The
early years: From a dead-end street to Formula One
There comes a time in a racing driver´s life when you reach
a crossroad, and you have to seriously ask yourself: Is motorsport an
exciting hobby for me - or is it my ultimate passion and more important
than anything else? At the latest this question will arise when you
reach Formula 3, because the costs skyrocket and it becomes impossible
to pay out of your own pocket or with support of small sponsors. You
need strong partners, wealthy teams - and they expect you to give your
absolute utmost.
I reached that point in 1989: With the Schübel Team and support from
the ONS (then the German National Motorsport Committee) I contested the
German Formula 3 Championship. I competed against the likes of Karl
Wendlinger, Michael Schumacher, and Michael Bartels.
The championship ended in a memorable finale, when Michael and I
finished just one point behind the new German Champion, Karl Wendlinger.
Maybe one of you can find out: Has a championship ever been decided more
closely between three competitors?
1989 was a memorable year because of another reason: Jochen
Neerpasch, the motorsport boss at Mercedes at that time, contracted
Karl, Michael and myself as the junior team for the sportscar world
championship. This was a quantum leap: from the 170 hp Formula 3 kayaks
to the 800 hp Silver Arrows.
Parallel to the sportscar championship I contested Formula 3000 - in
the team of the reigning champion at this time Jean Alesi. My team boss
was Eddie Jordan, and my team mate’s name was Eddie Irvine.
I competed in Formula 3000 for two years, but to be honest, not with
a lot of success.
Of course, I could give a long explanation with the reasons: wrong
chassis, a team with too many drivers, not the right consultants, etc,
etc, etc. But today, nobody is interested in such explanations. And back
then nobody was interested either. I didn’t bring the results, and all
of a sudden my name was missing on the grid. When 1992 came, I was
without any contract. No Formula 3000, no sportscar racing, not to talk
about Formula 1. For someone who considers himself a professional, the
future looked grim: I was unemployed, and I can tell you, this was a
damn bitter time.
I was trapped in a dead-end street, I felt like I was clutching at
straws. Luckily, I grabbed two of them. The first one was very little,
but the second one had the dimensions of a tree trunk.
There were a few races in the sportscar world championship for me in
the Euro Racing Team. This squad ran a Lola and did its very best, but
was not really competitive against the big works outfits. But when you
are dehydrated and facing death, you don’t really care what type of
mineral water you´re drinking...
And then came Japan: Volker Weidler suffered a huge accident in
Formula 3000, unfortunately sustained serious problems with his ears and
consequently was forced to retire from racing. And the incredible thing
was although Volker hardly knew me he recommended me to his team boss as
his successor. Again, I want to say: Thank you, Volker!
The recommendation worked, and I got the drive in Japan. Formula
3000, outings in the national sportscar championship, and lots of
testing kilometres for Bridgestone in a Tyrrell-Mugen F1. Not bad for a
former jobless driver! Suddenly, I was back in business, and I was back
so strongly that even a jump to Formula 1 was a consideration. At least
as a very dim light at the end of the tunnel.
But this is another story to be told in the next chapter...
