Of far higher significance to Marc Surer than the outcomes he achieved in his on-and-off partnership with Manfred Winkelhock between 1977 and 1985 is his friendship with the thrilling German driver. The late elder brother of the no much less flamboyant ‘Smokin’ Jo’ Winkelhock shared BMW, Ford and Porsche equipment with Surer in endurance racing, most notably beating the manufacturing unit groups with their privateer Kremer-run Porsche 956 on the shortened Monza World Endurance Championship spherical in 1985.
They had been additionally team-mates in European Components Two, and rivals in Components 1, however that reality made no distinction to their congenial relationship. The selection of Winkelhock, who died in 1985, as Surer’s favorite team-mate was due to this fact by no means doubtful for the Swiss.
Surer remembers “we grew to become mates in a short time” after assembly once they joined the BMW Junior Group in ’77 along with Eddie Cheever. Collectively, Surer and Winkelhock received the two.0-litre class within the Nurburgring 1000km that shaped a part of the World Championship for Makes. Rising star Surer was then based mostly close to Stuttgart, close to the place Winkelhock grew up in Waiblingen, so that they socialised often. That continued when racing in opposition to one another in F1 from 1982 onwards.
“We went out within the evenings collectively, so we frolicked privately and likewise on the observe typically we had dinner after we didn’t have an engagement with sponsors,” says Surer, who recognises that Winkelhock “was extra of a household man” following the beginning of son Markus in 1980. “However anyway,” he provides, “we had quite a bit in widespread. We had lots of enjoyable.”
Each drivers had been thrust into F2 for 1978 with the works March-BMW workforce. However in contrast to F3 graduate Surer, Winkelhock was new to single-seaters and didn’t get a second full season for 1979, when Surer received the title earlier than making his F1 debut at Ensign.
“He had no expertise in components automobiles and was all the time over-driving the automotive,” says Surer. However in touring automobiles they complemented one another properly. Winkelhock was “much less delicate for the set-up of the automotive, he might drive with the automotive which was not excellent” in a manner Surer says he struggled to do.
Surer (left) was by no means team-mates with Winkelhock in F1, however the two had been nice mates from racing collectively in F2, touring automobiles and Group C
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“Even when I stated ‘come on, we’ve an excessive amount of oversteer, I can’t drive the automotive like this’, he’d exit and do the nice time anyway,” Surer notes admiringly. “He was simply over-driving [around] issues which I typically couldn’t. He simply pressured the automotive by the corners.
“We might reside all the time with the identical set-up, we by no means had an issue to say ‘I can’t drive the best way he needs it set-up’. We had been very comparable.”
Surer’s F1 profession had struggled for momentum after breaking each ankles training for the 1980 South African Grand Prix with ATS. He’d twice scored factors upon returning to Ensign for 1981, switched mid-year to Theodore, then landed at Arrows for 1982 when Winkelhock joined the grid at ATS. The identical yr, they collaborated on the Ford C100 programme within the WEC.
“Manfred had the thought and stated, ‘if we drive side-by-side, no person can overtake us’ and so we did!”
Marc Surer
The Zakspeed-run Fords had been often unreliable, retiring inside 4 laps of one another on account of overheating points at Le Mans, however for the Manufacturers Hatch season finale they locked out the entrance row courtesy of well-timed laps in changeable circumstances. Surer nabbed pole on intermediate tyres within the automotive he shared with Klaus Ludwig, whereas Winkelhock was second on Goodyear’s qualifying slicks with Klaus Niedzwiedz. However their half in a race that’s remembered for Jacky Ickx’s storming drive to say the title turned out to be little greater than a footnote after “we touched barely” and Winkelhock was fired into the obstacles.
“At all times the driving force who did the most effective time in apply was allowed to do the beginning,” remembers Surer. “Peter Ashcroft got here from Ford and he stated, ‘BBC is broadcasting the race reside on TV, are you able to try to come again as 1 and a couple of within the first lap? Are you able to agree collectively methods to assist the opposite?’ And we stated, ‘Okay, with Manfred I do know it was no downside in any respect’.
“It began to rain earlier than the race, and I stated, ‘what are we going to do? Within the rain it’s unpredictable’. After which Manfred had the thought and stated, ‘if we drive side-by-side, no person can overtake us’ and so we did!
