Back from the dead - Jochen Rindt

Karl Jochen Rindt was born on April 18, 1942, in Mainz, Germany. He was orphaned as an infant when his parents were killed in a bombing raid. His grandparents adopted him and brought him to Graz, Austria. He was a clever and youngster who enjoyed defying authority, he continiously found ways to indulge in his passion for speed and competition - preferably allied with danger. Twice he broke limbs in schoolboy ski races and when he switched to motorized sport, at first on a moped and then on a motocross bike, he either crashed or won. On public roads he drove battered Volkswagens like a madman and was often in trouble with the police. His rebellious streak caused him to be expelled from several private schools and his grandparents (his grandfather was a prominent lawyer) despaired for his future.

Rindt was born with a passion for speed, which he satisfied even if it meant getting into trouble with the local police

Despite his rogue personality, Jochen was a clever guy. He used pieces of string instead of laces to tie his battered shoes. According to him, they were better for the job. His flat boxer’s nose and abrupt manner of speaking made him seem intimidating. Confident to the point of arrogance and ambitious in the extreme, he resolved while still in his teens to ascend to the very pinnacle of motorsport.
He began racing touring cars and then single seaters, crashing with alarming frequency and several times ending up in hospital. Yet such setbacks only fortified his will to succeed. He personally financed his first forays in more serious formula cars.

Rindt began racing in the Touring car championship in his late teens

In 1964 he moved to England and bought a Formula Two Brabham. In his second F2 race, at Crystal Palace, the British press reported that ‘an unknown Austrian’ had beaten the famous Graham Hill. Followers of the sport noted the spectacular style that was to become Rindt’s trademark: ‘His car was sideways throughout the race. It went around the corners at unbelievable angles and always looked as if it was about to go off the road. In 1965 he signed a three-year Formula One contract with Cooper, whose cars weren’t competitive. Rindt also partnered with Ferrari, and alongside the American Masten Gregory, drove a Ferrari 250LM to victory in the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hour race.

Rindt won the 24 hours of LeMans in 1965

The same year, he made his F1 debut with Cooper

While enduring two more seasons in outclassed Coopers and another in an unreliable Brabham, Rindt fought his machinery mercilessly. Often he seemed completely out of control and he even acknowledged that appearances were not deceiving. When asked how frequently he drove beyond his limits he replied: “Did I ever drive within them?”
The skilled Austrian perfectly exemplified the popular perception of what a racing driver should be, became a favourite of the fans and of the photographers, for whom he provided some of the best action photos in Formula One history. Off the track the pictorial appeal took on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ dimensions when in 1967 Jochen Rindt married Nina Lincoln, a glamourous Finnish fashion model.

Rindt became a favorite between the fans and fotographers

For 1969, Team Lotus founder Colin Chapman signed Rindt to partner reigning World Champion Graham Hill. The newcomer quickly out-paced his illustrious team mate, but the Lotus 49 was as fragile as it was fast. Jochen was leading the Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuich Park when his car’s high rear wing collapsed, pitching it into the wreckage of Hill’s Lotus, which had earlier crashed for the same reason. Hill was unhurt but Jochen suffered a concussion and a broken jaw and became an outspoken critic of Chapman’s cars, calling them unsafe as well as unreliable. However, he modified these views following his first championship victory: the 1969 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.

With Lotus, Rindt managed to get his first win at the 1969 US GP

His first win of 1970 was indeed the greatest of his short career. It happened at Monaco in the outdated Lotus 49 with the new 72 model not yet being raceworthy. After holding on to fifth place for much of the race, the retirement of others promoted Rindt to 15 seconds behind race leader Jack Brabham driving one of his own cars. Rindt then proceeded to chase Brabham by means of a thrilling, even frightening, charge that amazed everyone who saw it, including Jack B. himself. Rindt went faster and faster, smashing the lap record. Even for the veteran Brabham, the sight of the wildly chasing Lotus getting closer in his mirrors, proved to be such a distraction that on the last corner of the last lap, the Australian crashed into the barriers just meters away from the finish line. Jochen wept tears of joy as Prince Rainier and Princess Grace presented him with the winner’s trophy.
In the next few weeks he carried sorrow because of the deaths of two of his closest friends - Bruce McLaren and Piers Courage. He began to consider retiring for family reasons, yet he drove as hard as ever and won four consecutive races, including the Dutch,French, British and German events.

Rindt's greatest win came at Monaco in 1970

Then came the ill-fated day of September 5, 1970, when Jochen Rindt’s Lotus inexplicably crashed into a guardrail at Monza during practice for the Italian Grand Prix. One of the first on the scene was his good friend and business manager Bernie Ecclestone, who came away with only two sad souvenirs: a battered helmet and a single shoe which had been thrown some distance from the wreckage.
The fatal accident happened close to where his boyhood hero Wolfgang von Trips was killed in 1961. At that time the German was leading the championship, just as the Austrian was now. But while von Trips was later beaten to the title by his Ferrari team mate Phil Hill, no one was able to deprive Jochen Rindt of the championship he surely deserved.

Jochen Rindt won the 1970 championship, becoming the only posthumous F1 champion

His death coused a real sorrow in F1, and it reminded everyone, how dangerous the sport was at the time

So guys that was the story of Jochen Rindt. Originally, it was his story the first one I wanted to write about. (I don’t really know why I didn’t do it) but here it is. I hope you’ve liked it. I think it really reminds us of the passion this sport has and how far were drivers willing to go in order to win.

So guys that was the end of this article, if you’ve read until this point then thank you very much, I appreciate it and hope you have liked it :)
I wanted to ask you a question. I started this series with the idea of writing about older drivers first. Brabham for example in the late 60s and Lauda in the mid 70s. However, I have seen some comments saying that they engoy more recent stuff. I was still planning to write another one or two more 70s articles before moving on to the 80s. Would you like that, or would you like it more if my next article was about an 80s driver already? I honestly would enjoy it no mater what, but I wanted to know what would you guys like to see

That was it guys
F1Trooper out.