1951
born January 1 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany
son of Christa-Maria and Hans Stuck, famous race-car driver and
hill-climb champion
"I accompanied my father to his races, so I got the fuel
virus very early. When I was there and watched how the cars were
prepared and when he was lining up for the start, there was for
me no other idea than becoming a race-car driver.
"I remember at a hill-climb race, I was watching
at the finish line, on top of the mountain, waiting for him to
come up. He was last in his class to come up the hill and all
the other young drivers were standing around watching for the
time they put up for my dad. Then he came as the last guy, 60
years old, with the fastest time. They said, 'How can we beat
this old fart?' This was something I'll never forget, because
he was a real king of the mountain."
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1960
"My father bought a BMW 600, which was a very small
car and the door opened in the front. It was a very funny car.
It had a frame so we took the bodywork off and had a sort of
open, very fast go-kart. I was driving this kart behind our house
in a big garden. I had my own little sort of track, and that
was my first driving experience."
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1965
"When I was 14 years old, I accompanied my dad to
the Nürburgring because my dad was an instructor on driving
schools. I was allowed to drive, even without a driving license,
in this school because it was a private property."
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1967
"When I turned 16, I got my road-driving license.
Normally, you have to be 18 in Germany, but I got my license
at 16 with a special permit from the government. The first half-year
I could only drive with my dad sitting next to me, then my dad
and my mom. After a year, I was free."
1969
won sports driving school at the Nürburgring, Germany
first race with Team Koepchen in a BMW 2002 ti – stopped
17 times during the 300-km race when the throttle linkage disconnected
needed five podium finishes in one year for international license
– finished third in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and
added four hill climb podiums to secure the license in two months
"One of the instructors was the owner of a BMW tuning company,
Hans-Peter Koepchen, and he liked my style of driving. When I
won the school of driving, he offered to do my first race on
the Nürburgring a week later with a 2002 BMW. I had to go
and ask my dad. My dad knew if he gave me permission once to
do a race, there would be no way of returning. He thought about
it because in his career, which was very long and very successful,
he had many accidents, he spent many years in hospital with a
broken neck once and broken back. He was kind of scared to give
his permission but it was too late already!"
1970
started German Touring Car Championship with Team Koepchen
and BMW 2002 ti
first big success – won 24 Hours of Nürburgring, then
team withdrew from series due to financial problems
"I learned a lot from my dad, even though we were
totally different drivers. He was not so aggressive, but a very
thoughtful and very smooth driver. In my beginning career, it
must have been very terrible because I was always sideways. When
I came into the pits, there were no bugs on the windscreen, they
were on the door or the side of the car!"
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1971
first season as BMW factory driver
European Touring Car Championship with Team Alpina in BMW 2002
ti and 2800 coupe
first Formula Two race, at the Nürburgring in an Eifelland-Brabham
BT30 Ford
stars debut: Fellow German driver Jochen Rindt sported the first
full-face race helmet. Hans followed suit, but he wanted to distinguish
his plain blue helmet. So he added homemade white stick-on stars.
Three decades later, the blue helmet with white stars is still
his trademark.
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1972
moved to Ford factory team with mentor Jochen Meerpasch
driver champion, German Touring Car Championship, in Ford Capri
RS
winner, 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium with Jochen Mass,
in Ford Capri RS
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1973
returned to BMW with Jochen Meerpasch
Formula Two, with March in BMW 732
won pole in first race with new BMW Formula Two engine, at the
Nürburgring
BMW factory driver, European Touring Car Championship, won 6
Hours of Nürburgring
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1974
first Formula One races, with March 741 Ford, finished
fourth in second race in Brazil, six world championship points,
winner of the Prix Rouge et Blanc and rookie of the year
second, European Formula Two Championship, with March
in BMW 742, four wins, two second-place finishes
BMW factory driver, European Touring Car Championship, won 4
Hours of Salzburg, Austria
"I still remember my first Formula One race in Argentina.
