Formulation 1 race winner and Le Mans victor Jochen Mass dies aged 78

Formulation 1 race winner and Le Mans 24 Hours victor Jochen Mass has died aged 78.

The German’s dying was introduced on his Instagram web page by his household, over a month after it had revealed that he had suffered what was described as a “medical emergency”. 

“At the moment we mourn the lack of a husband, father, grandfather and a racing legend,” the household said.

“It’s with heavy hearts that we share the information that Jochen Mass has died right this moment attributable to issues following a stroke he suffered in February, earlier this 12 months.

“Thanks to everybody for the unimaginable help we have now obtained. Each single message of positivity was relayed to him, giving him peace and luxury in his final days.

“Past mourning his dying, we additionally have a good time his unimaginable life. A life that he beloved sharing with all of you. A life that he lived to absolutely the fullest.

“He’s racing with all his mates once more.”

Mass’s solo triumph throughout his nine-season, 105-start F1 profession got here on the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix on the Montjuic Park road circuit in Barcelona.

He had re-taken the lead in his McLaren-Cosworth M23 from Jacky Ickx’s Lotus earlier than the race was red-flagged within the wake of the accident through which 4 individuals had been killed – a spectator, a observe employee and two photographers – after Rolf Stommelen’s Hill went over the boundaries following rear wing failure.

As a result of the race was stopped earlier than 60% distance had been accomplished, solely half factors had been awarded.

Mass notched up an extra seven podiums throughout his profession, all in his spell with McLaren that began in 1974 and continued by way of to the top of 1977.

His greatest successes got here in sportscar racing, nonetheless – first with Porsche, whose books he was on from ’76, after which the Sauber-Mercedes group. 

A stalwart of Porsche’s manufacturing unit squad from the start of the Group C period in 1982, he gained 9 world sportscar championship races within the German producer’s 956/962 design earlier than transferring to Sauber for 1988. 

Mass went on to triumph in an extra 10 world collection rounds aboard the Sauber C9 and the group’s Mercedes-badged C11 in 1988-90 and took the laurels at Le Mans in 1989 when he was partnered by Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens. 

He completed second within the factors in ’89 to common team-mate Jean-Louis Schlesser in what was referred to as the World Sports activities-Prototype Championship after being pressured to withdraw from the opening spherical at Suzuka with a virus that affected his imaginative and prescient.

Had Le Mans been a championship spherical that 12 months, he would have taken the title forward of Schlesser. 

Mass acted as a mentor and driver coach on the Mercedes younger driver programme within the final of his three years at Sauber, co-driving with Michael Schumacher, Karl Wendlinger and Heinz-Harald Frentzen over the course of the season. 

He triumphed at Spa with Wendlinger after which in Mexico Metropolis with Schumacher. 

Mass completed his profession with 32 world championship victories in sportscar racing with Alfa Romeo, Porsche and Sauber-Mercedes, second solely to the 37 of endurance legend Jacky Ickx over the 30-year span of the unique collection. 

#2 Crew Sauber Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz C11: Jochen Mass, Karl Wendlinger

Picture by: David Hutson / Motorsport Photos

After a three-year stint as a service provider seaman, Mass started competing in hillclimbs with equipment borrowed from the Alfa Romeo dealership the place he labored. 

Rapidly progressing to the circuits, he was picked up by Ford for its touring automobile campaigns with the Capri. 

Mass gained the Spa 24 Hours in 1972 with the RS2600 model of the automobile on the best way to sealing the European Touring Automotive collection title. 

The German arm of the US producer funded his early single-seater profession in Formulation 3 in Britain and he rapidly progressed to Formulation 2 with March after which Surtees. 

Over the course of a race-winning F2 season in 1973 with Surtees, Mass was given his first F1 alternatives by the group. 

A full-season drive with the British squad adopted in 1974 earlier than he switched to McLaren for the ultimate two races to exchange the injured Mike Hailwood. 

After McLaren, Mass drove for ATS, Arrows and the RAM March group, earlier than calling time on F1 after an aerial accident within the 1982 French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, from which he emerged unhurt. 

Mass successfully retired from the cockpit after the 1990 season, earlier than returning on a one-off foundation to race at Le Mans for a twelfth and remaining time aboard a McLaren F1 GTR in 1995. 

An everyday on the Goodwood Revival and Members’ Assembly for the previous 10 years, Mass was an envoy for Mercedes-Benz.