Joseph Siffert (; 7 July 1936 – 24 October 1971) was a Swiss
racing driver.
Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and friends, Siffert was born in
Fribourg, Switzerland
, neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne
, twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France)
, website = www.ville-fribourg.ch
, Location of , Location of ()
() ...
, the son of a dairy owner. He initially made his name in racing on two wheels, winning the Swiss 350 cc
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
championship in 1959, before switching to four wheels with a
Formula Junior
Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (''International Sporting Commission'', the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level class ...
Stanguellini. Siffert graduated to
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
as a privateer in 1962, with a four-cylinder
Lotus-
Climax. He later moved to Swiss team
Scuderia Filipinetti
Scuderia Filipinetti (also French name ''Ecurie Filipinetti'') was a Swiss motor racing team that competed in sports car racing and occasionally in Formula One between 1962 and 1973. It was founded by Georges Filipinetti (1907-1973) to support Swi ...
, and in 1964 joined
Rob Walker's private British
Rob Walker Racing Team
Rob Walker Racing Team was a privateer team in Formula One during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded by Johnnie Walker heir Rob Walker (1917–2002) in 1953, the team became F1's most successful privateer in history, being the first and (along with ...
. Early successes included victories in the non-Championship
1964 and
1965 Mediterranean Grands Prix, both times beating
Jim Clark by a very narrow margin. He won two races in Formula One for the
Rob Walker Racing Team
Rob Walker Racing Team was a privateer team in Formula One during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded by Johnnie Walker heir Rob Walker (1917–2002) in 1953, the team became F1's most successful privateer in history, being the first and (along with ...
and
BRM
British Racing Motors (BRM) was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945 and based in the market town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, it participated from 1951 to 1977, competing in 197 grands prix and winning seventeen. BRM wo ...
. He died at the
1971 World Championship Victory Race, having his car roll over after a crash caused by a mechanical failure and being caught under the burning vehicle. Siffert was married twice and to his second wife Simone during the height of his career in the late 1960s and at the time of his death. They had two children together, Véronique and Philippe.
Life and career
Early life
Siffert was born in 1936 in the town of
Fribourg
, neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne
, twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France)
, website = www.ville-fribourg.ch
, Location of , Location of ()
() o ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, 35 km (22 mi) from
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
to a poor family. Aged 12, Siffert and his father went to Bern to see the
1948 Swiss Grand Prix at the
Bremgarten circuit
The Circuit Bremgarten was a motorsport race track in Bern, Switzerland which formerly hosted the Swiss Grand Prix from 1933 to 1954 (Formula One, 1947 to 1954) and the Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix in 1949 and from 1951 until 1954.
Bremgarten ...
, and it was at this event where Siffert wanted to be a racing driver.
Formula One
In 1968, Siffert drove into the F1 history books by winning the
1968 British Grand Prix at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
in
Rob Walker Racing Team
Rob Walker Racing Team was a privateer team in Formula One during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded by Johnnie Walker heir Rob Walker (1917–2002) in 1953, the team became F1's most successful privateer in history, being the first and (along with ...
's
Lotus 49B, beating
Chris Amon
Christopher Arthur Amon (20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One racing in the 1960s and 1970s, and is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand ...
's
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
into second place after a race-long battle. This is regarded as the last GP victory by a genuine privateer. In 1971 as a
BRM
British Racing Motors (BRM) was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945 and based in the market town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, it participated from 1951 to 1977, competing in 197 grands prix and winning seventeen. BRM wo ...
team driver he scored his second Formula One Championship race victory at the
Austrian Grand Prix held at the
Österreichring
The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Styria, Austria.
The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from to . It was later sho ...
.
Sports cars
While Siffert's status in F1 grew slowly, his fame came as a leading driver for the factory
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...
effort in its quest for the
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and No ...
. In 1968, Siffert and
Hans Herrmann
Hans Herrmann (born 23 February 1928) is a retired Formula One and sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany.
In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 2 August 1953. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a ...
won the
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...
and the
12 Hours of Sebring in a
Porsche 907
The Porsche 907 is a sportscar racing prototype built by Porsche in 1967 and 1968.
1967
The 907 was introduced at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. Following a suggestion by Ferdinand Piëch, the position of the driver was moved from the tradition ...
, marking the first major outright wins for the company, apart from a few earlier victories on twisty tracks.
Later on, Siffert's driving displays in the
Porsche 917 earned him several major wins in Europe. In addition, Siffert was chosen by Porsche to help launch its
CanAm development programme, driving a
Porsche 917PA spyder in 1969 and finishing fourth in the championship despite few entries.
In 1970 he teamed up with
Brian Redman
Brian Herman Thomas Redman (born 9 March 1937 in Burnley, Lancashire and educated at Rossall School, Fleetwood, Lancashire), is a retired British racing driver.
Racing for Carl Haas and Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars, Brian Redman won the 1974, '7 ...
to drive a
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906- Porsche 910- Porsche 907 series of models designed by Helmuth Bott (chassis) and Hans Mezger (engine) under the leadership of racing chief Ferdinand P ...
/3 to victory at the
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
. That same year, Porsche bankrolled Siffert's seat in a works
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better success in other categories ...
F1 since the German company did not wish to lose one of their prize drivers to rival Ferrari. His association with March in F1 was disastrous, so he was pleased to join rival Porsche racer
Pedro Rodriguez at
BRM
British Racing Motors (BRM) was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945 and based in the market town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, it participated from 1951 to 1977, competing in 197 grands prix and winning seventeen. BRM wo ...
the following season.
