Jochen Mass - joker and philosopher (obituary)
Only a paltry seven months have passed since I was able to philosophize with Jochen about God and the world over beer and wine at the Hotel Edelweiss in Berchtesgaden on September 27, 2024.
What we both didn't know at the time, thank God, was that it would not only be our very last meeting, but that he would also be climbing the mountain for the last time in a Porsche 356 Speedster. Just over four months later, he had to cancel the "Legends Meet" at short notice. At the time, nobody knew how bad things were for him. And now, completely unexpectedly, the sad news came on Sunday that he had succumbed to the stroke he suffered in February and an emergency operation in March at the age of 78.
I was able to get to know and appreciate Jochen personally when he was the mouthpiece for RTL in F1. When he was in the Sauber-Mercedes car and won Le Mans, it was extremely emotional.
The great fun then began at the Ennstal Classic, where we always went a bit over the top. I remember the "car to car" shots with the blue rally tail fin on the open road, when it got closer and closer to me, my wide-angle lens was slowly being overtaxed and my driver, who passed away a year ago, screamed in panic until I finally snapped the Mercedes' star off the trunk while driving....
I can still see Jochen's laughter today and Herbert Völker, his passenger, no longer understood the world. Unique and unforgettable moments that will now live long in the memory.
Photo opportunities with Michael Schumacher and his former teacher Jochen Mass were always an absolute highlight in the Group C era. Of course, in the end half of the pictures could not be passed on to the customer Mercedes and it always took clear words to get the two of them to look at the lens properly for at least one picture.....
Jochen loved photography and so we had a second common interest in addition to our great love, motorsport.
After his active time, we met again and again at countless classic events throughout Europe, not only in the Enns Valley, but also at the Mille Miglia, for example somewhere in the middle of nowhere on the Futa Pass, where he sped past me in a 300 SL, recognized me at the side of the road taking pictures, immediately initiated a brusque braking maneuver, reversed and greeted me in a friendly and calm manner.
It was these many little moments that I remembered last Sunday when the sad news arrived. They made me smile with satisfaction, as I feel so lucky to have shared all these wonderful moments with Jochen.
Thank you dear Jochen and rest in peace!
Our condolences go out to Jochen's family.
Dani and the zwischengas team
