Jochen Rindt

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Discussion

silverfoxcc

Original Poster:

7,828 posts

151 months

Sunday 3rd October 2021
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Just watched a programme on the guy

Another driver taken too early

AND an proper racing driver sports cars, F1/2 Le Mans , unlike the prima donnas of today

M5-911

1,422 posts

51 months

Sunday 3rd October 2021
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silverfoxcc said:
AND an proper racing driver sports cars, F1/2 Le Mans , unlike the prima donnas of today
Contracts and race schedules do not allow modern drivers to compete in other series (or very few). How many F1 races drivers in the 60-70s had to do every year? How many today? Calling them prima donnas shows a lack of knowledge from your side.

cgt2

7,139 posts

194 months

Sunday 3rd October 2021
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Sadly only one posthumous championship. He would have won many more, a rare talent even then.

sidewinder500

1,332 posts

100 months

Sunday 3rd October 2021
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And besides that, he was a very clever guy, a close friend to a certain Mr E.
They both laid the foundation for the future marketing of F1, which came to fruition in the late 70s. My guess is that Jochen was actually the greater force between them, as he already had media presence in austrian and german TV, was the founder of the Essen Motor Show and had his plans for that kind of business after retirement, which was planned for 71 or 72.
Niki Lauda kind of formed his business attitude around this benchmark, too.
And never forgotten, was actually my Mom's favourite driver until Senna, both from the same brave and fearless mould, with exceptional car control.
It's a joy to watch the old GPs on YouTube, cars sliding around etc etc
Yeah, definitely gone too soon..

Eric Mc

122,700 posts

271 months

Sunday 3rd October 2021
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cgt2 said:
Sadly only one posthumous championship.
That sounds like you would have preferred if there had been a few more.

LukeBrown66

4,479 posts

52 months

Sunday 3rd October 2021
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Rindt was regarded as the top talent at the time, but also fairly daft! A deserved champion, but a complex character I gather who was not easy to read!!

FourWheelDrift

89,441 posts

290 months

Sunday 3rd October 2021
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LukeBrown66 said:
Rindt was regarded as the top talent at the time, but also fairly daft!
The French disapproved of his first choice of racing helmet.

Callum43

295 posts

58 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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I watched Jochen Rindt come through F2 and into F1 and formed the opinion that he was one of the finest drivers I ever saw .
His battle with Jackie Stewart in the 1969 British Grand Prix remains a highlight of my F1 interest and the talent those two showed that day , to me , indicated that provided he had a reliable car he and Stewart would dominate that era . The racing would have been amazing!

entropy

5,565 posts

209 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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LukeBrown66 said:
Rindt was regarded as the top talent at the time, but also fairly daft!
The same could be said of his sense of fashion


covboy

2,589 posts

180 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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If I remember correctly he suffered from travel sicknes. Causeda few unpleasent moments - especially when full face helmets came in

moffspeed

2,875 posts

213 months

Wednesday 6th October 2021
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..to the extent that Rindt reverted to an open face helmet when he raced (and won) at Clermont Ferrand in 1970. This helped his sickness but gave less protection against the sharp flint stones that littered the circuit edges.

Rindt’s victory came at the cost of a facial laceration that needed suturing when a flicked-up stone hit him square on. Helmut Marko in his BRM was less lucky at the same venue 2 years later - losing an eye in a similar incident.

Edited by moffspeed on Wednesday 6th October 20:11

Derek Smith

46,333 posts

254 months

Thursday 7th October 2021
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Saw him at the British GP at Brands in 1966. There were a lot of fans around the mor or less tent his lot were in, and as he didn't want to run the gauntlet through them to his caravan, he changed into his racing gear in full view of the crowd.

A bit of a wild child.

hot metal

1,989 posts

199 months

Sunday 10th October 2021
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cgt2 said:
Sadly only one posthumous championship. He would have won many more, a rare talent even then.
Jackie Stewart believed Rindt would retire at the end of the year.

Fundoreen

4,180 posts

89 months

Sunday 10th October 2021
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He was best friends with Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko. These old guys were once young guys.
Died driving a car with the wings off for some reason. Apparently it was his idea though without him around its a bit fishy
as all these teams played with their drivers lives with their experiments and new designs.