Death
Siffert was killed in the non-championship
World Championship Victory Race at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
, Kent, England, the scene of his first victory in 1968. The suspension of his BRM had been damaged in a lap one incident with
Ronnie Peterson
Bengt Ronnie Peterson (; 14 February 1944 – 11 September 1978) was a Swedish racing driver. Known by the nickname 'SuperSwede', he was a two-time runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
Peterson began his motor racing caree ...
, and broke later. This was not admitted by BRM until much later when it was accidentally divulged by a BRM ex-mechanic.
The BRM crashed and immediately caught fire. Siffert could not free himself from the burning car.
In the subsequent Royal Automobile Club (the UK organising and regulatory representative of the FIA at the time) investigation, it was discovered that Siffert had only suffered a leg fracture in the initial crash but because three fire extinguishers failed to work properly no rescuers could reach Siffert for five minutes and he died of smoke inhalation. A fire marshall stated that if the fire extinguishers worked correctly then they could have reached Siffert within 20 seconds.
This accident led to a rapid overhaul of safety, both in-car and on circuit. On-board fire extinguishers (using BCF—
bromochlorodifluoromethane, an aircraft product) became mandatory and also piped air for the drivers, direct into their helmets.
His funeral in Switzerland was attended by 50,000 people and a Gulf-
Porsche 917 of Team
John Wyer
John Wyer (11 December 1909 in Kidderminster, England – 8 April 1989 in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States), was an English automobile racing engineer and team manager. He is mainly associated with cars running in the light blue and orange ...
led the hearse and procession through the streets of Fribourg. Benoit was a period Formula 1 sports reporter and knew Siffert well. He was also present at Siffert's tragic last Brands Hatch race in 1971. The night before the race, Benoit took pictures of Siffert, his wife Simone and his mother Maria as well as a friend Jean Tinguely at an evening victory celebration.
He then also took the last picture of Siffert alive as he sat waiting in his BRM in the pole position on the starting line five minutes before the start of the race.
Legacy
In the final round of the
2007–08 A1GP season, at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
, the
A1 Team Switzerland
A1 Team Switzerland is the Swiss team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the third season, 2007-08.
Management
A1 Team Switzerland is owned by Max Welti.
History
In the inaugural ...
car carried the message ''Jo 'Seppi' Siffert - 40th Anniversary - Brands Hatch''. This commemorated his
1968 British Grand Prix victory at Brands Hatch.
Racing record
Career summary
Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
;Notes
* – Formula Two cars occupied fifth to tenth positions in the
1969 German Grand Prix
The 1969 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 3 August 1969. It was race 7 of 11 in both the 1969 World Championship of Drivers and the 1969 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Twelve Formula Two ...
, however drivers of these cars were not eligible for championship points. The points for fifth and sixth were awarded to the drivers of the eleventh and twelfth placed cars.
Complete Formula One Non-Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points
Other results
*
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
: 1st, 1970
*
Coppa Cittá di Enna
The Coppa Cittá di Enna was a sports car racing, sports car race held at the Autodromo di Pergusa near Enna, Italy. The race began in 1950 as a non-championship event, before joining the World Sportscar Championship in 1962. Between 1968 and 19 ...
: 1st, 1968
*
12 hours of Sebring: 1st, 1968
*
24 hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...
: 1st, 1968
*
6 Hours of Nürburgring
The 6 Hours of Nürburgring (formerly the Nürburgring 1000 km) was an endurance race for sports cars held on the Nürburgring in Germany and organized by the ADAC since 1953.
History
On the traditional 22.810 km long ''Nordschleife'' ...
: 1st, 1968, 1969
*
6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (formerly the 1000 Kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps) is an endurance race for sports cars held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
History
The Spa 24 Hours had been introduced in 1924, and other races f ...
: 1st, 1969, 1970
*
1000 km of Zeltweg
The 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring (originally known as the 500 km Zeltweg) was an endurance sports car event held near Spielberg, Austria. Originally based at the Zeltweg Airfield, the race moved to the Österreichring and was lengthened to a 1 ...
: 1st, 1968, 1969, 1970
*
1000 km of Monza: 1st, 1969
*
1000 km of Buenos Aires
The 1000 km Buenos Aires was an endurance sports car event held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The race mostly run on the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, although it would run the Costanera circuit in 1957. Besides a single race in Cara ...
: 1st, 1971
*
6 Hours of Watkins Glen
The Six Hours of Watkins Glen (currently sponsored as the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen) is a sports car endurance race held annually at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The race dates from 1948, and has been a part of the ...
: 1st, 1969
*
1000 km of Brands Hatch: 1st, 1968
References
Sources
*
F1 Results include information from the following sources:
*
*
*
External links
Official Jo Siffert web site (German and French) by Philippe Siffert, Jo's son*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110712212444/http://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/artikel29881 Biography at ''der Blick'' (German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siffert, Jo
1936 births
1971 deaths
12 Hours of Reims drivers
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
BRM Formula One drivers
Deaths by smoke inhalation
Formula One race winners
March Formula One drivers
People from Fribourg
Racing drivers who died while racing
Rob Walker Racing Team Formula One drivers
Scuderia Filipinetti Formula One drivers
Siffert Racing Formula One drivers
Sport deaths in England
Swiss motorcycle racers
Swiss racing drivers
Swiss Formula One drivers
World Sportscar Championship drivers
12 Hours of Sebring drivers
Sportspeople from the canton of Fribourg
Porsche Motorsports drivers