Walter Näher, the gifted racing engineer
03/21/2017
Walter Näher, the Porsche and later Sauber racing engineer, sadly passed away on March 11, 2017 at the age of 73 following a heart attack.
In 2009, he published "THE" book on the 917 sports car of the century, creating an epochal masterpiece for eternity. As a young engineer, he was involved in the development of the 917 and accompanied the car from its development, through the test drives, to most of the races.
Walter was not only in the pits 19 times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he also looked after Hans Joachim Stuck's 962 PDK and joined Sauber-Mercedes in 1989 in the same function as at Porsche, where he later also got to know F1.
Walter, who was always very calm, was also a great fan of the English sports and racing car brand Lotus and drove a red Super Seven himself for many years.
In 1995, he started the Ennstal Klassik as a co-driver with Sauber team logistician Walter Totschnig, also known as the working bee. The two of them were constantly beaming from the small sports car, despite adverse conditions such as heavy rain and darkness.
In recent years, he has repeatedly taken the time to attend historic events such as "Altbüron" or "Indy in Oerlikon", where he watched the action with great enthusiasm.
Just over a week ago, on March 11 to be precise, Walter Näher left us forever.
The motorsport scene has lost an important contemporary witness from the background of the big stage.
