Jochen Mass

Former F1 driver
Name = Jochen Mass


Nationality = flagicon|Germany German
Years = F1|1973-F1|1980, F1|1982
Team(s) = Surtees, McLaren, ATS, Arrows, March Engineering
Races = 114 (105 starts)
Championships = 0
Wins = 1
Podiums = 8
Points = 71
Poles = 0
Fastest laps = 2
First race = 1973 Argentine Grand Prix
First win = 1975 Spanish Grand Prix
Last win = 1975 Spanish Grand Prix
Last race = 1982 French Grand Prix

Jochen Mass (born September 30, 1946 in Dorfen, Bavaria) is a former racing driver from Germany.

He participated in 114 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 14, 1973. He won one GP race (1975 Spanish Grand Prix), secured no pole positions, achieved 8 podiums, and scored a total of 71 championship points.

Mass is perhaps most infamously known for his blameless part in the death of Gilles Villeneuve, one of Formula One's finest ever drivers. On May 8 1982, with only 10 minutes before the end of the qualifying session for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, Villeneuve collided with Mass whilst attempting to overtake him. Just as the pair rounded a super-fast left kink, (Mass ahead, Villeneuve behind) Jochen moved to the right hand side of the track to let Villeneuve through. Unfortunately, Villeneve had already committed to the right hand side, and the two cars touched wheels, launching the helpless Canadian skyward. Villeneuve's car hit the barriers violently and he was flung from his car, landing heavily amongst catch fencing at the opposite side of the track. Villeneuve was pronounced dead some time later.

After leaving the Formula One circuit, Mass enjoyed great success in sports car racing, gaining international prominence with his performance during the European Touring Car Championship in the early 1970s. In 1972, he teamed up with Hans-Joachim Stuck to drive a Ford Capri RS2600 to victory at the Spa 24 Hours endurance race in Belgium. He went on to win that year's World Sportscar Championship. He finished 2nd to Clay Regazzoni and Arturo Merzario in a November 1972 9-hour race at the Kyalami Circuit, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mass' co-driver in a Chevron B-21 was Gerry Birrell. ["Ferrari Wins Nine-Hour Race", Washington Post, Times Herald, November 5, 1972, Page C13.] Mass, driving a Surtees TS-15, tied with Jean Pierre Beltoise in qualifying for the
Jim Clark Memorial Formula Two auto race in April 1973. Held at Hockenheim, both drivers recorded times of 2 minutes,2.8 seconds, for an average of 124.3 miles per hour. ["Beltoise, Mass Pace Trials", New York Times, April 8, 1973, Page 261.] Mass placed 2nd to Jean-Pierre Jarier in a Formula Two race at Nivelles, in June 1973. He had finished 2nd in the 1st heat and 3rd in the 2nd. ["Jarier Wins Easily", Washington Post, June 11, 1973, Page D3.] He completed his first Formula One race at the 1973 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Mass came in 7th in a Surtees. ["Stewart Captures Prix", Washington Post, August 6, 1973, Page D6.] He drove a McLaren-Ford to 3rd place in the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. ["Pace Victor in Prix As 150,000 Cheer", Washington Post, January 27, 1975, Page D7.] Mass was declared the winner of the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix after leader, Rolf Stommelen's car impacted a protective barrier, exploded into flames, and catapulted into the crowd at the Montjuich circuit. 4 spectators were killed and 12 were injured. Stommelen suffered multiple fractures and was in critical condition. Mass was declared the winner in his Texaco McLaren-Ford, when the race was stopped immediately after the accident. ["4 Die, 12 Injured As Race Car Hits Barcelona Crowd", Washington Post, April 28, 1975, Page D2.] Merzario and Mass led an Alfa Romeo sweep of the 1st two positions in the 1975 Coppa Florio manufacturers championship automobile race at Pergusa. ["Alfa Romeos Sweep", Washington Post, May 19, 1975, Page D4.] Mass was 3rd in the 1975 French Grand Prix at Le Castellet. On lap 44 he broke the record set by Denny Hulme, clocking a time of 1:50.60 over the 3.61-mile circuit. ["Lauda Holds Off Hunt To Win French Grand Prix", Washington Post, July 7, 1975, Page D5.] Mass and Jacky Ickx teamed in a Porsche to claim victory in the Dijon Six-Hour Race. ["Dijon Race Dominated By Porsches", Washington Post, September 5, 1976, Page 70.] Mass captured 1st in the 8th and final race of the 1976 World Sports Car Championship series. He completed the 4.2 kilometer, Salzburg course in 1 hour, 28 minutes, 25.24 seconds, with an average speed of 125 m.p.h. ["Porsches Place 1st, 2nd", Washington Post, September 20, 1976, Page D9.] Mass and Ickx drove a Porsche 935 in the 1977 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race. Mass was clocked at 126.477 m.p.h. around the 3.84 mile Daytona road course. ["Ickx-Mass Porsche Records Fastest Time", New York Times, February 3, 1977, Page 54.] Mass won both 20-lap heats of the 1977 Jim Clark Memorial race in Hockenheim. He drove a March-BMW. ["Mass Wins Clark", Washington Post, April 18, 1977, Page D3.] Mass' Arrows turned over several times at the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix at Zeltweg. He incurred a bruised neck and back vertebra but was able to leave the hospital. ["Driving Incident", Kingston, Jamaica Gleaner, August 16, 1980, Page 10.] Mass was convinced to stop racing Formula One after an accident with Mauro Baldi at the
1982 French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard. His March and the Arrows of Baldi touched at maximum speeds, both cars flying off the track and through a catch fence. Mass' car continued, hitting a tire-lined guardrail. The March finally came to rest upside down and on fire, almost halfway into a spectator area. Amazingly he escaped with a light burn and Baldi was uninjured. ["Germany's Mass Takes Look At Long Career", European Stars And Stripes, Thursday, May 2, 1985, Page 13.]

Among his many victories, in 1985 he won the Circuito del Mugello 1000 km race in Italy driving a Porsche 962C and in 1987 partnered with Bobby Rahal to claim victory at the 1987 12 Hours of Sebring race. Mass and Bobby Rahal combined to win the Champion Spark Plug Grand Prix at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Driving a Porsche 962, they inherited the lead 18 laps from the end. ["Auto Racing", New York Times, June 8, 1987, Page C9.] In 1989, he won the most prestigious endurance race of all, the 24 hours of Le Mans, with the Sauber-entered Mercedes-Benz.

Jochen Mass now drives the Mercedes-Benz museum's historic cars. In the 2004 Mille Miglia, he drove the original Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR that Stirling Moss had driven to victory in the 1955 race. To raise money for charity, the passenger seat next to him was auctioned off to the highest bidder.

From 1994 to 1998, he also commentated the Formula 1 races for German broadcaster RTL.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

() (races in "italics" indicate fastest lap}

References