FourWheelDrift

89,441 posts

290 months

Sunday 10th October 2021
quotequote all
Fundoreen said:
He was best friends with Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko. These old guys were once young guys.
Died driving a car with the wings off for some reason. Apparently it was his idea though without him around its a bit fishy
as all these teams played with their drivers lives with their experiments and new designs.
The often took the wings off at Monza as this was still pre-chicane Monza. The new for 1970 Lotus 72 wasn't working for Jochen there although he'd won 4 races in the car that year he wanted to use the old Lotus 49c which he had used to win in Monaco but he went out with the new car putting in a time that would have put him 12th on the grid in the wingless 72. A car that had many revolutionary design features such as inboard front disc brakes which used a shaft to the wheel, a shaft that would ultimately fail on the approach to the Parabolica.

ChemicalChaos

10,488 posts

166 months

Monday 11th October 2021
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FourWheelDrift said:
The often took the wings off at Monza as this was still pre-chicane Monza. The new for 1970 Lotus 72 wasn't working for Jochen there although he'd won 4 races in the car that year he wanted to use the old Lotus 49c which he had used to win in Monaco but he went out with the new car putting in a time that would have put him 12th on the grid in the wingless 72. A car that had many revolutionary design features such as inboard front disc brakes which used a shaft to the wheel, a shaft that would ultimately fail on the approach to the Parabolica.
There a twist to the tale too. Rindt was supposed to be driving a brand new 72 chassis that weekend, and rookie teammate Fittipaldi was sent out to shake it down for him. Unfortunately, Emmo swiftly pranged it.
Chapman was furious, and whilst it was being repaired in the pits Rindt was sent out in the older 72 chassis - the car in which his fatal accident then occurred when the brake shaft snapped.
In later years Fittipaldi stated that it's one of his life's most enormous what if moments. Had he not damaged Rindt's car earlier in the day, he would have been the one driving the death car in anger. Would he have crashed in the same way as Rindt? Would he have survived anyway?

Finlandese

564 posts

181 months

Monday 11th October 2021
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ChemicalChaos said:
FourWheelDrift said:
The often took the wings off at Monza as this was still pre-chicane Monza. The new for 1970 Lotus 72 wasn't working for Jochen there although he'd won 4 races in the car that year he wanted to use the old Lotus 49c which he had used to win in Monaco but he went out with the new car putting in a time that would have put him 12th on the grid in the wingless 72. A car that had many revolutionary design features such as inboard front disc brakes which used a shaft to the wheel, a shaft that would ultimately fail on the approach to the Parabolica.
There a twist to the tale too. Rindt was supposed to be driving a brand new 72 chassis that weekend, and rookie teammate Fittipaldi was sent out to shake it down for him. Unfortunately, Emmo swiftly pranged it.
Chapman was furious, and whilst it was being repaired in the pits Rindt was sent out in the older 72 chassis - the car in which his fatal accident then occurred when the brake shaft snapped.
In later years Fittipaldi stated that it's one of his life's most enormous what if moments. Had he not damaged Rindt's car earlier in the day, he would have been the one driving the death car in anger. Would he have crashed in the same way as Rindt? Would he have survived anyway?
"Rindt was in the habit of using only four points on the five-point harness then available and did not wear the crotch straps, as he wanted to be able to exit the car quickly in the event of fire. As a result, upon impact he slid under the belts, and the belts fatally slit open Rindt's throat"

hot metal

1,989 posts

199 months

Wednesday 13th October 2021
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Fundoreen said:
He was best friends with Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko. These old guys were once young guys.
Died driving a car with the wings off for some reason. Apparently it was his idea though without him around its a bit fishy
as all these teams played with their drivers lives with their experiments and new designs.
Stewart qualified his March for the same race without wings, after Rindts death.

FourWheelDrift

89,441 posts

290 months

Wednesday 13th October 2021
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SJR said:
I think you will find that Rindt's Lotus team mate on the fateful day at Monza was the late John Miles who was not only a very skilled engineer but later became a well regarded journalist.

https://humansideofracing.com/portraits/john-miles...
Gold Leaf Team Lotus had 3 cars (drivers) at Monza, Rindt, Miles and Fittipaldi.

stemll

4,258 posts

206 months

Wednesday 13th October 2021
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Eric Mc said:
cgt2 said:
Sadly only one posthumous championship.
That sounds like you would have preferred if there had been a few more.
I think (hope) you know perfectly well that they meant "Rindt only managed one championship and sadly it was posthumous or he would have won many more" (unless he was going to retire as Stewart thought he would have).