I didn't have a lot of chances to test in Formula One, so the
first time I drove the car was at the track in Argentina. I thought
I was pretty good in the car. There was a double right-hand corner
at the back of the track and I was going pretty good there, pretty
fast. All of a sudden, a red flash passed me on the outside.
It was Nikki Lauda. I thought I had to go home, there was no
chance for me!"
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1975
quick in Formula One but no luck, with March Ford
winner, Formula Two Jim Clark race at Hockenheim, Germany
winner, 9 Hours of Kyalami, South Africa, in BMW 3.5 CSL
BMW factory driver, U.S. IMSA Championship, in BMW 3.5 CSL, rookie
of the year and third in driver championship, five wins including
12 Hours at Sebring with Ronnie Peterson.
"Hardly anybody knew BMW. We had BMW Motor Works on the
windscreen and people thought this meant British Motor Works.
So we changed it to Bavarian Motor Works."
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1976
Formula One with March, eight championship points, fourth
in Monte Carlo Grand Prix
Formula Two, four wins in March BMW 762
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1977
Formula One, moved to Bernie Ecclestone's team, in Brabham
BT 45 Alfa Romeo V12
seventh in driver world championship, third at Hockenheim, Germany
and Zeltweg, Austria
German Touring Car Championship, three wins in BMW 320i
"Bernie asked, 'How much do you think you would like to
earn?' With March I got $2000 for a Formula One race, $1000 for
a Formula Two race. So I said, 'You're Formula One, you have
the famous Alfa engine, I think I should earn $100,000 per year.'
Bernie started to smile and all of a sudden the phone rang. He
explained that he was talking to Vittorio Brambilla from Italy,
who was also in line to drive his car. He said, 'Yes, Vittorio,
I would like to offer you $30,000.' He hung up the phone, and
offered me $35,000, take it or not. I took it, of course. Then
I found out his secretary was calling and he was setting me up!
"It was not only my most successful year, but it
was also my best year because I still have a good relationship
with Bernie. He was a good boss. Before the last race, the U.S.
Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Bernie told me, 'Hans if you go out
and win this race, you'll be my driver for the next two years.
If you don't win the race, I have to take Nikki Lauda because
they want a champion.' I had the pole position but the clutch
cable broke on the start, so I knew I couldn't finish the race.
That was it."
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1978
Formula One with Shadow-Ford team, two world championship
points
Production World Championship, two wins in BMW 320 Group 5 car
"When my dad died on February 8 of 1978, I had to leave
two days afterwards for the Grand Prix of South Africa. I couldn't
even qualify the car. I was not mentally free, so I flew home
the next day and joined my mom and spent the weekend with her.
It took a little while to get over it.
"He enjoyed every race I did when I was a young kid.
He taped the Formula One races and we discussed them afterwards.
He tried very carefully to persuade me to try this and try that,
but he never put any pressure on me."
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1979
Formula One with German ATS team, five world championship
points
driver champion, Procar Series, in BMW M1, wins at Zandvoort,
Netherlands; Monza, Italy and Race of Champions in Mexico
"I also had an offer from Frank Williams, but he wasn't
sure I could fit in the car. So we met in the pits at Watkins
Glen at midnight, very sneaky, so I could try and see if I would
fit in the car. I did. So he made me an offer, but it was the
first year for two cars with the team, so I would have to prequalify
every race. It didn't look like a very good deal because they
had no spare car and little money. The German guy made a better
offer."
