On the 40th anniversary of Jo Siffert's death
10/24/2011
There are events where time stands still. And everyone can still remember the exact moment later. October 24, 1971 was such a date. The (Swiss) motor racing world held its breath and fell silent: on Sunday afternoon, Jo Siffert had a fatal accident in a non-championship Formula 1 race at Brands Hatch - on the very circuit where he had celebrated his first major victory three years earlier.
Jo Siffert, a Swiss racing driver, was one of the greats, as can be seen from the assessments of the people who were involved with him at the time. Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piech, Porsche racing director and engineer at the time, said: "Everyone who saw Siffert drive knew immediately that he was the right driver for Porsche."
Jacques Deschenaux, a loyal companion, says: "Racing was his whole life, that's where he found his true happiness."
Klaus Bischof, racing mechanic at the time and now head of the Porsche Museum, remembers: "There was only one driver that we mechanics carried on our shoulders to the award ceremony - that was Seppi Siffert at the 1000km race at the Nürburgring in 1969."
Paul Blancpain, team manager and colleague of Jo Siffert, summarizes: "Of course, like every racing driver, he dreamed of Ferrari - but he knew what Porsche had done for him and stayed with the Stuttgart team out of loyalty."
Jack Heuer, Siffert's sponsor at the time, praises: "He was a gifted salesman: as soon as he had the sponsorship contract with Heuer in the bag, he urged me to buy a car from the Stuttgart manufacturer from his Porsche dealership."
Nino Vaccarella, Targa winner in days gone by, acknowledges: "Siffert was not just a likeable, fast driver. He was just one of a handful of drivers who were even able to memorize a track like the Targa Florio."
Derek Bell, Le Mans winner and sports car driving legend, reflects on those days: "I learned a lot from Siffert. There was no difference between Grand Prix and endurance racing with him. He only knew one thing: full throttle! He always wanted to win, and he always wanted to beat Pedro (Rodriguez)."
There were two anniversaries in 2011: his 75th birthday and the 40th anniversary of his death. Zwischengas published a whole series of articles and comments in honor of these two anniversaries:
- Jo Siffert - Death at the height of his career(racing driver article)
- Mario Illien, Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piech, Klaus Bischof, Jacques Deschenaux and Paul Blancpain on Jo Siffert (racing driver article)
- Jo Siffert, the exceptional Swiss talent(racing driver article)
- When racing drivers were still starving - an episode from the life of Jo Siffert(Blog)
- Jo Siffert and his little big fan(Blog)
- Albüron - Hill climb 2011 in honor of Jo Siffert(Blog)
