In memory of Rico Steinemann
06/12/2013
Exactly ten years ago today, a man died to whom we should still take a deep bow today. A man whose heart beat day and night for racing. A man endowed with numerous talents.
Not only did he take 2nd place overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Porsche 907 on September 29, 1968 together with Dieter Spoerry, he also held 14 world speed records with a Porsche 911R in Monza(we reported on this) and with the Mercedes C111.
He also spent four years as race director at Porsche, where he was responsible for a total of five world championship titles.
He was also a TV commentator on Swiss television for various broadcasts of F1 races. Later, he also appeared on ZDF as a car tester. Most recently, he was PR Director of Mercedes-Benz Schweiz AG and President of the Swiss Automobile Importers for many years.
This long list alone illustrates Rico Steinemann's great career. But that's not all.
Exactly 50 years ago, in January 1963, the new motorsport magazine"powerslide" was on sale at newsstands for the first time. It was a racing magazine that was absolutely unique on the German-speaking market at the time. It was produced with great love and enthusiasm, was popular with readers and respected by connoisseurs. Unfortunately, only the name "powerslide" has survived to this day, initially as "Motor Sport aktuell powerslide" and today again as "powerslide", a magazine for historic motorsport.
Rico Steinemann founded "powerslide" at the beginning of the sixties together with the Swiss commercial artist Arthur Blank, a gifted amateur racing driver!
Layout artist and caricaturist Rene Schöni and photographer Max Pichler also joined the team. What this team realized back then remains the measure of all things to this day. Unique stories, such as Rico Steinemann accompanying his friend Jo Siffert to his North American race, were written. Stories that can still be read today with great enthusiasm, and stories that have become unthinkable in today's world of motorsport.
Not only was the text highly appreciated, but the picture was also chosen with great care. Here, too, they showed courage and did not stick to 0-8-15 pictures, but showed motorsport in its most beautiful form. Initially in black and white, later also in color, the magazines are still an absolute feast for the eyes today.
In almost every issue, racing cars were portrayed with perfect cutaway drawings in poster form. There was never a shortage of humor either. Whether in witty pictures or unique caricatures, there was plenty to smile about motorsport every month.
Rico Steinemann was editor-in-chief until the end of 1968 and moved to Stuttgart in 1969 as head of Porsche Sport and successor to Huschke von Hanstein. He handed over his position as editor-in-chief at powerslide to none other than the Austrian Dieter Stappert, later known as BMW racing manager. Dieter kept the quality standards of the magazine just as high as his predecessor.
Rico Steinemann left us far too early on June 12, 2003, shortly before his 64th birthday. The same applies to his successor Dieter Stappert, who left us on October 17, 2008 at the age of 66!
