Markus Höttinger (28 May 1956 – 13 April 1980) was an Austrian racing driver who died after an accident at Germany's

Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring, officially Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other mot ...

during the third lap of the second round of the 1980 European Formula Two Championship, on 13 April 1980. He was 23 years old at the time.

Career

Höttinger started his motor sport career with an internship at

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

in 1975, while on a break from studying at university. He subsequently bought a Ford and entered local club races. He graduated to the Austrian

Renault 5 The Renault 5 is a five-passenger, three or five-door, front-engine, front-wheel drive hatchback supermini manufactured and marketed by the French automaker Renault over two generations: 1972–1985 (also called R5) and 1984–1996 (also call ...

Cup, winning in his second season in 1977. He met established Austrian racer

Helmut Marko Helmut Marko (born 27 April 1943) is an Austrian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing, Marko won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in with Martini. He founded RSM Marko in 1989, and ...

, who helped Höttinger on his way through the lower categories of the sport. Via Marko, Höttinger was given a drive by

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

team principal

Jochen Neerpasch Jochen Neerpasch (born 23 March 1939) is a German former racecar driver and motorsports manager. Career His racing career began in the 1960s, first on Borgward touring car, then with the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans as a first major event. Racing ...

in the 1977 Kyalami 1000kms alongside

Harald Grohs Harald Grohs (born 1944) is a racing driver and team owner from Essen, Germany. Grohs took part in more than 50 24 Hours endurance racing races, mainly 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours Nürburgring. Career as driver *1973 first races in a Por ...

, and the pair finished third. Neerpasch gave Höttinger a test and development role at BMW for 1978, and also a race seat with GS Tuning in the

DRM DRM may refer to: Government, military and politics * Defense reform movement, U.S. campaign inspired by Col. John Boyd * Democratic Republic of Madagascar, a former socialist state (1975–1992) on Madagascar * Direction du renseignement militair ...

series. Good performances led to appearances in the

World Championship for Makes The World Sportscar Championship was the world Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing series run for sports car racing, sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), from 1953 World Sportscar Championship, 1953 t ...

paired with

Hans-Joachim Stuck Hans-Joachim Stuck (; born 1 January 1951) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "Strietzel", Stuck won the World Sportscar Championship in 1985 and is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ...

, and the

European Touring Car Championship The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004. In 2005 it was superseded by the World ...

. He also made his debut in single seaters, in

Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

. In 1979, he continued under the guidance of BMW in DRM,

Formula Two Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...

and also the new

BMW M1 Procar Championship The BMW M1 Procar Championship, sometimes known simply as Procar, was a one-make auto racing series which featured professional drivers from the Formula One World Championship, World Sportscar Championship, European Touring Car Championship, an ...

, again with the GS Tuning team. His impressive Procar season raised his profile more widely, as he finished fourth behind Formula One drivers

Niki Lauda Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian racing driver, motorsport executive and aviation entrepreneur, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Lauda won three Formula One World Drivers' Champ ...

, Stuck, and

Clay Regazzoni Gianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni (; 5 September 1939 – 15 December 2006) was a Swiss racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Regazzoni was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with F ...

. He also took part in five Formula Two Championship events, finishing seventh on three occasions in an unfamiliar car, a March 792. Höttinger was to undertake a full season of Formula Two in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, driving

Maurer Maurer is a German surname, translating in English to "bricklayer" or "wall builder." Notable people with the surname include: * Adrian Maurer (1901–1943), American football player * Alfred Maurer (politician) (1888–1954), Estonian politicia ...

's new MM80 with its BMW engine. His team mate was the experienced Swedish driver

Eje Elgh Lars Eje Elgh (born 15 June 1953) is a Swedish racing driver and television reporter. He currently works as an expert commentator for Formula One in Sweden together with Janne Blomqvist. The two have worked together as Formula One commentators f ...

. After both cars retired from the opening round at Thruxton, Höttinger and Elgh qualified further up the grid for the next race at

Hockenheim Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...

, and were running in the top ten when Höttinger was killed in a freak accident. On the second lap,

Andrea de Cesaris Andrea de Cesaris (; 31 May 1959 – 5 October 2014) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . De Cesaris started 208 Formula One Grands Prix without victory, holding the record for the most races without a win fr ...

and

Manfred Winkelhock Manfred Winkelhock (6 October 1951 – 12 August 1985) was a German racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and . Born and raised in Waiblingen, Winkelhock was the older brother of Joachim and Thomas. Winkelhock participated in ...

collided, spreading sand on to the circuit. On lap three,

Derek Warwick Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick (born 27 August 1954) is a British former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and . In endurance racing, Warwick won the World Sportscar Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans, both in 1992 with Peuge ...

spun on the sand and crashed into the barriers. The right rear wheel was ripped off Warwick's

Toleman Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It participated in Formula One between 1981 and 1985, competing in 70 Grands Prix. Today, it is best known for giving Ayrton Senna his Formula One debut. The team was gener ...

, and hit Höttinger on the head as he drove past. Höttinger spun and was hit by the March of Irish driver Bernard Devaney before stopping at a guard rail 300m further down the track. Despite swift medical assistance and attention in a trackside ambulance, Höttinger was pronounced dead on his arrival by helicopter at a hospital in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

. The incident was similar to

Henry Surtees Henry John Surtees (18 February 1991 – 19 July 2009) was a British racing driver and the son of John Surtees. He died during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch when he was struck by a wheel which came off another car which had spun into a wa ...

' fatal accident in Formula Two 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 hosts ...

in 2009. Höttinger was due to drive in the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix later that year, probably for the ATS team. His Formula Two rival and friend Hans-Georg Bürger was killed at the Dutch round of the championship, and Helmut Marko has stated his belief that both drivers would have reached Formula One and been competitive.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hottinger, Markus 1956 births 1980 deaths Racing drivers who died while racing Austrian racing drivers Sport deaths in Germany World Sportscar Championship drivers People from Neunkirchen District, Austria European Formula Two Championship drivers