Jochen Mass: Former racing driver dies at 78
Cannes. Former German Formula 1 driver Jochen Mass has died. He died at the age of 78. The family confirmed this to the German Press Agency. Mass died on Sunday in Cannes, southern France, from the effects of a stroke he suffered in February.
The trained mechanic from Dorfen in Upper Bavaria competed in 105 races in the premier class of motorsport. Mass made it to the podium eight times, driving for the traditional British team McLaren, among others.
Fifty years ago, on April 27, 1975, he celebrated his only Grand Prix victory. In Barcelona, he won the Spanish Grand Prix in a McLaren-Ford Cosworth. "It's like scoring a goal in your international career," Mass once said of his only success.
Jochen Mass at the 1982 Monaco Grand Prix
His only Formula 1 victory was also overshadowed by a horrific accident. On the Montjuic street circuit, Rolf Stommelen veered off the track in his Hill Climb and crashed into the crowd, killing several people.
Mass made his Formula 1 debut in 1973, competing for the last time in the 1982 season. In 1989, he triumphed in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Sauber-Mercedes alongside Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens.
The former TV expert followed Formula 1 with "critical interest" – and also as an advisor. Mass even recommended that Michael Schumacher switch to Ferrari in 1996 rather than the then-superior Williams team.
"If you make Ferrari strong again, you'll become the king of Italy," Mass recalled. He had previously shared his knowledge with the young Schumacher during their time together in a Mercedes sports car.
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