Only very few athletes have been granted hero status. What Ayrton Senna is to Brazil, Jim Clark is to England, Gilles Villeneuve is to Canada, Alex Zanardi is to Italy and Jo Siffert remains unforgotten in Switzerland. Even 50 years after his death, he lives on in the memories of many.
For more than a decade, "Seppi" fascinated the whole of Switzerland until his tragic death in Brands-Hatch on Sunday, October 24, 1971.
In addition to his professional activities as the owner of two garages in Fribourg, Siffert still found the time to demonstrate his driving talent in various championships and cars on most of the world's racetracks.
Memories of an exceptional racing driver
Next October marks the 50th anniversary of his death, which is reason enough to remember him with a few activities.
In a temporary special exhibition (March - December 2021) on the premises of the "Swiss Viper Museum" in Givisiez, just outside Fribourg, a few racing cars from his active days as well as racing suits, helmets and trophies will commemorate the extremely likeable racing driver, who was probably also one of the very first classic car dealers in Switzerland.
Johnny Rives' obituary in the "Auto-Jahr" of 1971 reads: "His activities never ceased and he never sacrificed the profession of garage owner for that of racing driver. How often it happened that he traveled quickly from North America to Fribourg, stayed only a few hours in Switzerland to fly back to America. Those few hours were of the utmost importance to him when it came to delivering a pre-war Maserati Monoposto or a 1958 Ferrari Testa-Rossa to a customer."
Many events and special shows
To commemorate the racing driver, several presence animations will be organized at the following events:
- Retro Ollon-Villars, August 21-22, 2021 : Vehicle exhibition
- Rétro Circuit Porrentruy - Courtedoux, 4-5 septembre 2021 : Vehicle exhibition
- Swiss Classic World Lucerne, October 2-3, 2021 : Vehicle exhibition and exclusive city tours in a Porsche 917
- OTM (Light) Forum-Freiburg, October 16-17, 2021 : Vehicle exhibition and exclusive city tours in a Porsche 917
Commemorative weekend October 22-24, 2021
From October 22 to 24, 2021, an actual commemorative weekend will take place:
- Friday October 22, 2021, 4th Jo Siffert Challenge, classic car regularity rally with an unmissable drive on the Lignières circuit !
- Saturday October 23, 2021, a day for the general public that will be in line with Jo Siffert's image, his naturalness and his aura. Conference by Jacques Deschenaux, F1 journalist, close friend and press spokesman for Seppi
- Sunday October 24, 2021, traditional fan pilgrimage to the St-Leonhard cemetery in Fribourg, exactly 50 years to the day after his tragic accident