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1980
second, German Touring Car Championship, with Team Schnitzer
in BMW 320 turbo, wins at Eifelrennen and Diepholz, Germany;
Salzburg, Austria and Zolder, Belgium
third, BMW Procar Series, in BMW M1, wins at Monaco and Norisring,
Germany
winner, Macau Grand Prix, with Team Schnitzer in BMW 320
third, 1000 km at Nürburgring, in BMW M1
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1981
third, German Touring Car Championship, with Team Schnitzer
in 1000-hp BMW M1
winner, 1000 km at Nürburgring, with Nelson Piquet in BMW
M1 (only BMW victory in World Endurance Championship)
GT class winner, 24 Hours of Daytona, with Walter Brun and Rudi
Walch in BMW M1
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1982
fourth, European Touring Car Championship
winner, Macau Grand Prix, in Team Schnitzer BMW 635 CSi
third, German Racing Trophy, with Team Schnitzer in BMW M1, wins
at Zolder, Belgium and Nürburgring, Hockenheim and Norisring,
Germany
Sports Prototype World Championship inaugural season, with Walter
Brun in Sauber SHS C6 Ford
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1983
second, German Racing Trophy, with Team Schnitzer in BMW
M1
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1984
European Touring Car Championship, with Team Schnitzer
in BMW 635 CSi, won 500 km of Mugello, Italy
Sports Prototype World Championship, in Porsche 956 C, won 1000
km of Imola, Italy, with Stefan Bellof
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1985
moved to Porsche as a factory driver
driver champion, World Endurance Championship, with Derek Bell
in Porsche 962, won at Hockenheim, Germany; Mosport, Canada and
Brands Hatch, England
second, German Sports Car Championship, with Brun Motorsport
in Porsche 962, won at Nürburgring, Germany; Wunstorf, Germany;
Zeltweg, Austria and Erding, Germany
German driver of the year
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1986
second, World Endurance Championship, by one point to
co-driver Derek Bell
winner, 24 Heures du Mans, France, with Derek Bell and Al Holbert
in Porsche 962
winner, 12 Hours at Sebring, U.S.A., with Jo Gartner and Bob
Akin in Porsche 962
second, 24 Hours of Daytona, U.S.A., with Jo Gartner and Bob
Akin in Porsche 962
"My first Le Mans win was very spectacular, but it had a
very bad black mark on the win because it was the race when Jo
Gartner died, my Austrian fellow I won Sebring with. So my first
win at Le Mans was under a black shadow."
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1987
winner, 24 Heures du Mans, France, with Derek Bell in
Porsche 962
driver champion, German ADAC Super Cup, in Porsche 962
second, 24 Hours of Daytona, U.S.A., with Bob Akin in Porsche
962
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1988
winner, 12 Hours at Sebring, U.S.A., with Klaus Ludwig
in Porsche 962
second, 24 Heures du Mans, France, with Klaus Ludwig in Porsche
962
third, U.S. Trans-Am Championship, in Audi Quattro, rookie of
the year with seven wins
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1989
fourth, U.S. IMSA GTO Championship, in Audi 200 Quattro,
five wins with Walter Röhrl and Hurley Haywood
third, 24 Heures du Mans, France, with Derek Bell in Porsche
962
1990
driver champion, German Touring Car Championship, in Audi
V8 Quattro, wins at Avus, Wunstdorf, Norisring and Hockenheim
(all Germany)
Sports Car World Championship, with Team Joest in Porsche 962C
fourth, 24 Heures du Mans, France
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1991
third, German Touring Car Championship, in Audi V8 Quattro,
wins at Norisring, Diepholz and Singer (all Germany)
three wins, U.S. IMSA Supercar Championship, in Brumos Porsche
930 turbo
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1992
Audi factory team withdrew from German Touring Car Championship
mid-season, second at Nürburgring, Germany
two wins, U.S. IMSA Supercar Championship, in Porsche 930 turbo
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1993
driver champion, U.S. IMSA Supercar Championship, in Porsche
930, nine wins and 11 pole positions
winner, 12 Hours at Sebring, U.S.A., with Walter Röhrl in
Porsche 930 turbo
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1994
third, 24 Heures du Mans, France, with Thierry Boutsen
and Danny Sullivan in Porsche 962
winner, 6 Hours of Watkins Glen U.S. IMSA Championship, with
Walter Röhrl in Porsche 930 turbo