“There was all the time one on the surface of the nook who had the higher line, as a result of on the within was extra slippery and tighter, so the one on the surface needed to raise a bit bit to remain side-by-side and we each did. It labored so properly, we had been nonetheless main, so we did one other lap and one other lap and the rain received stronger and stronger…”
Surer and Winkelhock drove side-by-side of their Ford C100s for the early laps of the 1982 Manufacturers Hatch 1000km earlier than making contact
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However the Fords didn’t have all of it their very own manner, as Hans Caught within the Sauber-BMW loomed massive within the mirrors. Autosport’s Quentin Spurring wrote: “Caught’s progress continued, and by the fifth lap, he was up with the Fords, which got here out of Surtees facet by facet once more and set off that manner in direction of Pilgrims Drop. Within the kink only a brief manner down the straight, Surer received his C100 out of practice, his automotive kissed Winkelhock’s, and Manfred all of a sudden discovered himself on the grass and heading for the barrier.”
With out his dance associate, Surer couldn’t maintain off Caught, who took the lead beginning lap six. Amid worsening rain and with the guardrail broken, the race was stopped after 9 laps. Winkelhock transferred to the Surer/Ludwig automotive for the restart on a drying observe, but it surely was by no means the identical aggressive proposition as Surer spun at Paddock Bend, then misplaced three minutes within the pits to a misfire on the best way to ending fifth.
“We touched due to aquaplaning,” says Surer. “It was actually tough to place the ability down in these circumstances and so it occurred. However there was no blaming one another.”
They needed to wait till 1985 earlier than racing collectively once more as team-mates, however Surer reveals their collaboration had continued informally in F1, particularly throughout qualifying for the 1984 South African Grand Prix. ATS had BMW turbo energy from 1983, however Arrows remained a part of the dwindling group of groups utilizing the long-in-the-tooth Cosworth DFV properly into the following season together with Tyrrell.
At Kyalami’s high-altitude, the normally-aspirated automobiles had been “so misplaced with out the turbo”, prompting Surer to hunt an out-of-the-box answer. He approached Winkelhock for a tow in qualifying, and the ATS man agreed.
“He stated, ‘you exit one lap after I do my quick lap, and when I’ve completed my quick lap, I do one additional lap and offer you a tow,’” chuckles Surer. “And I used to be the quickest of those 4 drivers with [Tyrrell drivers Stefan] Bellof and [Martin] Brundle as a result of I received this tow from Manfred!”
Out of an F1 drive for 1985, Surer joined Winkelhock in a Kremer Racing 956 for that yr’s WEC. Second within the Mugello opener, they famously received at Monza when a tree felled by galeforce winds blocked the observe earlier than the Lesmo prompted the race to be halted 34 laps from the top. The primary Group C win for Kremer was considerably lucky, as its automotive had been working out of sync on account of an early second cease triggered by contact with Mauro Baldi’s Lancia.
Winkelhock agreed to present Surer a tow in qualifying for the 1984 South African Grand Prix, serving to him to high the DFV brigade
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“It was a gift,” admits Surer, who had been due his last cease shortly earlier than the stoppage. However he’s adamant “we might have had an opportunity additionally on the finish” had the race run to its conclusion. In mild of what occurred just a few months later, it stands as a bittersweet reminiscence.
Fourth at Silverstone, each Winkelhock and Surer missed Le Mans on account of clashing F1 commitments in Montreal. Winkelhock had joined RAM, whereas Surer landed a drive at Brabham rather than the disappointing Francois Hesnault. Reunited at Hockenheim, their 956 suffered a gasoline leak that resulted in one other dramatic pit fireplace, mere hours after the works Porsche workforce’s personal incident. However what adopted at Mosport was rather more critical.
“We might reside all the time with the identical set-up, we by no means had an issue to say ‘I can’t drive the best way he needs it set-up’. We had been very comparable”
Marc Surer
Winkelhock was gravely injured when a puncture prompted his automotive to depart the street and crash closely on the quick downhill Flip 2 left-hander. Surer accompanied his co-driver to hospital in Toronto, however nothing could possibly be carried out. Winkelhock died of head accidents the next day. It was left to Surer to inform his spouse and supervisor of the unhappy information.
“Even now after I give it some thought, it’s horrible,” he says. However Surer has glad recollections of Winkelhock, describing their friendship as “distinctive”.
“Possibly there have been another drivers having that,” he provides, “but it surely was very uncommon. Even combating one another, it was all the time with no downside as a result of you possibly can belief the opposite one.”
Victory collectively of their Kremer Porsche at Monza in 1985 is a bittersweet reminiscence for Surer
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