Hans Heyer (born 16 March 1943) is a German racing driver who mainly raced touring cars, being popular with the fans for his rather funny style.
He is better known for actions and antics during his single attempt at Formula One, the 1977 German Grand Prix.
Very unusual for his Western German origin, Heyer’s sign is his so-called Tirolerhut, a hat from Tyrol or Bavaria which would fit better to drivers from these Alpine regions, like Hans-Joachim Stuck or Niki Lauda. Info from Wiki
Bio by Stephen Latham
Noted for always wearing an Austrian Tirolerhut hat, Hans Heyer made his mark in touring cars, winning the European Touring Car Championship in 1974 and the DRM in 1975, 1976 and 1980. He scored three consecutive wins in the Spa 24 Hours from 1982 to 1984 plus in sports car racing won the Sebring 12 Hours in 1984. He raced at Le Mans 12 times and had an audacious plan for the start of 1982’s event with his own prototype but he and the car never entered the race after discussion with Mercedes Benz. Hans only entered a single GP, at Hockenheim in 1977, though he holds the dubious distinction of being the only driver ever to get disqualified after he failed to finish a race which he was never even allowed to start.
Born on the 16 March 1943 in Monchengladbach, his parents ran a bitumen and a concrete mixing company and his passion for motor racing and engineering started while at school in Adenau, near the Nurburgring circuit. He was later an apprentice mechanic at Daimler-Benz and began his racing in the late 1950s. As he was only 16 he was not permitted to race in Germany so started racing karts in the Netherlands and won the 1962 Dutch Championship in the 100cc category followed by the 125cc class in 1963. On returning to race in Germany he became champion four years on the run from 1968 to 1971 plus twice won the French Brignoles 24 Hour Classic in 1969 to 1971 and finished second in 1970.
Later, AMG later decided to fit their engines in a Can Am chassis and purchased a McLaren M8FP for this purpose. Hans only raced the car at an Interserie round at Imola in 1972, where he qualified twelfth but retired on lap eight of the first heat. A twin-turbo version of the V8 was planned but the project came to a halt soon after and the AMG-Mclaren faded into obscurity. Besides the McLaren, the year saw a busy race schedule with a variety of machinery, including a BMW 2002 and 2800CS, a Ford Capri, Porsche 911, Opel GT and the Mercedes 300SEL. There was a debut with a Schnitzer 2800CS at Le Mans, though he and Rene Herzog retired after 70 laps, but a highlight came with victory at the Nurburgring 6 Hours alongside John Fitzpatrick and Rolf Stommelen. Racing the Capri he was second (with Gerry Birrell and Dieter Glemser) at the 4 Hour Jarama, third at the Nurburgring and took victory at Zolder in October. There was a season in a Ford Capri the following year but despite retirements at Le Mans and the 24 Hour Spa he finished second in the German Racing Championship (DRM). His results included second at Diepholz, Kassel-Calden and Nurburgring (twice) and victories at Mainz-Finthen, Hockenheim and Norisring but he lost the title to Dieter Glemser by just one point.
In 1974 he took the European Touring Car Championship title with Zakspeed’s Ford Escort RS 1600 though did one outing in their Capri. Racing the Escort he was second at Nurburgring, third and fourth at Vallelunga and Salzburgring (with Hartmut Kautz) and won the 6 Hour Nurburgring with Klaus Ludwig while the single outing in the Capri saw victory at the 4 Hour Jarama alongside Klaus Ludwig and Toine Hezemans. He drove a Porsche 911 Carrera RSR for the Samson Kremer Team in the DRM and some rounds of the World Championship for Makes though retired in his third attempt at Le Mans. There were a number of shared drives with Paul Keller though racing it solo he won at Hockenheim, took second at Nurburgring, second and fourth at Norisring, third at Hockenheim and fourth at Diepholz.