winner, Touring Car World Final at Donington, England, driving
for Germany in Audi Quattro
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1995
fourth, German ADAC Super Touring Car Cup, in Audi Quattro
second, 12 Hours at Sebring, U.S.A., with Bill Adam in Porsche
930
second, 6 Hours of Watkins Glen U.S. IMSA Championship, with
Bill Adam in Porsche 930 turbo
second, 3 Hours of Sears Point U.S. IMSA Championship, with Bill
Adam in Porsche 930 turbo
third, 24 Heures du Mans, France, with Thierry Boutsen in Kremer
Spyder Porsche 962
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1996
sixth, International Touring Car Championship, with Team
Rosberg in Opel Calibra, won at Helsinki, Finland
GT winner, 12 Hours at Sebring, U.S.A. with Bill Adam in Champion
Porsche 930 turbo
GT winner, 24 Heures du Mans, France, with Bob Wollek and Thierry
Boutsen in Porsche GT1
German BPR Series wins at Brands Hatch, England, and Spa- Francorchamps,
Belgium, with Thierry Boutsen in Porsche GT1
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1997
Porsche works driver, International GT Series, with Thierry
Boutsen in Porsche GT1
Formula One columnist for BILD, biggest German newspaper
television special commentator for ADAC Super Touring Championship
for German television RTL
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1998
development driver, BMW V12 LMR
development driver, BMW V8-powered Riley & Scott Mk III
second, ISRS Championship at the Nürburgring with Steve
Soper
winner, 24 Hours of Nürburgring, with Andy Bovensiepen,
Christian Menzel and Marc Duez in BMW 320 – first win worldwide
for diesel engine
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1999
American Le Mans Series and United States Road Racing
Championship, with BMW Team PTG in BMW M3, GT wins at Lime Rock
Park and Sears Point Raceway, both U.S.A.; second at Mosport,
Canada and Petit Le Mans, Atlanta, U.S.A.
won American Le Mans Series GT Personality of the Year award,
presented by Le Mans Series & Sportscar Racer magazine
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2000
one win and three podium finishes in BMW M3 with BMW Team
PTG in American Le Mans Series
win and fastest qualifier in New Beetle Cup race at Road Atlanta,
USA
Heritage
Hans-J. Stuck's father, Hans Stuck (1900 - 1978), was a very
talented race-car driver and hill-climb specialist. During his
40-year career, he scored 411 wins and runner-up finishes, including
seven grands-prix victories. He raced until he was 62 years old,
and won his final German hill-climb championship at age 60. He
set numerous land, water and hill-climb speed records, and built
his own race cars. He was also an accomplished alpine ski instructor
and an expert golfer.
Here Hans remembers his father ...
"My dad was a good friend to me. He gave me the talent
to become a race-car driver and he helped me a lot. He was not
only a successful racer, he was a good and fair sportsman. He
gave me a lot of the things that helped me in my career.
"I remember in all the events and even up to today,
there was never any person that told me a bad story about my
dad. This is something I admire very much because in this long
career he had, not to have any enemies is pretty difficult.
"It was exciting for him to see me coming into racing,
how much had changed in these 60 years. Now I'm getting older,
I can feel how he felt. In my first race, I didn't even have
a firesuit on. I went in normal shoes and normal shirt, no seat
belts, no gloves. This must have been the same for him. It makes
me wonder what we're going to talk about 20 years from now, where
motorsport goes next, which level it will reach."
Hans' mother Christa-Maria Stuck
Hans at home
Hans is the father of Johannes-Emanuel and Ferdinand-Alexander.
The boys live in Italy with their mother, but they spend long
vacations with their father. And Hans is there for every special
occasion in their lives.
Hans married his soulmate, European model Sylvia Berg,
in 1999. They met at the Frankfurt auto show and Hans was immediately
smitten.
Hans and Sylvia live in the Austrian Alps. They share
a love of golf, skiing, jogging, workouts and games. But Hans
says his favorite hobby is "my two sons, Johannes and Ferdinand."
"I had many girls and I had two marriages before
I met Sylvia. But I didn't have such a good getting-along with
somebody. To find a person like Sylvia, it's very close to 100
per cent to the optimum woman you can find."
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