussed, although everyone involved agreed that it was a racing accident. It was a cruel end to a promising career, but the fact that Bellof has not been forgotten almost 40 years later became clear at the meeting in the museum.
Something for everyone
Following the almost two-hour panel discussion, which also included questions from the audience, there was an autograph session with the participants, who took over an hour to sign numerous books, photos, model cars, T-shirts and other items.
For those who had booked a special package, the day ended in style with an extremely tasty three-course meal with the celebrities present at a special location in the museum. It was a fitting end to a very successful day.