1975 saw him take his first German Racing Championship with Castrol Team Zakspeed’s Ford Escort RS1600. He took second at the 4 hour Monza and the GP Brno (with Martino Finotto) and won the 1000km Kyalami with Peter Hennige and Jochen Mass while racing solo he was third at Saarlouis and won at Mainz-Finthen, Avus, Diepholz, Hockenheim (four) and Nurburgring (twice). Drives with a 911 saw a win at Hockenheim and Zolder and second at the Nurburgring.
He defended his Championship title the following year in Zakspeed’s Ford Escort, taking second at Norisring, Nurburgring (twice) and the 1000km Kyalami with K.Ludwig plus victories at Mainz-Finthen, Diepholz and three at Hockenheim. In sports car races he and Bob Wollek scored three podiums with Kremer’s Porsche 935, finishing second at the 6 Hour races at Mugello, Silverstone and Dijon. He retired at Le Mans though racing a 934 solo he was second and fourth at Euro GT rounds at Imola and Hockenheim. He also attempted two European F2 races, finishing sixth at Hockenheim but failed to qualify for a second Hockenheim race and made no further attempts in F2.
Apart from drives in a Gelo Racing Porsche 935 at Le Mans and the 6 Hour Hockenheim he continued with Zakspeed’s Escort in the DRM in 1977 though only finished fourth that year. His best results were podiums at Zolder, Diepholz and Nurburgring (three), fourth at Norisring plus won at Mainz-Finthen and the 1000k Kyalami with Jody Scheckter. However, that year is remembered by his F1 entry when offered a run in the ATS Penske-Ford PC4 alongside JP Jarier at Hockenheim. After qualifying 27th out of the 30 entrants, he failed to qualify though on race day he sat ready in the pit-lane in case a gap should open up on the grid. Although the grid got away cleanly, there was a first corner shunt involving Clay Regazzoni and Alan Jones and in the confusion officials never noticed Hans had joined the race. He completed nine laps until mechanical issues forced his retirement which caused his participation to be discovered; Hans was disqualified, which made him the only driver to not qualify, not finish and be disqualified in a single race.
His association with Zakspeed ended that season and he joined Lancia in 1980 plus contested several Procar rounds in a BMW M1. He achieved his third DRM title with the Fruit of the Loom/GS-Sport Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo, taking podiums on the way at Zolder, Nurburgring, Diepholz, Spa and Hockenheim, fourth at Salzburgring and Nurburgring then victories at Hockenheim and Mainz-Finthen. He crashed badly at the Norisring, rolling several times though after fortunately emerging unhurt he returned to the wreck in order to recover his hat. There were other Lancia drives at Le Mans and in World Sportscar Championship rounds and he and Riccardo Patrese were fourth in the 1000km Nurburgring and won the 6 Hour Watkins Glen, and he took fourth in the 6 Hour Mosport with Walter Rohrl. Racing the BMW M1 he was second at Donington, fifth at Brands Hatch and third at Imola.
He spent a further season with Lancia’s Beta Montecarlo Turbo and the year started with a debut at the 24 hour Daytona, finishing eighteenth with Riccardo Patrese and Henri Pescarolo. He took wins at Norisring and Nurburgring, podiums at Zolder, Nurburgring, Hockenheim (twice), Salzburgring, Mainz-Finthen, Wunstorf and Norisring and fourth at Nurburgring (with Piercarlo Ghinzani) and Hockenheim to finish fourth in the DRM. There were three further races in a BMW M1 though his only finish was eighth at the 9 hour Kyalami with Hans Stuck and Walter Brun in a BASF sponsored car.
1982 saw Hans contesting a variety of races with different teams and cars, including Juma Team’s BMW 528i in the RTCC plus a Sauber SHS C6, Lancia LC1 and Porsche 936 in sports car races. He retired at Le Mans in the LC1 and contested several races in a Sauber SHS C6 with Hans Stuck though his best result was fourth while driving solo at Hockenheim. The year saw him score his first win at the Spa 24 Hours in a Bastos Joosen BMW 528i, teamed with Armin Hahne and Eddy Joosen and he and E.Joosen followed it with second and third with Juma Racing’s car at Vallelunga and Zolder. Shared drives in Joest’s 936 produced third with Henri Pescarolo and Bob Wollek in the 1000km Mugello and fourth in the 9 Hour Kyalami alongside Volkert Merl and Dieter Schornstein.
