Volker Weidler

Last updated
Volker Weidler
Born (1962-03-18) 18 March 1962 (age 62)
Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Flag of Germany.svg German
Active years 1989
Teams Rial
Entries10 (0 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last entry 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1987, 1989–1992
Teams Porsche Kremer Racing, Mazdaspeed (Mazdaspeed/Oreca)
Best finish1st (1991)
Class wins1 (1991)

Volker Hermann Weidler (born 18 March 1962) is a retired racing driver from Germany, best known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991.

Contents

Career

Formula racing

In 1985, he became German Formula Three champion.

In the 1989 Formula One season, Weidler entered 10 Formula One Grands Prix, racing for the Rial team, but failed to qualify the uncompetitive car on every occasion.

After Formula One, he moved to Japan and raced in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. He often fought over the title with Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Ross Cheever and others in the Japanese Formula 3000, and became popular in Japan.

GT / Sportscars

In 1991, Weidler teamed with Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot to win Le Mans behind the wheel of the Wankel engine-powered Mazda 787B, marking also the first win of the legendary French race by both a Japanese manufacturer and engine supplier. This Wankel engine-powered car was noted for being very loud.

Possibly related to the hours spent in the noisy Mazda,[ citation needed ] Weidler began to suffer from an ear problem (sensorineural hearing loss) which eventually forced him to retire prematurely from the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship during the 1992 season though Weidler was leading the championship at that time.

When Weidler left the Japanese team, Nova Engineering, he recommended Heinz-Harald Frentzen as his successor.

Post-racing career

Weidler now works as a managing director for Weidler, a building cleaning company owned by his family, based in Weinheim.

Racing record

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011Pos.Pts
1986 Bromley Motorsport with Rial Ralt RT20 Cosworth SIL
10		 VAL
7		 PAU
Ret		 SPA
DNQ		 IMO MUG
16		 PER
DNQ		 ÖST
9		 BIR BUG JAR NC0
1988 Onyx Race Engineering March 88B Cosworth JER
DSQ		 VAL
12		 PAU
DNQ		 SIL
14		 MNZ
9		 PER
Ret		 BRH
6		 BIR
4		 BUG
DNS		 ZOL
Ret		 DIJ
6		15th5
Sources: [1] [2]

Complete Formula One results

(key)

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910111213141516WDC Pts
1989 Rial Racing Rial ARC2 Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 BRA
DNPQ		 SMR
DNPQ		 MON
DNPQ		 MEX
DNPQ		 USA
DNPQ		 CAN
DNPQ		 FRA
DNPQ		 GBR
DNPQ		 GER
EX		 HUN
DNQ		 BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS NC0
Source: [3]

Complete Japanese Formula 3000 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam1234567891011DCPts
1990 Team Take One SUZ
Ret		 FSW
Ret		 MIN
11		 SUZ
5		 SUG
21		 FSW
3		 FSW
Ret		 SUZ
20		 FSW
1		 SUZ
DSQ		6th15
1991 Team Nova SUZ
15		 AUT
DNQ		 FSW
19		 MIN
3		 SUZ
3		 SUG
8		 FSW
3		 SUZ
10		 FSW
C		 SUZ
3		 FSW
1		3rd25
1992 Team Nova SUZ
3		 FSW
Ret		 MIN
Ret		 SUZ
1		 AUT
3		 SUG
1		 FSW FSW SUZ FSW FSW 4th26
Source: [2]

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
1987 Flag of Germany.svg Porsche Kremer Racing Flag of Denmark.svg Kris Nissen
Flag of Japan.svg Kunimitsu Takahashi 		Porsche 962CC16DNFDNF
1989 Flag of Japan.svg Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd Flag of Japan.svg Yojiro Terada
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Marc Duez 		Mazda 767 GTP33912th3rd
1990 Flag of Japan.svg Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Bertrand Gachot
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert 		Mazda 787 GTP148DNFDNF
1991 Flag of Japan.svg Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Bertrand Gachot 		Mazda 787B C23621st1st
1992 Flag of Japan.svg Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd.
Flag of France.svg Oreca 		Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Bertrand Gachot
Flag of Brazil.svg Maurizio Sandro Sala 		Mazda MXR-01 C13364th4th
Sources: [1] [4]

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References

Footnotes
  1. 1 2 "Volker Weidler Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Volker Weidler". Motor Sport . Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Small, Steve (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 415. ISBN   0851127029.
  4. ↑ "Volker Weidler". Automobile Club de l'Ouest . Retrieved 3 January 2024.
Sources
Sporting positions
Preceded by German Formula Three champion
1985 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1991
With: Johnny Herbert & Bertrand Gachot 		Succeeded by


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