In 1982 he planned to contest Le Mans with his own Mercedes SLC 500 prototype and in testing before the race at the Ladoux Michelin proving ground it was said to be faster than the quickest car to have run there, an Elf 2J, Renault’s 1979 factory F2 car. However, he also intended using an enlarged, twin turbo version of the 500 SLC’s V8 but though its output was close to 800 horsepower, it was unreliable and the car would never be able to run for the race’s full 24 hours. But Hans had no intention of finishing the race, intending to run on full boost at the start and be in the lead through the first corner, stating “I wanted to go full throttle from the start at le Mans, and come out of the first lap with a 500 metre lead and then keep going flat out until the engine exploded, at which point I would jump into the Loos Porsche.” He assumed the engine would last no more than two hours in that mode but his plan never came to fruition and the car would never arrive at Le Mans. After discussion with Mercedes-Benz, he told how “Mercedes asked me to cancel the project. A shame, really.” After their request to withdraw, the car remained in his private collection until some years later when the car appeared for sale, priced at 2 million euros.
He retired at Norisring and Le Mans in the Lancia but won the Imola 1000 Kms with Teo Fabi. He was in a new car for the ETCC, a BMW 635 CSi for the Juma Team and Team Schnitzer Eterna and a highlight was his repeating his Spa 24 Hours victory, this time with Armin Hahne and Thierry Tassin. Further 635 CSi drives produced third with A.Hahne in the 500km Monza plus he and Dieter Quester took second at Donington and the GP Brno and fifth in the Tourist Trophy. Results in 1000km races in Joest’s 956 saw third at Monza with Rolf Stommelen and C.Schickentanz, fifth at Fuji with B.Wollek and H.Merl and fourth at Nurburgring with a Boss-Obermaier entered car alongside Axel Plankenhorn and Jurgen Lassig.
The following year was split between drives in a Porsche and Jaguar XJS with his one outing in the Martini Lancia alongside Paolo Barilla and Mauro Baldi ending in retirement at Le Mans. Joining the Colombian team De Narvaez Enterprises in the IMSA GTP Championship, his first race at the Miami 3 Hours finished prematurely in the 935 but in the following month he sensationally won the Sebring 12 Hours, sharing with Stefan Johansson and Mauricio De Narvaez. These were his only drives in a 935 as he raced a Porsche 956 at several events after this and took third in a Joest car with Jochen Mass and Henri Pescarolo in the 1000km Imola. Away from the Porsches, in shared drives with Tom Walkinshaw in their TWR XJS he took victory in his first race, the 500km Monza, then later in the GP Brno and 500km Zeltweg and podiums at Vallelunga, Pergusa and Zolder. July that year saw him take his third 24 Hour Spa win (joined by Win Percy) and at the end of the season he was second in the ETCC classification, ten points behind T.Walkinshaw.
The following seasons saw less racing but they were equally frustrating as there were numerous retirements. During 1985 he had been helping the MAN truck company develop their rally truck and in January 1986 he drove one in the gruelling Paris-Dakar Rally rally, finishing twenty eight overall and second in the truck category. Continuing with the Juma Team 635CSi that season his three finishes saw fifth at Anderstorp (with Marc Surer), ninth at the GP Brno (with Enzo Calderari) and fourth with Eric van de Poele at Zolder. He retired the Silk Cut Jaguar at Nurburgring and Le Mans, though this would be prove to be his twelfth and final Le Mans entry.
He only raced a BASTOS and RAS Sport Toyota Supra in 1987, alongside Eddy Joosen, in the ETCC and WTCC though did not qualify at Nurburgring and Zolder and retired in the other three at Spa, Nogaro and the Tourist Trophy at Silverstone. As part of the AMG team in 1989 he undertook a final attempt at Spa, driving in both of the Mercedes-Benz 500 SECs but the two crews retired plus he did not finish at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Gallery F1 Other Sport cars
